Narc. Magazine Online
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Emily Elliott talks to Rhian Jade and Nicola Mantalios about their events which seek to increase safe spaces for marginalised groups
Image: Nicola Mantalios by Andy Hollingworth
Rhian Jade is the artistic director of theatre company SoreSlap, whose LGBTQ+ and global majority sketch night, Sketch Slap, showcases drama, drag, comedy and poetry. Comedian and mentor Nicola Mantalios hosts Queers & Beers, Newcastle’s only regular queer comedy night.
Witnessing discrimination motivated the pair to advocate for safe spaces in their respective fields. Having overheard a couple of audience members calling a gay kiss onstage “perverse”, Rhian felt the need to respond. “Stories about the life experiences I’ve had weren’t on stage. That really got me thinking about what my voice is actually doing for my community. What should be shown to us as ‘normal’, how do we change that narrative to an accepting one? I would like to be at the core of telling the truth.”
Nicola’s experiences on the comedy circuit echo Rhian’s. “When you’re performing as a comedian there’s so much vulnerability. You’re trying to evoke a very niche human reaction, and you’re working really hard. Then you have to navigate the feeling of someone throwing rocks at you. People have asked if they can perform on our stage because they don’t know where else to go, that’s why it’s important to have these safe spaces, there’s no feeling that someone’s going to punch down.”
What should be shown to us as ‘normal’, how do we change that narrative to an accepting one?
For Rhian, safe spaces are for education; they reflect on a time when their cis male friends attended one of their gigs: “They didn’t realise that I had to have these exhausting conversations [about being trans] all the time. It’s little things like this which will change their interactions with the next queer person they meet.”
Rhian explains that SketchSlap is all about relationship development. “The industry is so toxically full of comparisons and expectations. We are able to bring someone who has done one performance together with someone who has done a hundred performances. Many have said it’s the safest space they’ve ever been involved in.”
At Queers & Beers, Nicola has fostered an equally receptive and “completely literate” audience. “Trans acts can get straight into their material rather than using energy and time to justify how they exist and then tell jokes.”
Rhian’s work also extends to neurodivergent individuals. “We don’t say ‘it’s great that people with ASD can say those things and have this space’. They’re great shows because these people are human beings and they’re artists in their own right.”
Nicola’s mentoring work has also been a haven for neurodivergent comedians, and her Babes In Arms gigs provide a “safe space for babies and parents who are tired but still want to be connected to the arts”.
Both Rhian and Nicola are emphatic about their events being crucial development grounds for artists just starting out. “We don’t care about perfection. We care that someone gets some development, some new ideas and inspiration.” Rhian explains. Nicola adds: “We want to say ‘here’s your path, here’s your microphone and stage. Let’s see what you’ve got’.”
Sketch Slap’s next event takes place at Alphabetti Theatre, Newcastle on Tuesday 26th November. The next Queers & Beers takes place at The Old Coal Yard, Newcastle on Thursday 5th December.
Image: Rhian Allen
