Swansea Boy is a coming-of-age play of deep humanity, gentle humour, and unwavering compassion. In 1980s Swansea, a young man discovers his sexuality and finds the courage to tell his parents that he is gay. While finding his way as an artist in London, he reconnects with a young man who becomes the love of his life, only to face heartbreak and loss when he discovers his partner has contracted AIDS.

REVIEWS

"Last evening I watched the play Swansea Boy. Wow! Absolutely fantastic. Beautifully written by Sean Mathias with an exceptional cast and housed at Volcano Theatre. Immersive theatre at it’s best. I laughed and I cried. A story of love and adversity set against the backdrop of Gower, London and Morocco. Engaging and alluring" ❤️ - Instagram review

"Last night, your intrepid SDWC reporter trooped along to Volcano Theatre on High Street to see the electrifying play that everybody's talking about, and he was not disappointed. Produced by our very own Mark Cainen, SWANSEA BOY drops you into the life of a young gay man in the 1980s as he struggles to negotiate a subculture ravaged by AIDS and prejudice. It's raw, funny and deeply moving. SWANSEA BOY is running until 29th March and this reporter urges you not to miss it." - Swansea Writers Circle on Instagram

REVIEWS OF PREVIOUS WORK

"This is a work with all the marks of a mature and major writer. Compassion, humour, wit and truth." – The Daily Mail

“A dark, glittering and malevolent piece of comedy...ornate, brutal and erotic.”– The Sunday Times

“Mathias’s characters are a brilliant combination of the bizarre and the banal... 'Infidelities' is an exquisite black comedy.”– Today

About the Author

Sean Mathias is an internationally acclaimed, award-winning director of theatre and film. He has worked extensively at the National Theatre, in the West End, and on Broadway, as well as in theatres across the United States, Australia, South Africa, the United Kingdom, Ireland, France, and New Zealand. Sean has directed two feature films, Bent and, more recently, Hamlet. He also directed two productions for NT Live, including Harold Pinter’s No Man’s Land. In addition to directing, Sean wrote the ground-breaking BBC film The Lost Language of Cranes and is the author of several plays, including his Swansea-based work A Prayer for Wings. His play Swansea Boy, which he first workshopped 35 years ago at the National Theatre Studio, is now receiving its long-awaited debut production. Sean lives on the Gower Coast with his partner, Paul, and their three dogs.