About

In 1980s Swansea, a young man finds the love of his life, only to face heartbreak and loss when he discovers his partner has contracted AIDS.

I began writing Swansea Boy as a response to the AIDS pandemic and as a way to explore another play in the Swansea idiom following the success of A Prayer for Wings.

The story follows Colin, a budding artist who spends his days idling on a Gower beach, dreaming of a more bohemian life in London. However, his Welsh family pressures him to finish school and pursue a more conventional path. His friend Shelley amuses him, but she cannot fulfill his growing sense of longing. A sexual encounter with James, another boy his age, gives Colin the courage to leave behind the beauty of the Gower Coast and head to London.

In the city, Colin discovers a world more elusive and unsettling than he had imagined. As the AIDS crisis unfolds, he navigates life with fear and trepidation, yet remains true to himself by choosing a path of sexual safety and finding the courage to come out to his family.

Later, in a small Moroccan seaside town, Colin lives with James, who is slowly succumbing to HIV. Amidst the exotic beauty of his new home, filled with rare creatures and constant sunlight, Colin creates his own bohemian haven. Displaying a maturity beyond his years, he faces the harsh realities of mortality with compassion and resilience – Sean Mathias
(Writer and Director)