Seized Books! The Musical

In 1984, iconic bookshop Gay’s the Word was raided by government agents looking for ‘indecent’ and ‘obscene’ books - and the queer community mobilised against censorship. Forty years later, you can decide for yourself what’s obscene and indecent and get a first glimpse of the new musical inspired by the booksellers' fight. Come hear selected songs from the show by non-binary pop composer Tom Rasmussen and learn from researchers and eye-witnesses about this pivotal victory for LGBTQ+ rights in Britain.

The venue has step free access (the performance space is on the ground floor), accessible toilets, and a quiet area. We will have seating available throughout the event.

This event is part of Being Human Festival, the UK’s national festival of the humanities, taking place 7-16 November 2024. Led by the School of Advanced Study, University of London, with generous support from Research England, in partnership with the Arts and Humanities Research Council and the British Academy. For further information please see beinghumanfestival.org.

This event is generously supported by the Knowledge Quarter. The Knowledge Quarter (KQ) brings together the arts, culture, research, life science and higher education institutions located around King’s Cross, London, for the purpose of knowledge sharing and collaboration.

This event is made possible by generous funding from the John Coffin Memorial Fund and the School of Advanced Study Public Engagement Fund, and is run in collaboration with Gay's the Word and Queer Britain. This performance is also supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England.