Stage Play
Gary is 29, gay and promiscuous…
Matthew’s father, John, is a fundamentalist Christian who regards homosexuality as an abomination….
John’s son Matthew is 16 and confused…
From totally polarised positions, Matthew’s family and lover grapple with the devastating fallout of his sexual initiation.
As they piece together the truth and their shattered lives, all find themselves in uncharted waters and needing each other to find the way forward.
Matthew’s father, John, is a fundamentalist Christian who regards homosexuality as an abomination….
John’s son Matthew is 16 and confused…
From totally polarised positions, Matthew’s family and lover grapple with the devastating fallout of his sexual initiation.
As they piece together the truth and their shattered lives, all find themselves in uncharted waters and needing each other to find the way forward.
In the late 1980s, in East Anglia, the gay son of a deeply religious Christian committed suicide. The father set up a ‘gay counselling service’ in his son’s memory - in fact counselling practising gay men to give it up and become straight or celibate. That much is fact – the father continued his counselling service in Suffolk for many years – but this story is fiction.
It begins when Gary meets Matthew and gives the boy the sexual experience he craves, but his subsequent betrayal serves utterly to destroy the boy.
Centring around a confrontation between John and Gary the play continues with the emergence of Matthew’s mother from her husband’s shadow to act as healer for Gary as well as for her family. In comic counterpoint to the main story is the tale of Daniel - a young gay man floundering in a closet of his own making.
The play explores themes of not only parental but also sexual responsibility and looks at the sexual politics of the gay scene and the low esteem in which too many gay men hold themselves.
Why is Gary so reluctant to involve himself in a one-to-one relationship? Who needs redeeming? And who is going to do it?
The setting is Bristol, and the city’s most famous landmark is a primary image.
It begins when Gary meets Matthew and gives the boy the sexual experience he craves, but his subsequent betrayal serves utterly to destroy the boy.
Centring around a confrontation between John and Gary the play continues with the emergence of Matthew’s mother from her husband’s shadow to act as healer for Gary as well as for her family. In comic counterpoint to the main story is the tale of Daniel - a young gay man floundering in a closet of his own making.
The play explores themes of not only parental but also sexual responsibility and looks at the sexual politics of the gay scene and the low esteem in which too many gay men hold themselves.
Why is Gary so reluctant to involve himself in a one-to-one relationship? Who needs redeeming? And who is going to do it?
The setting is Bristol, and the city’s most famous landmark is a primary image.
Queer Counsel
was produced by FOD Productions in 2004, with funding from ACGB and The Elmley Foundation.
It toured to Hereford, Bristol and Croydon
was produced by FOD Productions in 2004, with funding from ACGB and The Elmley Foundation.
It toured to Hereford, Bristol and Croydon
 Photo: Robert Workman
Directed by Rob Swinton
Designed by Chris deWilde Cast: Alison Belbin, Tim Charrington Darren Cheek Richard Curnow William Gregory Richard Sandells Laurence Saunders What the critics said....
It’s an impressive, moving production with a strong ensemble cast and offers a powerful take on a controversial theme......... Rob Swinton’s excellent direction inventively keeps the focus......and drives the interweaving plotlines forward with an enjoyable pace that the universally excellent cast delivers with relish.... .....Bamford has created a marvellous new play that unfurls with slow dignity and heartfelt emotion; more importantly it treats its gay characters with respect. Catch it while you can. Stephen Beeny. Rainbow Network ...after an issue-y beginning, ‘Queer Counsel’ becomes something richer .......Bamford gives every character an imperative to find love, then sticks serious obstacles in their way, so that his drama is always interesting and ultimately rather touching. Dominic Maxwell, Time Out Were the play not so well written and well acted, as it is, one could dismiss it as just another gay play, which it is not........ ........... go to the Warehouse, Croydon and draw your own conclusions. I think you will agree that it is an experience worth experiencing. David Munro, IndieLondon.com Bamford has approached the complex and detailed issues in this play with sensitivity and humility: his script is touching, humorous and well written and Rob Swinton’s production................does the issues at stake great justice... Harry Bucknall, Theatreworld Internet Magazine It has its own agenda but it works because it is a play about people and it presents them honestly..... From the very beginning....there is a sense of ritual that frames the individual naturalistic scenes.....This all helps to make the formal, almost liturgical resolution of the play acceptable and uplifting. Does that sound portentous? This play is not. It deals with a serious subject but is leavened with humour and written with love. Howard Loxton, Rogues& Vagabonds.com It is a thought-provoking, socially conscious work that snaffles the Zeitgeist admirably, and above all provides an enjoyable evening's entertainment... David Bowden, Culture Wars.org. This brave and challenging new play by Nick Bamford.... should be seen by everyone, but because of its very nature it is unlikely to be. Diana Eccleston, Croydon Advertiser ..it’s the level of detail, combined with a witty script that makes what could be a staid, if contemporary, tragedy both emotionally engaging and entertaining............... witty, genuinely thought-provoking and a skilled cast, it would be a sin to miss this play. Dan Menhinnitt, Croydon Guardian |
 Photo: Robert Workman
What the audiences said.....
The following is a selection from e-mails sent, unsolicited, by those who saw the production:- ‘It was superb and gripping and amusing stuff. A strong cast and a firm hand in the direction. Beautifully and sensitively crafted ....’ ‘very many congratulations are due to you. What an excellent play it is and so well performed too by all the cast.’ ' ‘All performances were excellent, direction was tight and imaginative’ ‘At risk of overplugging I went to see the play Queer Counsel at The Warehouse Theatre, East Croydon last week and would highly recommend it. Despite the serious and thoughtful subject matter (the fallout from the suicide of a young man with a Christian fundamentalist father) its actually very funny and East Croydon is really easy to get to’ ‘I was stunned (not that I didn't expect it of you!) by all of it - script, production and acting - and I wish that everyone could see it. We all 4 (covering 2 generations and a wide range of theatre experience) were profoundly moved and stimulated by the play and it provoked a lot of discussion between us over the issues raised.’ ‘I wanted to congratulate you on showing Queer Counsel, it was an absolutely fantastic play. I came to the last performance with my husband and we enjoyed ourselves hugely. Some parts were shocking, some were heart-rending, yet it also had such humour and kindness. Above all, no matter what emotion was being acted, it was acted so bloody well. Whilst we really enjoy all your productions, this was the icing on the cake. I really hope it gets transferred to tv or film, just so I can watch it again. We talked about it for so long, how we felt about the characters and reflection of society, that we saw in it. I could go into so much detail about every bit I thought and loved, but suffice to say, we enjoyed it an awful lot!!’ 
Photo: Robert Workman
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