Queer Play Reading Club - The P Word by Waleed Akhtar

Tuesday 16th December 2025
The Railway, Clapham

The Queer Play Reading Club is a monthly event from Queer Theatre, held in partnership with Nick Hern Books, celebrating LGBTQ+ playwriting in a supportive, queer-run, social space. Each session begins with up to an hour of brand-new queer writing, giving LGBTQIA+ playwrights and writers the chance to share short scenes or monologues and receive supportive feedback. We then move into a group reading of a full-length published play, followed by a relaxed discussion and Q&A with the author, facilitated by Queer Theatre’s Artistic Director, Andrew Keates.

We began this session with new writing from members of the community, with generous, supportive feedback around the table. Then we settled in for a full group read of Waleed Akhtar’s The P Word, before welcoming Waleed into conversation with Andrew for an open, thoughtful Q&A. Walled shared his insights into not only writing this great piece, but performing in it too. He spoke of the struggles facing queer Asians in the UK and around the world, as well as inspiring our writers to tell their story and how he managed to get The P Word from page to stage. We were also honoured to welcome Matt Applewhite, CEO of Nick Hern Books who provided invaluable insight into the publishing world.

This month’s play: The P Word by Waleed Akhtar

“I’m not in your Britain. I’m in another Britain.”

Zafar flees homophobic persecution in Pakistan to seek asylum in the UK. Londoner Bilal (or Billy, as he prefers to be known) is ground down by years of Grindr and the complexity of being a brown gay man.

In Soho, at 2am, worlds collide, and Zafar and Billy’s lives are about to change forever. The P Word is Waleed Akhtar’s sharp-witted and devastating play, charting the parallel lives of two gay Pakistani men as they navigate everything from casual hook-ups to the UK’s hostile environment. It premiered at the Bush Theatre in 2022 (directed by Anthony Simpson-Pike) and went on to win the Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in Affiliate Theatre.

Everyone who attended enjoyed sharing their own work out loud, took part in the read-through, took home a copy of the play thanks to Nick Hern Books, enjoyed the informal atmosphere and shared drinks together socialising afterwards.

All photography by Boyan Georgiev