Union: A Celebration
On a hot summer’s evening in August, we brought together some of our recent LGBTQ+ community projects. At the lovely venue of Department in Ryde, we celebrated UNION and STORIES UNDERFOOT, and hosted an exclusive screening of FERGUSON’S GANG: GIRLS WHO SAVED THE WORLD, AND OLD TOWN HALL IN NEWTOWN.
UNION
For the past year or more, the team at StoneCrabs has been working alongside the community on a project named Celebrating LGBTQ+ Working Class Histories, funded by Historic England. This project, investigating the hidden heritage of Ryde on the Isle of Wight, has involved delving into the archives, as well as speaking to people about their memories of Ryde and its venues.
When we began, we were not sure what we would uncover, or even if there was enough LGBTQ+ history involving Ryde! However, we were constantly amazed with the stories and experiences that came up.
The result is a 50-page, full-colour zine called UNION, full of articles, poems, photographs, and responses from the community.
On 13 August, we launched UNION. One attendee said, ‘Loved the stories, the design, the research. Great way to tell the stories about the LGBTQ history’. UNION is now available across the Isle of Wight, for free, in libraries and community hubs such as Department.
STORIES UNDERFOOT
The evening also involved the launch of STORIES UNDERFOOT, in collaboration with Figmentum Books.
In 2025, and continuing in 2026, we have produced and put on a number of immersive promenade performances. These walks follow five LGBTQ+ figures associated with the Isle of Wight: Oscar Wilde in Ryde, Virginia Woolf in Freshwater, Charlotte Mew in Newport, Ferguson’s Gang in Newtown, and Algernon Swinburne in Bonchurch.
STORIES UNDERFOOT brings together the scripts of these five performances, as well as behind-the-scenes insights – from historical backgrounds to reflections from the actors and writers.
The book is now available to buy here.
StoneCrabs Theatre Artistic Director Franko Figueiredo with the UNION zine and the STORIES UNDERFOOT book
FERGUSON’S GANG
We were also thrilled to host an exclusive screening of FERGUSON’S GANG, OR GIRLS WHO SAVED THE WORLD, AND OLD TOWN HALL IN NEWTOWN.
The film is part of our series of immersive promenade performances, looking at the lives of Ferguson’s Gang in Newtown on the Isle of Wight. This gang raised important funds for the National Trust, including the Old Town Hall in Newtown.
All production and performance of these walks involved the local creative community on the Isle of Wight. Anmarie Bowler wrote the script, while Krysia Mansfield, Lucas Berry, and Cody Pevreall performed it, under the direction of Rebecca Tremain.
It was brilliant to see the film, captured by Sam Lapham. A viewer said, ‘it highlighted a queer Island connection that I had previously not been aware of, and its nationwide influence.’
StoneCrabs trainee Abi Metcalfe as the MC for the evening