Cutting to the core of masculinity with razor-sharp precision, The Maybe Pile presents the Australian premiere of Sam Grabiner’s Boys on the Verge of Tears at fortyfivedownstairs.
Following the sell-out season of their 2023 runaway hit, Trophy Boys (nominated for 4 Green Room Awards – Best Production, Best Director, Best New Writing, Best Performer), culminating in two national tours, The Maybe Pile are thrilled to unveil Grabiner’s award winning play Boys on the Verge of Tears this March under the keen direction of Keegan Bragg.
Premiering at the Soho Theatre in London in 2023, Boys on the Verge of Tears is a bold, searing exploration of masculinity and youth, capturing the raw, unfiltered lives of boys and men grappling with identity, vulnerability, and the pressure to conform, set entirely within the intimate confines of a men’s public bathroom.
A powerhouse cast of five, Ben Walter (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child), Karl Richmond (Touching the Void, The Inheritance), Justin Hocking (Uncle Vanya), Damon Baudin (Romeo & Julie) and newcomer Akeel Purmanund will inhabit 40 characters as this deeply human play unfolds in a unique series of encounters.
Moments of recklessness, bravado, and unexpected tenderness, will immerse audiences in the unfiltered experience of young men navigating the tumultuous journey into adulthood. With sharp humour and a profound sensitivity Grabiner’s play dismantles masculine façades of toughness and dissects the fears, dreams, and insecurities buried beneath.
Award-winning production company, The Maybe Pile has been an incubator for emerging stories and artists supporting a slew of new Australian writers, comedians, performers and theatre makers since their inception in 2020.
The Maybe Pile shows have wowed audiences at Arts Centre Melbourne, Seymour Centre, Geelong Arts Centre and Canberra Theatre Centre, and will venture to new venues for Trophy Boys in 2025. Creative Director and Lead Producer Ben Andrews is excited to present Boys on the Verge of Tears, their seventh show at fortyfivedownstairs.
“Boys on the Verge of Tears seems a timely play as it seems we are all recalibrating what it is to be a man of late” – Everything Theatre (UK)
Director: Keegan Bragg | Featuring: Ben Walter, Karl Richmond, Justin Hosking, Damon Baudin, Akeel Purmanund, Pepe Wright, Avyakt Pawar, Smith Barling | Set Design: Ben Andrews | Costume Design & Scenic Art: Louisa Fitzgerald | Lighting Design: Georgina Wolfe | Sound Design: Ethan Hunter | Lighting & Sound Operator: Zsuzsa Gaynor Mihaly | Drag Wig & Makeup Artist: Becky Silveira | Vocal & Accent Coach: Matt Furlani | Intimacy Coordinator: Tegan Crowley | Stage Manager: Ella Campbell | Marketing: Bridie Pamment | Producer: Ben Andrews
Boys on the Verge of Tears
fortyfivedownstairs, 45 Flinders Lane, Melbourne
Season continues to 30 March 2025
Bookings: www.fortyfivedownstairs.com
For more information, visit: www.themaybepile.com.au for details.
Image: Ben Walter in Boys on the Verge of Tears – photo by Ben Andrews