An Elizabethan woman stitches a beard from her pubic hair to marry the woman she loves. A Punjabi-speaking Muslim girl tries to make her parents understand who she is by translating the untranslatable. A drag queen fighting in World War II must literally lip sync for her life.

Queer history is full to the brim with untold narratives of small acts of defiance. How do you go about adapting these for the stage? Join Sam Arbor and Clodagh Chapman - together comprising two thirds of LGBT-led theatre company Bedlam Chorus - as they reflect on the making of buttterfly, a “deeply moving yet extremely funny” (Inter:Mission) love letter to the everyday queer changemakers.

Tickets for butterfly are OUT NOW: https://vaultfestival.com/whats-on/butterfly/

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Sam Arbor ​(formerly Sam Jones) is a filmmaker, writer and theatre director. Having won the BFI’s ‘Most Promising Newcomer’ award aged 16, he has since created award-winning shorts playing at Oscar-qualifying festivals across the world. Currently, he is assisting BAFTA-winning writer/director Matt Greenhalgh on upcoming biopic Twisting My Melon, starring Jack O'Connell. As a filmmaker, credits include Yandass.mov (Channel 4) and Lifeline (BFI; nominated ‘Best Narrative Short’ at RIFF). Theatre credits as director include ​Bird ​(Bedlam Chorus/PRSC), ​butterfly (work-in-progress; Bedlam Chorus/Loco Klub), A View From the Bridge (Winston Theatre).​ As assistant director, credits include C​HAOS ​(​Bristol Old Vic Studio).​

Clodagh Chapman​ is a writer, dramaturg and theatre maker. At the age of 18, she became one of the youngest ever creatives to have work nominated for an Off West End Award. More recently, she received the Bristol Outstanding Award (Bristol Futures) for directing and facilitation. Currently, she is a Young Artist at the Almeida Theatre and completing her MA at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. Writing/co-writing credits include Feel The Love, Sharing Stages (Chickenshed), Postscript ​(Tobacco Factory) and ​Playlist (B​BC/Chickenshed​). Devising/workshop credits include​ The Monstrum (​National Theatre​).

Bedlam Chorus is a theatre company which tells un(der)told stories in spectacular ways. Described by Epigram as “a real creative powerhouse”, we find stories that the world hasn’t heard before but can’t live without. We bring together different voices: dancers, musicians, actors, poets... we throw them together and work out how each story demands to be told. We like our stages messy, our rooms cold and our music two notches too loud. Think bedroom dancing, not ballroom dancing.