New play Breeding is coming to the King’s Head Theatre in Islington next month.
Written by Barry McStay (Vespertilio) and directed by Matthew Iliffe (Bacon), Breeding plays the King’s Head from 19 April to 7 May 2023.
Billed as a funny, moving drama about adopting as queer parents, the play is part of the King’s Head’s Takeover initiative, this second season curated by playwright, actor and director Tom Ratcliffe.
In the play, Zeb and Eoin have met, kissed, fallen in love, moved in, got married – but what’s next? Zeb will be Fun Daddy. Eoin will be Serious Daddy. But Beth’s job is to decide if they get to be Daddies at all. Together they navigate the exposing road to adoption, forced to lay bare fears and secrets, all in the hope of being deemed “appropriate” parents.
Playwright Barry McStay said in a press statement: “Breeding is a play that asks how far you will go to have a family, especially within a system that doesn’t seem built for you. Speaking to people who have been through the adoption process, I was amazed at how exposing and arduous it can be – taking over 2 years on average and digging into all aspects of your life. For queer people, the feeling of vulnerability is enhanced. I wanted to write a play that explores this while telling a new story for a new generation of queer families. This is a 21st-century play about an age-old story – a couple wanting to have kids – but in this instance it is a gay couple. I hope it is radical in its domesticity. I’m thrilled to be working with the Kings Head Theatre again and am delighted that a theatre celebrated for its queer output is giving this play its premiere. I’m grateful to their brilliant Guest AD Tom Ratcliffe for his trust and I’m excited to be working with an immensely talented director in (Offie winner!) Matthew Iliffe. This will be a play that makes audiences laugh, cry and tells a story they’ve never heard before.”
Tom Ratcliffe said: “When I first saw a reading of Barry’s provocative and heartfelt play last year, I knew this was a play that audiences needed to experience and I’m absolutely delighted that Breeding will be headlining ‘A Queer Interrogation. For me Breeding is exactly what excites me about new queer theatre today, in that it takes a look at issues which directly affect queer lives and puts a three-dimensional human face on it.”
The creative team also includes set and costume design by Ceci Calf, lighting design by Ryan Joseph Stafford and sound design by Julian Starr.
Casting is to be announced.
The King’s Head still haven’t moved into their swanky new theatre round the corner in Islington Square, but more news on this is promised soon.
More about Breeding tickets at the King’s Head Theatre in London
