A new series of short films – More Than One Story – exploring why people become homeless has been made by Cardboard Citizens, a charity that uses drama to transform the lives of those with lived experience of homelessness, in association with Black Apron Entertainment. Each film is written and performed by people who have experienced homelessness.
This week’s film puts the spotlight on the LGBTQ+ community, who experience high levels of homelessness. And For Once, I Just Let It Be Nice is written by Charlie Josephine, one of the country’s most exciting dramatists. In 2022, their play I, Joan opened to great acclaim at Shakespeare’s Globe and Cowbois – co-directed by Josephine with Sean Holmes – opened last year at the RSC’s Swan Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon, where it was nominated for Best New Play at the WhatOnStage Awards, before transferring to the Royal Court Theatre in January.
‘If it’s true that culture changes culture then this is vital storytelling
Chris Sonnex [artistic director of Cardboard Citizens] asked me to write a monologue for the More Than One Story series and I immediately said yes. I love Cardboard Citizens. They’re doing the real work. Proper integrity. Proper passion. Giving voice to people who aren’t often heard, especially in this middle-class, white, hetero-ghetto industry. Especially in this cruel, austerity-ridden country led by heartless politicians speaking nonsense for the past 14 years. It’s heartbreaking and crazy-making.
But Cardboard Citizens have managed to use that anger as fuel for a new canon of work. Monologues written from the heart and personal experience about different perspectives of homelessness. If it’s true that culture changes culture then this is vital storytelling and I’m honoured to be asked to contribute.
My creative task was to write honestly, focusing on homelessness from the perspective of the LGBTQ+ community. It was an opportunity to challenge audience perceptions of homelessness – firstly, to remind us that the legal definition covers a much broader range of circumstances than most people first think of when they hear that word, and secondly, to explore the intersectionality of inequity for queer and trans people experiencing homelessness.
Research from Stonewall shows almost one in five LGBTQ+ people have experienced homelessness at some point in their lives. Rates are even higher amongst trans people, with 25% having experienced homelessness. According to the charity akt, 77% of LGBTQ+ young people gave family rejection, abuse or being asked to leave home as a cause of their homelessness. It’s a topic that’s deeply personal for me so it was a juicy one to get stuck into.
