Queer Theatre Trip: The Holocaust Galleries
Saturday 17th January 2026
Imperial War Museum, London
Queer Theatre members, their loved ones and like-minded theatre-makers, are invited to join us for a shared visit to the Imperial War Museum, with time together in The Holocaust Galleries, ahead of Holocaust Memorial Day. This is a chance to bear witness, reflect, and learn alongside your queer community, in a calm, supportive group setting, with plenty of space for anyone who needs a pause.
These galleries centre real people and lived experience. Personal stories sit at the heart of the exhibition, told through over 2,000 photographs, books, artworks, letters, and personal objects, from jewellery and clothing to toys and musical instruments. Spanning two floors, the galleries bring together stories from diverse communities to explore the Holocaust in relationship to the course and consequences of the Second World War, helping us understand how persecution spreads, how propaganda takes hold, and how ordinary lives are targeted and reshaped.
As a queer community, we also hold space for the many LGBTQIA+ lives affected by the era’s systems of policing, imprisonment, and violence, and for the wider truth that fascism never targets only one group. This visit is an invitation to witness the human cost across communities, to honour those harmed, and to reflect on what it means to keep choosing empathy, solidarity, and action now.
Trigger Warnings and Content Note
The Holocaust Galleries include content that may be distressing, including but not limited to: antisemitism, racism, fascism, war and genocide, persecution, imprisonment, deportation, mass murder, images of violence and death, survivor testimony, and references to sexual violence. Sections include highly graphic content and the galleries are not recommended for children under 14. Please prioritise your wellbeing. You are welcome to step out at any time, take breaks, or choose not to enter specific sections.
Itinerary
Meet outside the front of the museum at 10:30am (near the two large guns)
We visit The Holocaust Galleries together
Lunch break at approximately 2pm
Explore other permanent galleries, gift shops together.
Socialise afterwards somewhere local.
We recommend bringing a packed lunch. There is also a café on site for anyone who wishes to purchase food and drink.
Box Office
We ask for a £10 donation per person to help cover Queer Theatre admin costs, staffing, to make a contribution to the Imperial War Museum, and to support the planning of future trips that explore our humanity together through art, nature, history, galleries, performance spaces and other shared experiences.
Getting There
The Imperial War Museum
Lambeth Road, London SE1 6HZ
By Tube: Lambeth North (Bakerloo line) is around a 5-minute walk. Elephant & Castle (Northern and Bakerloo lines) is around 10 minutes on foot.
By Train: Waterloo is a short bus ride or a walk.
By Bus: Several routes stop nearby on Lambeth Road and surrounding streets.
Accessibility
The Imperial War Museum is step-free and has accessible facilities, but gallery spaces can be busy and emotionally intense. If you have access needs or questions, please contact us in advance so we can support your visit as best we can.
Important Information
This is a community visit, not a guided tour. You are welcome to engage quietly, take your time, and move through the galleries in whatever way feels right for you. If you’d like a buddy for the visit, or would feel safer not doing the galleries alone, we encourage you to come along and stay close to the group.
This event forms part of Queer Theatre’s commitment to ensuring LGBTQ+ theatre-makers always have somewhere to go each week to connect, create, and be inspired – alongside our 2B: Acting Classes, OutCast showcases, trips, social events, masterclasses, parties and shows.
Find out more at www.queertheatre.co.uk/whats-on