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A film version of Gateway to Heaven‚ a powerful stage play based on the memories of older lesbians and gay men‚ is now available on DVD from Age Concern. 

The play is an eye-opening‚ sometimes poignant and often funny account of being lesbian and gay in an era when homosexuality was illegal for men and locked more firmly in the closet for both sexes. 

Real life stories provide insights into bygone times spent in Soho’s clandestine‚ but thriving‚ club culture of the 40s and 50s through to experiences of Greenham Common and the Spare Rib collective of the 70s. 

Playwright Clare Summerskill based the piece on transcripts of interviews with 26 older lesbians and gay men – recollecting their experiences in the period from the now defunct Gateway to the still booming Heaven clubs of the title.

The tales include that of a Wren dismissed from the Royal Navy simply for being a lesbian and a man who once found himself in bed with the Head of the London Vice Squad. 

Gateway to Heaven was a sell-out on its national tours in both 2005 and 2006‚ performed by Clare’s own theatre company ARTEMIS.  The New Statesman has described it as an “immaculately performed play.”

Antony Smith‚ Age Concern’s LGB Officer‚ said: “These stories are a real eye-opener to a period in this country in which lesbians and gay men were significantly more constrained‚ both legally and socially‚ than they are today. Although the times were not always good‚ they are remembered here without a hint of self-pity and with a healthy dose of self-deprecating‚ often laugh-out-loud‚ good humour.”

Copies of the DVD can be ordered direct from Age Concern. The first order is free and additional sets are only £5. To order‚ please email mail.order@ace.org.uk or phone 020 8765 7203.

Gateway to Heaven is the latest in a developing series of resources from Age Concern’s ‘Opening Doors’ programme for older lesbians‚ gay men and bisexuals www.ageconcern.org.uk/openingdoors

ENDS

Notes to Editors

• The full length DVD is 56 minutes long and there is also a 23 minutes highlights version. 
• For more information on Age Concern’s ‘Opening Doors’ programme for older lesbians‚ gay men and bisexuals‚ contact Antony Smith on 020 8765 7576 or at antony.smith@ace.org.uk or log onto: www.ageconcern.org.uk/openingdoors.