After the Act
Cast: 4 f/m doubling (27 named characters, large cast possible)
Staging: Flexible staging (base set is classroom/school hall)
Amateur rights performance fee: £170 per performance (plus VAT where applicable)
7 Nov 2024Size: 198mm x 129mm
7 Nov 2024
After the Act
Paperback
£10.99£8.79
Ebook
£10.99£8.79
Royal Court Theatre, London
From Wed 21 May 2025 to Sat 14 Jun 2025
Abseiling lesbians! Queers in classrooms! Perverts panicking parents!
Thatcher's Section 28, which banned the 'promotion' of homosexuality in schools, was the landmark legislation that silenced a generation, offered a global blueprint for LGBTQ+ oppression and galvanised a movement.
Billy Barrett and Ellice Stevens's After the Act is a funny, camp and unapologetically queer musical about how a moral panic gripped a nation – and a community decided to fight back. Its inspiring, often heartbreaking, stories of teachers, students and activists impacted by the legislation are accompanied by a joyously exuberant score written by Frew and inspired by the music of the 1980s.
It was first produced in 2023 by the award-winning theatre and film company Breach at New Diorama Theatre, London, before performances during the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and a UK tour in 2024.
'Fizzing, fiery... sparkling satire... this musical feels exceptional... a massive achievement'
Guardian'Fantastically daring... magnificent'
Time Out'Empowering and gut-wrenching... full of righteous anger and euphoric 80s synths'
Telegraph'Heart-rending yet joyful... brilliantly conveys the hysteria and outrage of Section 28'
The Stage'A powerful and important piece of theatre'
Broadway World'A moving tribute, a cry of fury, and a timely reminder against complacency – entertaining, provocative and important'
Arts DeskCast: 4 f/m doubling (27 named characters, large cast possible)
Staging:Flexible staging (base set is classroom/school hall)
Amateur rights performance fee: £170 per performance (plus VAT where applicable)
7 Nov 2024Size: 198mm x 129mm
7 Nov 2024
