“Seriously William, you’re eighteen and you’re gay, for Christ’s sake. You’re meant to swim against the tide. A proper gap year is all about travelling. Seeing the world. Popping your cherry. This is our chance to start living. Me and you.”
Former EastEnders and Coronation Street star Michelle Collins will join the cast of Tom Wright’s knockabout comedy My Dad’s Gap Year, alongside Adam Lannon, Alex Britt, Max Percy and previously announced Victoria Gigante. Directed by Rikki Beadle-Blair, My Dad’s Gap Year opens at Park Theatre on Wednesday 30 January 2019 for a strictly limited season.
This is the story of Dave (Adam Lannon), a dad in mid-life freefall who takes his repressed, gay teenage son William (Alex Britt) on a wild adventure to Thailand to lose his virginity. In the process, Dave finds a love of his own in Thai waitress Mae (Victoria Gigante) who dreams of owning her own bar, and William meets the incredibly charming Matias (Max Percy) who opens his eyes to sex, drugs and everything in-between. However, this is no ordinary summer romance as both William and Dave go on a journey of self-discovery, learning some hard home truths along the way. Michelle plays the role of William’s mother Cath – a woman who embarks on her own journey of self-discovery as she learns how to be single again.
My Dad’s Gap Year is a wickedly funny and heartfelt story based on true events. With gay love, straight love, trans love, buddy love and father/son love at its core, it’s a dizzying drama of drinking games, beer bellies, newfound freedom and midlife madness.
The production will be accompanied by a full supporting programme and outreach activity. Two post show talks will take place each week during the run, covering a range of related topics. Three LGBTQ+ writers – Benjamin Salmon, Temi Wikey and Kamal Kaan – have been selected to further develop their work with support and guidance from Tom Wright and there will be a series of engagement workshops for young people from the LGBTQ+ community to create new work. Participants will also be given the chance to see the production free of charge.
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