The following items have been donated to the archive by Alf Le Flohic. The collection comprises an assortment of individual badges collected from the 1980s onwards.
1. Best Friends R Straight
2. Brighton Pride 92
3. Brighton Pride 93
4. Brighton Pride
5. Defy Section 28
6. Homophobia Kills
7. Outrage Manchester 91
8. Outrage
9. Paris Act Up 2
10. Paris Act Up
11. Pervert Power
12. Section 28 OutIn
13. Stop The Clause
14. Whitney story badge
This shows the postcard (front and back) used to promote Siren’s show ‘Les Les’. The postcard was used for the opening of the show at The Pavilion Theatre, Brighton. It shows Jude Winter and Jane Boston. They were the only Siren members who performed in the show. Deb Trethewey was still the technician at this time.
The review is positive about Siren’s first album “Siren Plays’, praising their "articulate, strong and witty political portrayal of women's issues in an exclusively musical context."
The review ends with a promotion of the gig Siren was playing as a band with Brighton band, Rhythm Tendency at The Pavilion Theatre.
A scanned image set of the Siren Theatre Company 1982 vinyl record and sleeve 'Siren Plays', released by 'Stroppy Cow records’. It shows a list of the inner sleeve with the lyrics of 10 songs composed by various members of Siren and performed by Siren. It also shows photographs of Siren on the back cover, namely Jane Boston guitar, Jude Winter keyboards, Debra Trethewey drums and Tasha Fairbanks saxophone.
This was Siren’s first time in a professional studio. Being penniless, as usual, Siren cut the cost by doing the half price all-night sessions. Memories of a lot of coffee and biscuits, being shaken awake every few hours to stagger over to an instrument and try to remember which song you were supposed to be recording. The album sold at Vinyl Demand, Odd Volume, Subway Records and at the Women’s Centre.
A digital reproduction of the flyer (front & back) advertising Siren’s play ‘Now Wash Your Hands Please’. The play opened at the Nightingale Theatre in Brighton, and was directed by Sue Saunders.
Siren was joined by a new company member, Hilary Ramsden, for this play and for future Siren plays. Jane Boston did not perform in this play.
This is one of a number of posters used to promote Siren’s play ‘Mama’s Gone A’Hunting’. It is created in the form of an urgent telegram outlining the plot of the show, stating that woman intends leaving for a new planet without man.
The digitally produced poster was felt to be a ‘new’ form of photography at the time that it was on the high street, predating all the digitisation of photos that are now done on one’s own devices. Siren felt it reflected the futuristic content of the play.
This shows the programme cover of the pay Pulp. The programme shows a number of adverts, including from prominent lesbian organisations, such as Rackets, Dimples and Lesbian Line, as well as feminist companies such as Silver Moon bookshop Women’s Press. Nalgo (National and Local Government Officers Union) took out a full page advert supporting lesbian and gay rights. The programme promotes Siren’s cabaret show ‘Chic to Chic”, as well as their cassette ‘Siren in Queer Street’ and vinyl record ‘Siren Plays’. Page 4 & page 8 have the lyrics of seven sounds from Pulp, which were written by Jane Boston, and performed live by Siren. Page 5 has the Company Policy and a description of the play ‘Pulp’. It also shows some excerpts from reviews of previous plays. The play was directed and choreographed by Noelle Janaczewska. The artwork and layout of the programme was by Jenny Millington.
Two reviews about the play ‘Curfew’ when it opened at the Oval House Theatre, London. The review at the top of the image is from 'Spare Rib', published in March 1982. It features a photo of Jane Boston as Calamity Jane. The review at the bottom of the photo is from 'The Stage', published in February 1982.
The play opened at the Drill Hall in London for 2 weeks in 1985 and was sold out every night. It returned to the Drill Hall in January 1986,.
Manny describes Pulp as "a feminist play par excellence, brilliantly acted, refreshing, hilariously entertaining".
This is a review of two plays, 'Mama’s Gone A’Hunting' and 'Curfew', which were performed on two consecutive nights in St Ives at The Parish Rooms.
As well as commenting on the performers acting ability, the review highlighted the lighting of both plays, as being harsh and beautiful.
This shows a preview of “From the Divine’ which was performed at The Millfield House Arts Centre in Edmonton, London.
Ticket prices were shown as £1.75 full price or £1.15 concessionary fare.
The preview has an interview with Jane Boston who played Magda.
Salvadori describes the play as "a homage to Fifties B-movies with ladykillers, Mafia plots, and McCarthy conspiracies. But it's also a parody, poking fun at the femme fatale image and the clean cut freshness of stars like Doris Day."
The Funny Hole saw queer artists Ladypat, Boogaloo Stu and Jane Dinmore join forces with Marlborough Productions for a 3-day intervention at The Old Courthouse in Brighton! Featuring The Funny Hole Show - queer favourites such as Harry Clayton-Wright, Barbara Brownskirt and Lorraine Bowen entertained guests during the sweltering heatwave!
The review was written after a performance at Hoxton Hall, London. The writer has endless praise for Siren, concluding that "the show exemplifies female humour as its sharpest - acidic and biting enough to be felt, but never allowed to become cynical or had-bitten. As a group, Siren are a lively and seemingly endless source of talent, completely self-contained as actresses, singers, writers and musicians."