Tom at the Farm: From a Tiny Theatre in Rio de Janeiro to London’s Barbican, 13 – 17 Oct 2026

This autumn, Tom at the Farm premieres in London at the Barbican Theatre. An incredible journey that began in a small theatre in Rio de Janeiro has led to international acclaim. As part of the Barbican’s autumn/winter 2026 Theatre & Dance season, which highlights the finest in global theatre, this remarkable production goes beyond its intimate family-drama premise. It serves as “a staggering study of homophobia” (Guardian 4*) that addresses urgent issues of violence, patriarchy, repression, and masculinity in both Brazilian society and the wider world.

When actor Armando Babaioff first read the preface to Michel Marc Bouchard’s play Tom à la ferme, he encountered a sentence that would inspire the production’s evolution: “Homosexuals learn to lie before they learn to love.” Babaioff acquired the rights to the play, assembled a creative team, served as producer, and created the Brazilian translation.

Under the direction of Rodrigo Portella, the production, which premiered in Rio de Janeiro in 2017, moved away from naturalism in favour of an original and intensely physical theatrical language. The actors perform on a deliberately unstable stage: a plastic-covered surface layered with mud, transforming the environment into a symbolic territory where themes of power, violence, desire, repression, and silence become palpable.

The performance is entirely in Portuguese with English surtitles. The story centres around Tom, who travels to his late partner’s family farm after his partner’s death. Upon arrival, he discovers that his partner’s mother was unaware of their relationship and did not know her son was gay. To keep this secret, Tom finds himself ensnared in a fragile web of manipulation, physical violence, and psychological control imposed by his dead partner’s older brother.

Written in Canada, the play resonated deeply with Brazil, which in 2017 was experiencing growing political and social polarisation characterised by increasingly hostile public discourse and alarming levels of violence against LGBTQIA+ communities.

Toni Racklin, Barbican Head of Theatre & Dance, told QX: “The Barbican Theatre has a long history of celebrating Brazilian work, and I am so pleased to continue this tradition with the extraordinary Tom at the Farm. Armando, Rodrigo and the rest of the team have created a piece of theatre which is not only intensely gripping and original, but a production that feels incredibly timely as the world is reckoning with the impact of toxic masculinity and how that continues to affect our most vulnerable communities.”

Armando Babaioff, the lead actor and producer, has reflected on the journey of the performance over the past decade. With over 600 performances and visits to numerous countries worldwide, Babaioff emphasised that what stands out most from this journey is not merely the volume of performances or the geographical reach, but the production’s timeless relevance. He told QX, “The production hasn’t aged a single day. On the contrary, it has become even more urgent.” Tom at the Farm continues to resonate deeply with audiences, adapting to the cultural contexts of different cities and countries. 

Babaioff points out that the story addresses profound issues that remain pertinent in today’s society, such as the “fear of not being able to be who we truly are”, the “burden of silence” that many individuals experience and the “fundamental need to belong” to a community or society. He also explains that we are in an era when rights once considered secure are now being questioned. “We are living in a time when rights that once seemed firmly established are being questioned again,” he says.

Babaioff hopes that “London audiences will find in this story not so much a portrait of Brazil as a reflection of the silent forms of violence that continue to permeate families and societies in different parts of the world.” And he concludes, “After all this time, one thing has become clear to me: the farm merely changes location.”

Tom at the Farm runs from 13 – 17 Oct 2026 at Barbican Theatre, Silk Street, London EC2Y 8DS, United Kingdom.

Group bookings: Groups can book at a 20% discount via [email protected].