Smalltown Boy

“I want them to see it. To throw it in their faces in all its big, camp, messy glory.”

In the wake of their boyfriend Leo’s unexpected death, Edie – a drag queen from Bristol – travels down to Cornwall to meet the family they never knew of. Expecting small-town homophobia, Edie instead finds a community they didn’t expect. As Edie’s arrival awakens new emotions and old tensions, drag begins to trickle through this seaside town and truths begin to pour out.

How do you piece together a person who didn’t have time to find those pieces themself?

Smalltown Boy by Brenda Callis is a heartbreakingly joyful play about grief, community and growing up queer in a rural town, explored through the explosive storytelling medium of drag.

LIVE CREATIVE TEAM CREDITS FOR SMALLTOWN BOY 2026 TOUR:

Written by Brenda Callis
Directed by Frazer Meakin
Produced by The Project People
Sound Design by Freddie Lewis
Poster Photography by Jenna Hinton

Made with support and collaboration from Arts Council England, Hall for Cornwall, Bristol Old Vic Ferment, The Writers Block, Black Voices Cornwall and Cornwall Pride.