INTERVIEW: A Digital Pint with… Tommy Small, on Dance, Hysteria, and Sanctuary during the AIDS Crisis

Thomas ‘Tommy’ Small is the writer, director, and choreographer of Shaper/Caper’s upcoming EdFringe dance piece Small Town Boys. The Dundee-based independent dance charity who aim to create excellent art that connects with as many people as possible whatever their socio-economic background, race, and/or gender. Small Town Boys is based on Tommy’s experiences of growing up during the AIDS crisis and under the shadow of Section 28 – the infamous law that banned “the promotion of the acceptability of homosexuality as a pretended family relationship”.

We caught up with Tommy for a pixelated pint to delve into the show and what audiences can expect. You can catch Small Town Boys from August 1st to 17th (not the 4th or 11th) at Main House at ZOO Southside from 19:15 (90mins). Tickets are available through the EdFringe Online Box Office.

Jake: Hi Tommy! Could you start by giving us a bit of background to your company Shaper/Caper?

Tommy: Hello, Shaper/Caper is 10 years old this year! We are a dance charity based in Dundee and do two things: we tour dance theatre shows to stages around the world and run a full programme of creative experiences for people of all ages including a touring education project that visit 116 primary schools every year in partnership with NHS Tayside reaching 7000 children every year! We also work with people living with Parkinson’s delivering Dance for Parkinson’s classes every week.  We recently joined Creative Scotland Multi Year Fund network and won the Extraordinary Achievement in Dance and Beyond at this year’s Scottish Dance Awards.  

Jake: Tell us about your upcoming show Small Town Boys, and what has inspired you to bring the story to the stage in dance form.

Tommy: I grew up in the 1980s, living under the shadow of the AIDS crisis. I always sensed I was different, even before I had the words to explain it. Everywhere I turned, especially in the newspapers, there was a wave of fear and hysteria aimed at gay men, with cruel headlines dominating the front pages. Now, we’re seeing that same hateful rhetoric targeting trans and non-binary people, which is completely unacceptable. I also remember the harsh impact of Section 28, which banned the so-called “promotion of homosexuality” in schools. In truth, it left a generation of queer young people without support, guidance, or affirmation – leading to a mental health crisis among my peers that still affects us today. It’s a difficult topic to put into words, but the depth and intensity of these emotions are often better expressed through dance and physical theatre than through language alone.

Jake: Tell us about what the audience can expect coming into the show, and what they might not expect about the show.

Tommy: The show is set in a queer nightclub called ‘Paradise,’ inspired by legendary venues like London’s ‘Heaven’ and New York City’s ‘Paradise Garage.’ The nightclub itself becomes a powerful character, one that embodies decades of queer history as a sanctuary where people can finally shed the masks they wear in everyday life. It’s a place to be truly yourself, to find love, whether brief or lifelong, and to dance with wild, uninhibited joy. Often, it’s the first safe space where someone can hold their partner’s hand in public without fear. When you look back at footage of queer clubs from the ’80s, you can feel that same collective joy and liberation pulsing across the dance floor, a lasting thread of defiance, freedom, and connection through time. The audience is taken on an emotional journey, starting with the hedonistic energy of the show’s opening, where they join the cast on stage to dance together on the Paradise nightclub dancefloor, and moving through to heartbreaking scene of grief and loss, the one thing that carries people through is the loyal sense of community. The audience might not expect to see poppers and gloryholes in one scene of the show! Get ready to clutch your pearls!

Jake: What are you hoping the audience might take away from the experience, if anything?

Tommy: It’s essential to remember how the queer community was abandoned by the government during that time. Our lives, then and still today, are too often treated as political battlegrounds, debated, dismissed, and dehumanised, when all we’ve ever wanted is the freedom to live with dignity, safety, and joy. It breaks my heart to think of the countless queer lives lost during the AIDS crisis, and how an entire generation of brilliant minds, artists, musicians, writers, scientists, and visionaries, was taken from us, leaving a void the world still feels. Today, as we witness a troubling rollback of LGBTQ+ rights, it feels like history is echoing. I hope audiences leave the show not only moved, but inspired to be active allies, ready to stand up for our community and defend our shared human rights.

Jake: With Edinburgh Fringe 2025 just around the corner, what are you most excited for?

Tommy: I’m excited for the general hubbub of the Fringe! It’s so exciting to see loads and loads of amazing and inspiring shows, catching up with pals over a few cocktails and dancing at CC Blooms at the end of the night!

Jake: Given the themes of Binge Fringe, if your show was a beverage of any kind (alcoholic, non-alcoholic – be as creative as you like!), what would it be and why?

Tommy: Our show would absolutely be the cocktail – ‘Sex on the Beach’ since it’s fruity, vibrant, and very ’80s!

A reminder, you can catch Small Town Boys from August 1st to 17th (not the 4th or 11th) at Main House at ZOO Southside from 19:15 (90mins). Tickets are available through the EdFringe Online Box Office.

Image Credit: Maria Falconer