Bette Bourne: It Goes With The Shoes

When the British dramatist Mark Ravenhill was doing research for one of his plays, they told him he should meet Bette Bourne. By discovering Bette he reveals a notable part of London queer history. Bette, originally Peter Bourne, flees an apprenticeship at East End in order to later become an active part of the theatre scene of West End (performing with Sir Ian McKellen as well). A successful acting career is put on hold while Bette starts a drag commune and fights for gay rights in high heels. Politically motivated drag is not far from acting and so Bette and her mates soon create a camp theatrical group - Bloolips, which brought the fight from the streets to the stage. Their humorous gigs let them travel all around Europe and part of the USA. Today, Bette works with the Royal Shakespeare Company and as of late has also been awarded a fellowship by his old drama school, the Central School of Speech and Drama. The stories of charismatic queer actors present several decades of the fight for equality.