Queerness, parenting and playground politics: Hello Darling presents the Australian premiere of Zak Zarafshan’s The Boys Are Kissing at The Loading Dock Theatre – Qtopia Sydney this August.
When two nine-year-old boys share a kiss in a small-town playground, the fallout ripples far beyond the school gates. Two sets of parents are told to “do something about it” – but what exactly is the right thing to do?
Into the fray swoop two mischievous, winged guardians of the gays, determined to stir up a little divine queer chaos and help the adults confront their own assumptions about love, parenting, and identity.
Directed by Gavin Roach, this Australian premiere features an all-star cast including Max Fernandez (Love Letters), Sonya Kerr (As You Like It), Aisling Delahunt (Love and Faith and something unholy), John Michael Narres (The Laramie Project) and Willa King (Beautiful Things).
Zak Zarafshan is a British-Iranian playwright and screenwriter from the East Midlands, based in London. His debut play, The Boys Are Kissing, was developed as part of Theatre503’s Writers In Residence scheme, the 503Five.
He was previously a part of the Soho Theatre Writers Lab, Tamasha Playwrights Group, and was shortlisted for Channel 4’s 4Stories scheme. Alongside writing, he works in television drama, helping other writers develop original dramas for the screen.
Witty, warm, and wildly irreverent, The Boys Are Kissing is a sharp comedy about angelic intervention, birthday parties gone sour, and whether it ever really is “just about the children.”
“A sharp, thought-provoking and timely production” – West End Evenings
Producer/Director: Gavin Roach | Featuring: Aisling Delahunt, Max Fernandez, Sonya Kerr, Willa King, John Michael Narres | Associate Director & Costume Designer: Lucy Yabsley | Production & Stage Manager: Natesha Hamn | Lighting Designer: Raphael Gennusa | Sound Designer: Akesiu Poitaha | Dialect & Vocal Coach: Alison Benstead | Writer: Zak Zarafshan
The Boys Are Kissing
The Loading Dock Theatre – Qtopia Sydney, 301 Forbes Street, Darlinghurst
Season: 12 – 29 August 2026
Information and Bookings: www.qtopiasydney.com.au
Image: Aisling Delahunt and Max Fernandez star in The Boys Are Kissing – courtesy of Hello Darling