13 Feb - 11 Mar 2023
19:30, 14:30
Bootycandy
Gate Theatre
A whip-smart, high-octane, roller coaster ride about growing up black and gay.
by Robert O'Hara
directed by Tristan Fynn-Aiduenu
★★★★★ - "An extraordinary, exhilarating piece of work. It rips your heart out, even as you're laughing, and makes you freeze in shock, even as you're itching to dance along with it."
- The Stage
★★★★½ - "A show that is relatable, humorous and touching, all while dealing with harsh topics and difficult characters"
- North West End
"It's called a Bootycandy you too young to be calling it a d*ck don't let me hear you say that again have you lost your mind in real life?"
Sutter is on a journey. A sugar-exploding pilgrimage to understand himself, the world around him, and why his Old Granny calls his d*ck a “bootycandy”. But in continuing to discover all the parts that make him “him”… will he come to terms with what he finds?
The UK premiere of Robert O’Hara's Bootycandy is a semi-autobiographical, kaleidoscopic, Black queer fever dream of connected vignettes, directed by Gate Theatre Associate Artist Tristan Fynn-Aiduenu (For Black Boys…)
Exploring childhood, sexuality, fantasy and reality, Bootycandy licks the raw, encrusted parts of us that make us who we are and questions how we can even begin to honour them.
ABOUT
Robert O'Hara (he/him) has received the NAACP Best Play and Best Director Award, the Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding New Play, two Obies and the Herb Alpert Award. Broadway: Slave Play (Tony Nomination).
Off Broadway: He directed the world premieres of Jeremy O. Harris' Slave Play, Nikkole Salter and Dania Guiria's In The Continuum, Tarell McCraney's The Brother/Sister Plays (Part 2), Colman Domingo's Wild with Happy, Kirsten Childs' Bella: An American Tall Tale, Ross Baum and Angelica Cheri's Gun and Powder, and his own plays, Bootycandy, Mankind, and Insurrection: Holding History. His upcoming projects include directing O'Neill's Long Day's Journey into Night, directing Anthony Davis's Opera X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X, writing and directing a series of Netflix/Ryan Murphy and writing and directing a feature film adaptation of his original play, Barbecue for Anonymous Content.
Tristan Fynn-Aiduenu (he/him) is a British-Ghanaian theatre-maker whose work aims to stretch the imagination of his audiences with his unique brand of storytelling.
Tristan has directed at venues like Young Vic, Royal Court and National Theatre. He is an Associate Director of Initiative.dfk, Brixton House and Gate Theatre. Tristan is the winner of the 2019 JMK Directors Award. Previous work includes multi-award nominated productions Sweet Like Chocolate Boy (Jack Studio Theatre/Tobacco Factory Theatres/Theatre Peckham); Little Baby Jesus (Orange Tree Theatre); Sundown Kiki (Young Vic); and For Black Boys Who Have Considered Suicide When The Hue Gets Too Heavy (Nouveau Riche/New Diorama Theatre/Royal Court), for which he won the Black British Theatre Award for Best Director and Best Production.
USEFUL INFORMATION
Estimated running time
Performance times
19:30, 14:30
Ticket prices
£12 - £18
Concession
Full-time students, those aged under 16, senior citizens, the unwaged, members of Equity and BECTU
Access
Theatro Technis is fully wheelchair accessible. Guide dogs and hearing dogs are welcome in the auditorium. There is a Loop system fitted in the main auditorium. If you have any questions or specific requests, please email boxoffice@theatrotechnis.com.
The following is an estimation, and is intended only as guidance, more accurate information will be available closer to the show opening:
Content guidance: swearing; racist, homophobic and ableist language; outdated terms for disabilities; references to genitalia, sex and sexual acts; references to grooming and to sexual abuse of a young teenager; mention of rape; the threat of murder; graphic description of stabbing; nudity; the threat of sexual assault; discussion of a rape and suicide.
Age guidance: 18+
Duration estimation: 2 hrs 30 mins, with one interval
Evening performances: 7.30pm
Saturday matinees: 2:30pm
£12 during previews (13- 15 Feb)
£18 full price
£15 Equity members, 60+
£12.50 Access patrons, Camden residents / workers, Under 26s, Students
£5 Unwaged / Unemployed
Camden Community Night: Mon 13 Feb, 7.30pm
Pay What You Can performance: Sat 18 Feb, 2.30pm
Relaxed performance: Mon 27 Feb, 7:30pm
Captioned performance: Tue 28 Feb, 7:30pm, followed by a captioned Q&A
BSL performance: Wed 1 Mar, 7:30pm
Audio-Described Performance: Sat 4 Mar, 2.30pm (a touch tour is available before performance – add to basket)
Gate Late: after Wed 8 Mar, 7:30pm performance
