Hasbian

Hasbian by Beth Watson

A new coming-of-age comedy about growing up queer in Brighton during Section 28, set to a soundtrack of y2k pop classics and indie angst anthems. 

How did Beth go from a childhood dreaming of The Wizard of Oz, to cringey Cruel Intentions-obsessed adolescence? From proudly identifying as a teenage lesbian, to discovering that boys are also appealing?

Beth’s real teenage diary is brought to life in vivid hilarity in Hasbian: a “simultaneously relatable and educational… unique insight on growing up queer in the 90s” (★★★★★ – A Young-ish Perspective). Original animations, inspired by teen magazines, feature an all-star ’00s fantasy cast (in cut-out form), as Beth’s BFFs and first crushes are re-imagined as “played by” the likes of Lindsay Lohan, Natasha Lyonne and Ashton Kutcher.

Dripping in equal measures with heartfelt earnestness, sharp irony, and humour that bubbles up in the place between youthful confidence and pubescent self-doubt, Hasbian delves behind the rollercoaster of teenage life, into the reality of growing up queer in Brighton (the UK’s Gay Capital) under Section 28 (1988-2003 law, prohibiting teaching “homosexuality as a pretended family relationship”). Set to a soundtrack of y2k pop classics (B*Witched, Destiny’s Child, S Club 7), and indie angst anthems (Placebo, Weezer, Garbage), Hasbian fills audiences with buzzy nostalgia, while exposing prejudice in the most liberal of cities.

From the creators of Queer Diary – the night where LGBTQIA+ adults read their real teenage diaries on stage.

You can experience LATES: Queer Diary Open Mic session in our Café Bar following the show on Thu 23 Apr, 8.15pm.

Videos

Content to Consider and Accessibility

We want everyone to feel welcome, so audiences can exit and re-enter at any point, and are welcome to fidget, stim, move around or make noise.

The show features projected creative captioning , and integrated audio description.

The integrated audio description has been created in consultation with Quiplash UK & captions in consultation with Ben Glover and Mia Ward

The age guidance is 16+. The plot includes sexual activity and alcohol consumption amongst teenagers aged 14-16. In addition, whilst the tone of Hasbian is comedic, it is set in the late 90s/early 00s and contains truthful depictions of attitudes, language, and experiences of the time. This includes: descriptions of bullying with use of homophobic and biphobic language, sexually predatory/objectifying behaviour, and one description of an incident of physical violence. The show also makes critical reference to contemporary transphobia.

Studio Event

Please note that this performance takes place in our smaller Studio Theatre. If it’s your first visit or you are unfamiliar with the Mercury building, you can find out more about our spaces here.

Want to extend your evening?

This is in conjunction with the LATES: Queer Diary event taking part after the show at 8.15pm in our Studio.