Home Contact
Prospect Magazine •

All style, no substance: the problem of aesthetics in 2023

Browsing the Aesthetics Wiki is a bit like squinting at a disco ball. It’s a dizzying encyclopaedia of a thousand online micro-styles and sensibilities, each one codified with an appropriate name, dress-code, playlist. There’s a niche for absolutely everything, it seems: your wicker furniture belongs in “Coastal Grandmother”; toxic waste dumps are “Nuclear”; rats and ferrets are “Feralcore”. And if you can’t find a place for something, you can devise an aesthetic of your own.
DIVA Magazine •

juliany taveras: “No matter what world we were born into, we would always be queer because we question the limitations put on us”

The New York-born storyteller hopes their new play, Morris Micklewhite And The Tangerine Dress, will help children find the courage to accept themselves

BY KATIE CHAMBERS, CO-DESIGNED BY WILLIAM BOLES AND SOTIRIOS LIVADITIS & COSTUME SKETCHES BY CAROLYN ROSE SULLIVAN

Morris Micklewhite loves to wear a tangerine-coloured dress because “it reminds him of tigers, the sun and his mother’s hair”. When some of his classmates tell him that boys can’t wear dresses, Morris is confused, but no less dete
DIVA Magazine •

Laura Checkley: “I want to write about the working class, middle-aged lesbian who’s trying to keep up!”

"There’s a science to comedy. You have to land the words with the right emphasis to get the laugh. With drama, I just say to myself, Laura, listen, feel it, and tell the truth. That sounds really wanky, but it’s true! I just think about where [my character] is at in the story and her relationship with the character she’s talking to. Connecting with exceptional actors like Nina Sosanya and Stephen Wight makes the job easier."
Prospect Magazine •

Is the Netflixification of theatre a bad thing?

Theatres still reeling from Covid, audiences crippled by the cost of living—right now, a night at the West End is not high on the average person’s priority list. To see how the industry itself is responding to this difficult climate, all you need to do is look left on a tube escalator, at the promotional images lining your way. Paul Mescal is Stanley Kowalski. Matthew Modine is Atticus Finch. Until recently, Emma Corrin was Orlando.

It looks like TV stars fronting West End shows has become the
DIVA Magazine •

Meet the most iconic divas in history at the V&A

It’s because of this struggle and tragedy that walking upstairs to the second half, ‘Reclamation’, literally feels like a staircase to heaven. All the diva energy, having so far flowed through dark basement corridors, gets released into a high-ceilinged room and allowed to soar. Lots of the mannequins are freed from glass cases and placed on tall plinths with their arms joyfully outstretched. It feels like walking through a very sparkly mountain range. It’s a lovely and very clever way of reminding us of the progress the world has made towards women’s rights and acceptance of LGBTQIA people.
Islington Gazette •

'Sixteen months of nightmare': More than 500 antisocial behaviour reports at estate

Leo Radadhi said he has experienced “16 months of nightmare”.

Mr Radadhi said he first called the police and the council in around April 2021 to report a group of people smoking and distributing cannabis near his front door.

And he is not alone in reporting an issue.

Data released by Islington Council under the Freedom of Information Act reveals that 576 reports of antisocial behaviour (ASB) were made at Hilldrop and the surrounding streets between May 1, 2021 and October 31 this year.

After
DIVA Magazine •

A love letter to Phoebe Bridgers

A thank you is in order for this extraordinary bisexual artist

Phoebe Bridgers’ songs are some of the only songs I’ve listened to that have made me wince in pain, and I mean that as a massive compliment. I’ve listened to Moon Song countless times, but I still have a full-body response to the line “I will wait for the next time you want me/Like a dog with a bird at your door” . Lyrically, no-one’s doing it like Bridgers: her music serves up tender poetry and cathartic screams for every mood. But
DIVA Magazine •

Why Milena Sanchez is our new favourite queer podcaster

The star of UK smash-hit The Receipts Podcast is in her first WLW relationship, and we couldn’t be more obsessed

Women all over the world have been in love with Milena Sanchez for years, and now we know she loves us back. The singer/songwriter and co-host of the award-winning podcast has had a hell of a year: her face has been plastered on billboards all over London, she’s released two hit singles, AND she’s fallen in love.

The Receipts, which Milena presents along with Tolani Shoneye and Audr
Hackney Post •

Rio raises curtain on queer movies

Beloved for its art deco design and authentic red curtain, The Rio Cinema is a Hackney landmark. It is the longest-operating community cinema in London but that is not the only feather in its cap. The Rio has also been hosting the UK’s only weekly queer movie night since 2021.

Every Wednesday, the cinema’s basement transforms into “Pink Palace”, an intimate space to enjoy queer films, including cult lesbian romances and camp classics.

“Before we put the film on we always introduce it and expla
Hackney Post •

Top 5 must-visit LGBTQ+ spots in Hackney

When it comes to queer nights out, Hackney knows what’s up. Alongside Pride parades and historic tours, the ever-trendy borough continues to host some of the best LGBTQ+ nights out in London. From kitsch cinema to cheesy karaoke, here are our picks for the top 5 LGBTQ+ destinations in Hackney.

The Rio is a thriving independent art deco cinema, beloved for being London’s longest-operating community cinema, and on Wednesdays, it turns pink and becomes the UK’s only weekly queer film club. Rio’s P
Varsity Online •

Obsession, cinema and ‘Ferret’: an interview with Mojola Akinyemi

Mojola Akinyemi, an English finalist at Jesus, is a writer and director for films and plays in Cambridge. After a long hiatus, Ferret, her latest film, is finally in editing, in preparation for its first screenings and upcoming film festivals. Mojola wrote the screenplay in October 2020, but wasn’t able to start filming until November 2021 due to Covid restrictions.

"Ferret is about obsession,” Mojola summarises. Reflecting excitedly on films like Heathers (1988), Gone Girl (2014) and The Favou
Varsity Online •

Dear students, your anger is valid

Content Note: Brief mention of self-harm and suicide

In the noisy politics and Covid-19 briefings since March 2020, students have been noticeably ignored. Boris Johnson’s announcement of the third lockdown on the 5th January didn’t mention them. Instead, ambiguous advice trickled down over the following weeks: some students are living in empty halls, others, whom the Master of Trinity College Cambridge labelled “the wonderful silent majority”, have faced months of lectures from their childhood
Varsity Online •

The Crown, Covid and my country

Content Note: This article contains discussion of grief and mental health.

Like 73 million households across the UK, I spent a lot of 2020 in the company of Claire Foy and Olivia Colman. From various beds in various lockdowns I watched a young Elizabeth II impassively accede to the throne, assassinations and marriage scandals, and a middle-aged Prince Phillip get choked by the moon landing. Over Christmas my mum, my sister and I fell in love with Emma Corrin’s Diana from our sofa. The Crown is

About Me

Reporter at The Stage with words in DIVA Magazine, Prospect Magazine, Islington Gazette and more

Email: katie.chambers@thestage.co.uk