Casting has been announced for the world premiere of The Boys are Kissing, the debut play from Zak Zarafshan, which runs at Theatre503 from 17 January-4 February 2023.

Directed by Artistic Director Lisa Spirling, the cast will comprise of Shane Convery (Yeast Nation, Southwark Playhouse) as Cherub 1, Philip Coreia (Much Ado About Nothing, Shakespeare’s Globe) as Matt O’Connell, Amy McAllister (Scorch, Soho/World Tour) as Sarah O’Connell, Seyan Sarvan (Off, Arcola Theatre) as Amira Rasheed-Owen, Kishore Walker (Doctors, BBC) as Cherub 2, and Eleanor Wyld (Leopoldstadt, West End).

Amira moved out of the city for a quiet life with wife Chloe, their 9 year old son, and one more on the way. But when Samir and his classmate Lucas share a kiss in the playground, the school mums’ WhatsApp group goes wild, party invites are rescinded, and Lucas’s seemingly liberal parents Matt and Sarah don’t know which way to turn. Luckily, two cherubic winged guardians of the gays - summonsed to intervene in any queer disturbance – are on hand to drop in and cause a scene. The Boys are Kissing is a joyous and unexpected comedy that asks whether it really ever is ‘all about the children’.

Playwright Zak Zarafshan said: “The idea for this play was sparked by anti-LGBT education protests, and the sense that as a society we increasingly seem to define ourselves in opposition to others. I wanted to explore the impact this has on family and community: How do we find compassion for people we disagree with if what they disagree with feels so personal to who we are? It was also really important to me to approach these themes in a way that felt subversive and full of humour. Theatre503 encourage new writers to be ambitious, brave and take risks. Working with them has been the most creatively fulfilling experience and I hope we’ve created a play that is first and foremost riotous fun.”

The production has set and costume design by Aldo Vazquez, lighting by Jo Underwood, sound by Calum Perrin, movement by Mateus Daniel, and casting by Emily Jones.

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