The Birthday Bench

Each year, an elderly couple return to the same park bench on their child’s birthday - a seemingly tender ritual that conceals a far more painful truth. When the child unexpectedly appears, years of rejection, silence and wilful misunderstanding can no longer be avoided.

A poignant LGBTQ+ family drama, The Birthday Bench explores the consequences of rejecting a transgender child and asks what is lost when love becomes conditional. With strong, emotionally complex roles and a simple setting, the play offers actors rich material around identity, family, prejudice, regret and the possibility of reconciliation.

Easily staged and requiring minimal set, the play received a very positive audience response at its staged reading, particularly for its emotional impact and thought-provoking themes.