Five questions with... Natalie McGrath, playwright and poet

1. Can you tell us about your creative process and how The Beat of Our Hearts came together? 

The Beat of Our Hearts has grown as a play in collaboration with the Welcome Centre for Cultures and Environments of Health at the University of Exeter, Exeter Northcott Theatre and The Intercom Trust.  

It began as a pilot and has evolved thanks to funding from the Arts and Humanities Research Council (it is one of only ten Equality, Diversity and Inclusion awards nationally), and Arts Council England through National Lottery Project Grants. A wider project with engagement workshops, research from academics, and script development has all fed into the creative process. 

We had an R&D project back in November last year with a lot of material, but not a finished script. Workshops undertaken with a wide range of LGBTQIA+ people in the south west informed a lot of the material.  This generated a huge amount of thinking about the play. During a live online event we shared script extracts where feedback was generously given by the audience. Each step has informed a new draft. Even the early part of rehearsals allowed space to push the script further. 

2. Tell us about the engagement workshops in the research stage. How did the feedback you heard inform the script? 

We worked with two groups supported by Intercom Trust, an amazing LGBTQIA+ charity in the south west.  The first was an established youth group whose ages ranged from 16 to 25. The second didn’t know one another, they were all aged 26 and over. 

The workshops explored ideas around themes of loneliness and belonging. Participants co-wrote and produced pieces of their own creative writing, whilst engaging in dialogue with one another. It was a listening process for me.  I have worked to capture the spirit of the participants from the workshops and subjects they talked about. There are also things that potentially resonate more widely for other LGBTQIA+ people in the script.  

There’s a t-shirt which is significant to one of the characters in the play. This was sparked by an object that one person brought to one of the workshops.  I wanted to honour the voices of the participants as they were so generous. This was very humbling. I hope I have done them justice.

Talk to LGBTQIA+ creatives. Ask us what we need and pay us for our time if you want our expertise in how to be more inclusive.

3. The play addresses loneliness and belonging within LGBTQIA+ groups. Why did you focus on these themes and what do you hope for people to take away from the story?

At the time of applying for the original pilot project on loneliness, I was furious about language being used irresponsibly in the media about LGBTQIA+ lives being taught in schools. Language that, for me, evoked memories around when I was growing up, language that was insidious and unpleasant when Section 28 came into force.  

So I decided to research young LGBTQIA+ people in relationship to loneliness. I was shocked by some of the statistics, especially around mental health and well being. It made me want to do something positive. 

I pitched an idea about LGBTQIA+ loneliness and belonging, in collaboration with the Intercom Trust, thinking that making a play could highlight some of the issues LGBTQIA+ people are facing here in the south west and across the UK.  Hoping it might somewhere make a difference, however small, and bring about a sense of pride for those who engage with it. 

4. What is your experience of the culture sector offering safe spaces for LBGTQIA+ creatives? What changes could organisations make to be more inclusive?

I’ll focus on my experiences of working in Exeter. I’ve always found a home as a queer creative at Exeter Phoenix, which is a safe and inclusive space for queer and trans people. I’m also working at RAMM (Royal Albert Memorial Museum) who are in a process of rethinking how they can connect more to LGBTQIA+ people. That’s exciting. 

My experience through The Beat of Our Hearts is that Exeter Northcott Theatre has made a strong commitment to the work of LGBTQIA+ voices, especially through this project, learning and listening as it has developed. This has been very positive. They’ve done training for their staff with the Intercom Trust in order to understand more about offering safe spaces for LGBTQIA+ creatives, and members of the public.  

Investment in training for staff from LGBTQIA+ organisations will open up new dialogues, sensitivity and awareness of the needs and nuances that come with being LGBTQIA+. Showing that care has been taken to tune in goes a long way. Visible allyship is also key as well as programming and commissioning LGBTQIA+ creatives. 

Talk to LGBTQIA+ creatives. Ask us what we need and pay us for our time if you want our expertise in how to be more inclusive. 

If I have learnt one thing over the years it’s to really focus on what will be the most impactful and meaningful for you and others involved. 

5. You were awarded £14,940 for The Beat of Our Hearts through National Lottery Project Grants. What have you learnt from the application process? What advice would you give to anyone thinking of applying?

Let the application unfold as a guide to developing your ideas. Its structure is set up to allow you to consolidate your thinking around your creativity, engagement with others’ creativity, and most importantly how this can be delivered.  

Start with the budget section of the application to support a creative vision. A strong budget from the outset will match your ambition, help identify who is there, and the time and resources needed. It will also help you to understand the rest of the bid. Particularly what is possible and what isn’t.  If you can’t budget for something in your project, don’t do that part of it. 

Be bold.  Don’t be frightened to ask for what you need, whilst also getting to the bare bones of what you want to do and why you want to do it.  Don’t over offer. If I have learnt one thing over the years it’s to really focus on what will be the most impactful and meaningful for you and others involved.  

Find out more

The Beat of Our Hearts is commissioned by the University of Exeter’s Wellcome Centre for the Cultures and Environments of Health (WCCEH) and Exeter City of Literature, in partnership with Exeter Northcott Theatre and South West LGBT+ Charity, Intercom Trust. 

The Beat of Our Hearts premiered at Exeter Northcott Theatre in February 2022.

A recording of one of the performances can be viewed online, with optional closed captions.

Watch The Beat of Our Hearts online >

Find out more about the project > 

Learn more about Natalie and her work >