Following performances in Dublin, New York, Sydney and Edinburgh, it has been announced that Peter Darney’s production returns to London for a limited season from the 16th May.
With more and more gay men falling into addiction, and incidents of chemsex related crime, this taut, intimate and unflinching verbatim drama has never been more urgent.
Woven together using the real words of real guys found on Grindr, 5 Guys Chillin’ is a state of the nation play addressing one of the most important public health crises of the twenty-first century.
The play is written and directed by Peter Derney who said: ” I hope this play shows some of the good times, some of the bad times, and encourages you think about what is right for you. It’s your choice, no one else’s. But let’s all talk, look out for each other, and make our decisions with free will, from an informed place.”
With the rise of Chemsex crime, this play uses the words and stories of real life people, 5 Guys Chillin’ is a frank portrayal of this dangerous rising trend among gay men.
David Stuart of 56 Dean Street, a health clinic in Soho, still sees approximately 3000 and above drug cases per month, and that number is not decreasing. He said “Gay communities around the world are in the throes of a profound cultural shift; some of this is manifesting as poor sexual wellbeing, and chemsex. We need kind hearts and cool heads to address it and I believe theatre, at its very best, can help us to do this. I’m so pleased that Peter Darney has had the courage and compassion to address these issues through the prism of true stories; this is verbatim theatre. This is community.”
The production features lighting design by Sherry Coenen and is produced by the King’s Head Theatre and Em-Lou Productions.
5 Guys Chillin’ will play at the King’s Head Theatre from the 16th May until the 3rd June. For more information and to book tickets visit: http://www.kingsheadtheatre.com/