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Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library
Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections LibraryJoseph Azizi, Archivist; Nick Love, Student Processing Assistant
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MSS 16885, Clare Summerskill and Ingeborg Utech correspondence, Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library, University of Virginia.
Clare Summerskill and Ingeborg Utech correspondence was purchased from Langdon Manor Books August 13, 2024, by Krystal Appiah. It was accessioned by the Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library on September 9, 2024 (ViU-2024-0144).
Clare Summerskill , born on October 6, 1961 , in Kent, England , is a multifaceted British performer , writer , and academic whose work has consistently championed LGBTQ voices and stories. Known for her unique blend of stand-up comedy and original songs, Summerskill has entertained audiences across the UK and the US, performing full-length, one-woman shows and appearing at festivals, theatres, and conferences. She rose to early prominence as one half of the lesbian-themed comedy duo Alice and Clare.
Summerskill's work is deeply rooted in social history and oral testimony. Holding a PhD in theatre from Royal Holloway, University of London , she co-founded the LGBTQ Special Interest Group within the Oral History Society. Her academic and creative practice merge in her acclaimed verbatim theatre productions—Gateway to Heaven, Hearing Voices, and Rights of Passage, which have toured widely under her theatre company, Artemis . Her publications include Gateway to Heaven: Fifty Years of Lesbian and Gay Oral History, and Creating Verbatim Theatre from Oral Histories.
As a radio writer and performer, she contributed to the shows "Weekending" and "Heated Rollers", and helped pioneer LGBTQ representation in broadcast comedy with "So What If I Am?", the first lesbian and gay sketch show pilot on BBC Radio 4.
Summerskill also delivers engaging diversity and mental health presentations, drawing on personal interviews and oral histories to inform and inspire audiences. Her contributions have been recognized with several awards, including a commendation from the Royal Society for Public Health for her work with older LGBTQ communities.
Summerskill comes from a distinguished lineage of public figures: her twin brother, Ben Summerskill, is a renowned human rights advocate and OBE recipient; her grandmother, Dr. Edith Summerskill, and aunt, Dr. Shirley Summerskill, were both trailblazing Labour MPs and ministers; and her maternal grandfather, Sydney Elliott, was a prominent newspaper editor who played a key role in the Labour Party's 1945 election success.
Reference List:
Summerskill, C. (n.d.). Clare Summerskill. https://claresummerskill.co.uk/.
Ben Summerskill. (2024, March 22). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben_Summerskill.
This collection contains fifty-eight letters and greeting cards from Clare Summerskill to Ingeborg Utech (1936-2022), documenting their long-distance relationship and Summerskill 's early career. Summerskill, a playwright , stand-up comedian , and musician , met Utech , a German American woman who worked in hotels and later practiced as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCWS). In 1985 , they met in London and became lovers. At the time of her correspondence with Utech, Summerskill was pursuing an advanced degree at a university in London. Summerskill resided there during the time when she wrote these letters, while Utech lived in Howard Beach, New York . The letters discuss the romantic relationship between the two women, the hope for a reunion, the concerns of a new long-distance love, ongoing love for each other, and the desire to maintain the relationship. Also discussed are Summerskill's work and schooling, Utech's life in New York, and their eventual breakup. Summerskill's reflections, her dedication to her chosen career in theater, and her early accomplishments, including the opening of her production of " The Celibate 3" and beginning to receive offers from BBC film and radio, are documented throughout the letters. Originally hole-punched and maintained in a plain binder, letters were removed and placed in a folder.
Some letters have tears in the pages and should be handled with extra care.