The Lasting Sense of Sudden, which has been developed with the generous support of Birmingham LGBT’s SHOUT Festival, will premier in Birmingham in March as part of a double bill of one-act plays. These will be performed under the title of Generations by FRED at the Custard Factory Theatre. Jonathan’s play, developed from the real words of real people, is a bitter sweet exploration of coming out, gaining acceptance, and learning to accept oneself in the twenty-first century.

FRED, which was only established in late 2012 by its artistic director, Robert F. Ball, is excited to be taking its second full-scale production overseas. Robert says: “This announcement is a great boost for us as a new company, and a real vote of confidence in Jonathan’s work as a new playwright.

“None of this would have been possible without the support of SHOUT and, of course, the members of the LGBTQ community across the West Midlands who shared their stories and experiences with us so generously. We’ve taken their stories and used them as the basis for Jonathan’s play which is funny, sad, infuriating, moving, a lot of things. Most of all, though, it is going to be a superb piece of theatre that I am proud to be taking to an international audience.”

Jonathan ap Emrys says: “I'm thrilled that the festival has seen the play's potential and I'm looking forward to seeing it performed to an international audience."