The idea for Breeding came from learning about adoption through friends several years ago. The vetting is extensive, by necessity, and surprisingly intrusive. There are numerous background checks, home visits, workbooks to fill in and classes to attend, but it also requires you to share much of your life, to explore your own history and to prove yourself an “appropriate” parent.
I understand completely the reasons for this. The child must come first and foremost. But there is an undeniable edge to the idea of being deemed “appropriate”, especially for LGBTQ+ people. This is especially amplified when far-too-familiar sinister tropes are again being thrown at queer people in relation to children. One adoptive parent told me of a situation where he and his husband were quizzed – individually – about their sex lives. The image of these two men being asked about their taste in porn, like a grim game of “Mr and Mr”, struck me as both dark and funny. It immediately suggested itself as a scene which has grown into a play.
Initially a two-hander called Zeb And Eoin, the play saw a gay couple being interrogated by a faceless voice, following the structure of the adoption stages. They grappled with their own ideas of family, not least the question of whether they were betraying their queer roots by becoming parents, a role which has been almost exclusively the preserve of the heterosexual couple forever. On the flip-side is the idea of The New Normal, the joy of finally taking something that has been “theirs” for so long and making it “ours”.
With this in mind, a domestic comic-drama emerged. Over various redrafts and workshops, the piece has evolved into a three-hander, where Zeb and Eoin’s relationship with their social worker, Beth, has become crucial – mirroring the experience of most prospective adopters. The funny, moving story that has evolved between the three characters is far richer, more complex and much queerer than before.
Much of my work concerns itself with home. Being a lapsed Catholic, gay, Irish immigrant in London, that’s probably not a surprise. The yearning to belong and how we build a safe space for ourselves, be it physical or less tangible than that, is endlessly fascinating and is embodied by the characters in the play. All three want to make a home in one way or another. How they pursue that may be flawed at times, but the feeling is heartfelt and driven by love.
Since being asked by Tom Ratcliffe to headline his “Queer Interrogation” season at the King’s Head, we’ve assembled a brilliant team to help bring Breeding to life. Aamira Challenger and Dan Nicholson play Beth and Zeb with such grace, humour and depth of feeling, it’s an endless thrill to be onstage with them. The design team of Ceci Calf, Julian Starr and Ryan Joseph Stafford are creating a wonderful, evocative sandbox in which to perform. And Matthew Iliffe, our director, challenges me in all the very best ways – not least when I err too far into my sentimental side!
I am especially thrilled to be presenting this show at the King’s Head, a theatre that means a lot to artists like myself. It has explored much of the history of the LGBTQ+ experience in years past and will continue to do so, not least when it moves to its new venue. As part of that journey, I’m excited that Breeding will tell what is quite an old story – the want to be a parent – in a new, queer, 21st-century setting that I hope many people won’t have seen before.
Tickets for Breeding: https://kingsheadtheatre.com/whats-on/breeding
Breeding, written by Barry McStay, is presented by Gabriella Sills Productions in association with Mark Gatiss and runs at the King’s Head Theatre, Islington, from 19th April to 7th May 2023.
