Queer Play Reading Club
Dark Sublime by Michael Dennis: Tuesday 19th July 2025
Join us for our Queer Play Reading Club - a monthly event celebrating LGBTQ+ playwriting in a supportive, social space to grow and make new connections. Held in partnership with Nick Hern Books, each session takes place as a table-read in the private space at The Railway, a Queer-run pub in Clapham.
We begin the evening with brand-new Queer writing, giving emerging LGBTQ+ playwrights the chance to share short scenes or monologues and receive supportive feedback from fellow theatre-makers. This is followed by a group reading of a full-length published play, with a relaxed discussion and Q&A (sometimes featuring the playwright, director, or cast members), facilitated by Queer Theatre’s Artistic Director, Andrew Keates.
Our August play is Dark Sublime by Michael Dennis:
A play about joy and heartbreak, quarries and transmat beams.
When Oli arrives at now-forgotten sci-fi icon Marianne's door, he's looking for an autograph – and maybe a friend. Marianne's hoping for the phone to ring, for her best friend to see her differently, for her turn at something more substantial than a half-remembered role on a cult TV show.
As they start to explore each other's worlds, they begin to discover what every good relationship needs: time and space.
Exploring the complexities of connection, especially in the LGBTQ+ community, and the contrast in lived experiences across generations, Dark Sublime is a love-letter to British sci-fi television – those that make it and those that adore it.
Michael Dennis's debut play premiered at Trafalgar Studios in London's West End in 2019, directed by Andrew Keates and starring Marina Sirtis, best known for appearing in Star Trek: The Next Generation.
Every ticket includes a copy of the play-text, and attendees will receive exclusive discounts on other Nick Hern Books titles to continue exploring LGBTQ+ stories at home.
Special Guest Announcement
We are delighted and honoured to announce Michael Dennis will be joining us to answer questions about this remarkable play, writing process and experiences and the event is hosted by Andrew Keates, artistic director of Queer Theatre and the director of the West End World Premiere.
Itinerary
Tea, coffee and snacks from 6:30pm
Session starts at 7pm
Finishes approximately 10pm
Drinks and socialising until late
Getting There: The Railway, Clapham
18 Clapham High Street, London SW4 7UR
- By Tube: The venue is a 1-minute walk from Clapham North (Northern line) and just 5 minutes from Clapham Common.
- By Overground: Clapham High Street Station is directly opposite the venue.
- By Bus: The venue is served by multiple routes including the 50, 88, 155, 322, and 345.
- By Train: Clapham Junction is a short bus ride away, with connections across London and the South East.
Accessibility
The event takes place in an upstairs space which is accessible only by stairs. If you have access needs or questions, please contact us in advance so we can support your visit as best we can.
Important Information
This is not a performance, but an informal exploration of the play’s text. Scenes will be read aloud by members of the group who wish to participate. As such, roles may be read in ways that differ from their original casting intentions – including across gender, race, age, sexuality, and lived experience. We actively welcome this openness, while also encouraging those with lived experience that reflects the characters to volunteer for roles where appropriate.
If you are a writer wishing to have your own work shared aloud during the opening section, please bring an excerpt of no more than five minutes in length to allow space for other writers to share as well. Please note we may not have time to include everyone’s work on the night.
This event is part of Queer Theatre’s commitment to ensuring LGBTQ+ theatre-makers always have somewhere to go each week to connect, create, and be inspired, alongside our 2B: Acting Classes, OutCast showcases, theatre trips, parties, social events, masterclasses and shows.
Find out more by visiting queertheatre.co.uk/whats-on