Molly’s Masquerade
A year-long community arts project exploring the forgotten histories and early LGBTQ+ culture of the East End during the 18th century.
September 2020-September 2021
Funded by National Lottery Heritage Fund, and in collaboration with Headsbodieslegs Theatre Company, Molly’s Masquerade celebrated the unifying features of the queer radicals and sex workers who contested the patriarchal, moral attitudes of 18th century Britain. Delivering a year’s worth of research and training, visual arts workshops and theatre performances - amidst the COVID-19 pandemic - the Molly’s Masquerade project became a vital and vibrant source of creativity, empowerment and celebration for East London’s queer communities.
Through this project, we celebrated the diversity of the queer community and paid homage to our queer ancestors through the exploration and reimagination of one of the most revolutionary parts of queer history - The Molly House.
We provided space, tools and inspiration for a community investigation into the Mollies phenomenon and their relevance to contemporary society. People of all ages and backgrounds were invited to get involved in the wealth of opportunities on offer.
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Molly was a slang word for a homosexual man, a lower-class woman, and sex workers of all gender identities. Whilst the term was used in a derogatory manner at the time, ‘Molly’ was reclaimed by queer communities as a term of endearment and acknowledgment.
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Molly Houses were the meeting places for early homosexual subculture between 1700 and 1820 - the ancestor of the modern gay bar. Molly Houses were often located within taverns, inns and coffee shops across London, with one of the most popular Molly Houses, ‘Mother Clap’s House of Debauchery’, residing in Holborn.
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In the 18th century, it was punishable by death for two men to have sexual relations, meaning queer subculture was forced to survive in secret and at constant risk of perpetration. Molly Houses acted as refuge and escapism for queer people and sex workers, providing a space to meet, drink and laugh - as well as a good deal of debauchery!
These radical spaces provided unprecedented safety for Mollies, who took part in a variety of rituals, and activities that subverted gender norms and heteronormative ideals.
With rampant (and fabulous) cross-dressing, mock marriages and birthing rituals, the Mollies kept alive a thriving subculture that paved the way for future queer communities to exist fearlessly.
Molly Walks in collaboration with Queer Tours of London, Autumn 2020
Vogue Workshops with voguing extraordinaire D’Relle West, Spring 2021
Beautiful Trouble Activism Training with the Gay Liberation Front, Autumn 2020
A Spring Gathering - In-person performance, Spring 2021
A Winter’s Ball - Online Performance, Winter 2020
Family Balls, Summer 2021
Molly Spoon Making workshops with Milou Stella, Spring 2021
The Molly’s Masquerade, Summer 2021
Across the entire year of delivery, the Molly’s Masquerade project reached over 2300 community members through 115 unique workshops, events and activities.
A project of this scale comes with crucial collaboration, for which we would like to thank:
Ray Malone, Dan de la Motte, Sarah Baker, Yvonne Taylor, Alex Etchart, Dan Glass, Lyndsay Burtonshaw, Nina Scott, Sian Kidd, Milou Stella, Sophie Cameron, Arkem Walton, D’relle West, Dan McBride, Helene Corr, Lu Firth, Smashlyn Monroe, Rosy Pendlebury, Sam Bettridge, George Paris, Stuart Cox, and the rest of the amazing Molly’s Masquerade community.
Molly’s Masquerade was a community project created by St Margaret’s House, funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund
© St Margaret’s House (Charity No. 1148832) - Thanks to National Lottery players
