The main stage at Glasgow’s Tramway is almost like an air hangar, this formidable giant black-box almost makes the actors seem small by comparison. But for once size does matter, because the subject of sex and disability is one that has been in the margins for too long. What Birds of Paradise do so well, is the way they upend theatrical expectations, this time by bringing the realities of disabled sex to a large stage. It’s purposefully confrontational, knowing that such a subject is usually relegated to sniggering, nudges and winks. Not that the play isn’t hilarious – The scene being teched as I watched involved the major cringe of parents trying to imitate the gen Z speech of their son in an online chat room.
Sitting in on the tech rehearsal of (We Indulge In) A Bit of Roll Play, is something to behold. (Its name is purposefully clunky to by-pass the Online Safety Act’s hair-trigger algorithm blocker!) The sheer scale of this production feels like you’re sitting in a NASA Launch Control Centre. Stage Managers are milling around the seating, running between the lighting-desk and the director; syncing up not only the complex cues that any major stage production demands, but also the added integration of captions and BSL. You catch sight of Rosie Jones in silver finery learning sign language before going on for her cue, embodying the character of ‘Crip God’, an omnipotent sage that guides Ben, the teenage protagonist, in his sexy exploration.
Roll Play is about a young disabled man’s attempt to find a space for his desires while he juggles living at home with his parents, university and the limitations and expectations that surround him. Ben’s journey takes him from the isolation of his bedroom to a world of unmediated desires where he can stop asking for permission and start taking space. I managed to speak to Ed Larkin who plays Ben, and asked him how he found working on the show:
How do you relate to the character that you’re playing?
I run into my character Ben, I think, because, I mean, he’s younger than me, but he’s a young lad discovering who he is within his disability, and within his family, and within romantic relationships. That speaks very much to growing up as a teenager and navigating who you are as a disabled person. I really resonated with his battle of finding himself.
And very honestly, in parts of the play, Ben isn’t a very nice bloke. But as a young person, you go through that phase of discovering who you are. And that was really interesting and I definitely related to that as a disabled person.
In what ways is he not nice?
He doesn’t have much of a filter, he’s a naive 19-year-old.
And now as an older person, you look back and you go, “oh, I definitely shouldn’t approach it like that.” I wouldn’t say things like that to my family. He’s not objectively a dislikeable person.
Do you feel disabled actors are considered for ‘sexy’ roles in the same way?
When you start in the industry some people are worried about being put in a box or typecast. But at the start of my career, I said I’m going to treat it as my USP, my unique selling point is my disability, when I’m in a room full of people, there’s less of us, and it gives me a uniqueness that makes me stand out.
I think the industry is shifting, but there’s definitely a way you get perceived. But I think it’s up to me and other people in the industry to keep challenging those perceptions. I’m glad I’m able to do that. A big part of why the show was created is to bring about conversations around sex and disability.
Do you think we aren’t having that conversation then?
There’s a naivety around disability in general. When you add sex and relationships on top of that, there’s a real misconception. It feels like this big taboo topic, but this is what this play does. It makes it very normal and breaks down those barriers.
Disability or not, it’s human intimacy, which is for everybody. That’s what makes the play really special.
How do you think audiences will react?
I think there’ll be a lot of laughter. I hope they question it. I mean, Rob, when we started, he said, “I don’t want easy answers or easy fixes.”
(We Indulge In) A Bit of Roll Play is Written by Hana Pascal Keegan, Gabriella Sloss and Robert Softley Gale, and directed by Robert Softley Gale. It premieres at Tramway, Glasgow on 19th February.
