Two men kissing, one holding the other on his shoulders
photo credit Joe Armitage
Dance

DETENTION

Gary Clarke Company
2 performances between Tue 14 & Wed 15 Oct 2025, 19:30
Loading performances

Powerful dance theatre exploring the impact of Section 28, soundtracked by iconic band Test Dept

Gary Clarke Company proudly presents their highly anticipated new dance theatre show, DETENTION, following the multi award-winning COAL and critically acclaimed WASTELAND.

DETENTION explores the impact of Section 28: a piece of largely hidden legislation from Thatcher’s Conservative Government in 1988, which ‘prohibited the promotion of homosexuality’, forcing people from the LGBT+ community into a place of secrecy, fear and shame at a time when the country was in industrial turmoil and the gay community was being ravaged by the onslaught of AIDS.

Gary Clarke’s powerful and personal working-class storytelling draws on public and private stories and testimonies, including a rare insight into the LGBT+ Switchboard Logbooks, combined with vivid choreography performed by a company of exceptional dancers, an evocative narrator, a local cast of LGBT+ people, striking designs in film, sound, light and costume and music tracks by the iconic band Test Dept.

DETENTION is a bold and moving exploration of the violence, loneliness, protests, debates, unlikely allies and the remarkable individuals and organisations of the time.

Take part in a workshop and show package

DETENTION company dancers are available to deliver workshops for participants, aged 14+, as part of an exciting integrated package.  This includes an individually tailored, 3-hour (flexible) creative movement workshop, watching DETENTION at Corn Exchange and attending a post-show discussion.

 

Find out more: Workshop and show package

Book a free community roadshow

Join Artistic Director, Gary Clarke, at a DETENTION roadshow.  These unique and special events provide an opportunity for local LGBT+ communities to learn more about DETENTION and the intricate process behind making it, as well as offering a supportive environment to share your own memories and experiences.

Anyone attending a roadshow will be offered discounted tickets to see DETENTION at Corn Exchange.

Find out more: Roadshow information

Two dancers jumping, one in a kilt, dark red jacket and short hair kicking one leg to the side and twisting his body. The other in dark clothes with long hair jumping upwards and yelling, both looking extremely angry
A dancer in jeans and denim jacket, with a leg elegantly kicked forwards and arms raised behind from the momentum of kicking forward
Three men leaning on a desk, looking angry and shouting, waving their right arm in the air with a fist or point
Two female dancers in blue denim jackets, One supporting the other in a deep backwards bend, both looking tenderly at each other.
Previous
Next
Two dancers jumping, one in a kilt, dark red jacket and short hair kicking one leg to the side and twisting his body. The other in dark clothes with long hair jumping upwards and yelling, both looking extremely angry
A dancer in jeans and denim jacket, with a leg elegantly kicked forwards and arms raised behind from the momentum of kicking forward
Three men leaning on a desk, looking angry and shouting, waving their right arm in the air with a fist or point
Two female dancers in blue denim jackets, One supporting the other in a deep backwards bend, both looking tenderly at each other.