A thought provoking show that will draw you into HOW life was as a queer in BELFAST IN THE 90’s

This Sh*t Happens All the time - Written by Amanda Verlaque, Directed by Rhiann Jeffery and Performed by Derry born Caoimhe Ferren.

This show touches on the strong religious shame of being a member of the queer community and homophobic hate crimes in the 80’s and 90’s in an engaging way with the use of just a neon sign, a dry ice machine and the engaging performance of Caoimhe.

The story starts off in the 80’s with a feeling like she ia being singled out by her priest which leads the main character tries to hide / blend in and lead a secret life with long standing queer rule book discreet smiles to acknowledge other “queers” in passing in corridors and in life in general. Having to pretend to be straight, dance with straight men and wearing high heels and getting slurs of dyke etc. straight men in bars and clubs were all the norm during this time. Hate crime led to no charges and certainly no day in court. This all sets the scene for her “wild” 90’s the time for university, the students union and more importantly women's groups where all the “lesbians” meet.

The story follows how her first lesbian relationship goes through the various stages of any relationship and the problems she encounters from Bi-sexuality to hate crime, coercive control to the ever prevalent catholic / protestant divide in Northern Ireland, but it is not all bad and there are good times as well as that bad that any member of the queer community can relate to today even in 2022.

Caoimhe single handedly plays the various characters to perfection and closes the show with the strong thought provoking statement of “Equality in Principle isn’t Equality in Practice.”

This Sh*it Happens All the Time is staged at Naughton Studio at The Lyric , 22 Mar-2 Apr. Tickets start from £12. For details visit https://lyrictheatre.co.uk/whats-on/this-sh-t-happens-all-the-time.

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