Queer Play Reading Club:
Happy Meal by Tabby Lamb

Tuesday 21st July 2026
The Railway, Clapham

The Queer Play Reading Club is a monthly event, produced by Queer Theatre, held in partnership with Nick Hern Books, celebrating LGBTQIA+ playwriting in a supportive, low-pressure, queer-run, social space.

Each session begins with us reading out loud our own new queer writing, helping writers see how differently their work is from page to the mouths of actors and supportive feedback can be given. We then table-read a published LGBTQIA+ full-length play from Nick Hern Books, with everyone in the room reading various roles, followed by relaxed discussion and Q&A with the playwright themselves, and often with members of the Nick Hern Books team, facilitated by Queer Theatre’s Artistic Director, Andrew Keates. And finally, we share a drink together in the queer-run pub, The Railway. And everyone gets to take home their copy of the play-text too!

This month’s play: Happy Meal by Tabby Lamb

“'Maybe gender is like life? And like time too? In that it doesn't actually exist, and yet our world revolves around the expectations we put on it.'”

Starting in the quaint days of dial-up and MSN, Happy Meal is a funny, moving and nostalgic story of transition, following two initial strangers on their journeys from teen to adult; from MySpace to TikTok; from cis to trans...

Tabby Lamb's joyful trans rom-com was directed by Jamie Fletcher and produced by Roots and Theatre Royal Plymouth, with ETT and Oxford Playhouse, on a UK tour in 2022, including a run at the Traverse Theatre during the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, where it won a Fringe First Award.

Special Guest Announcement

We are delighted to announce, Tabby Lamb will be joining us for this session to discuss the play and answer your questions.

Tabby Lamb is a trans writer-performer from the Midlands, now based in East London, and a graduate of the Theatre Directing course at Dartington College of Arts. Equally inspired by Carly Rae Jepsen and Tennessee Williams, she creates work that explores the intersection of pop culture and politics, often joyful, always rooted in queer lived experience.

Her breakthrough came with HAPPY MEAL (Roots Touring), a joyful, queer rom-com that won a Fringe First Award at the 2022 Edinburgh Fringe and was longlisted for the BBC Writersroom Popcorn Award before touring across the UK and internationally. In 2023, her short play A GRIEVANCE OF WITCHES made history as the first work by a trans woman to be staged at Shakespeare’s Globe.

In 2025, Tabby created, wrote, and hosted TRANS WICKED, a bold reimagining of the musical Wicked as a cabaret, featuring an all-star, all-trans cast. Deeply embedded in the queer theatre space, she continues to develop stories for all audiences that celebrate and illuminate LGBTQ+ lives. Her play HOW WE SWAM, written for the National Youth Theatre, was inspired by TAGS (the London Trans and Gender Non-Conforming Swimming group), while her family play TUESDAY (Pegasus Theatre) explores gender identity from a child’s perspective. Upcoming works include THE LAW OF MAYHEM (Proteus) and TRANS-IT (Fifth Word).

Her earlier solo show SINCE U BEEN GONE premiered at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2019 after a preview at the Gate Theatre. Performed and written by Tabby, it was a hit with audiences and critics alike, The Guardian awarded it four stars, calling it “bold, honest and swollen with love.”

Tabby has been selected for several prestigious development and mentorship schemes, including BFI Flare × BAFTA Crew (2021), the Sky Arts Bursary at Stratford East, Middle Child’s associate writer programme, the Oxford Playhouse Playmaker scheme (2021), Soho Theatre Writers Lab, and Wild Child’s Oli Lansley mentorship, under the guidance of Sarah Solemani. Alongside her writing and performance work, Tabby is a committed facilitator, leading creative arts projects for LGBTQ+ youth.

Itinerary

Tea, coffee and snacks from 6:30pm
Session starts at 7pm (sharing new writing with the group and receiving supportive feedback)
Then We read the play together.
Q&A with Tabby Lamb and Andrew Keates
Drinks and socialising until 11pm

Getting There

The Railway, Clapham
18 Clapham High Street, London SW4 7UR

By Tube: A 1-minute walk from Clapham North (Northern line) and 5 minutes from Clapham Common.
By Overground: Clapham High Street Station is directly opposite the venue.
By Bus: Served by routes 50, 88, 155, 322, and 345.
By Train: Clapham Junction is a short bus ride away, with connections across London and the South East.

Accessibility

The event takes place in an upstairs space accessible only by stairs. If you have access needs or questions, please contact us in advance so we can support your visit as best we can.

Important Information

This is not a performance but an informal exploration of the play’s text. Scenes will be read aloud by members of the group who wish to participate. Roles may therefore be read in ways that differ from their original casting intentions, including across gender, race, age, sexuality, and lived experience. We actively welcome this openness while also encouraging those with lived experience reflecting the characters to volunteer where appropriate.

If you are a writer wishing to have your own work shared aloud in the opening section, please bring an excerpt of no more than five minutes to allow space for others. We may not have time to include everyone’s work on the night. If you need excerpts printed, please email us.

This event forms part of Queer Theatre’s commitment to ensuring LGBTQIA+ theatre-makers always have somewhere to go each week to connect, grow and express themselves – alongside our Acting Classes For LGBTQIA+ People, OutCast showcases, Queer Variety Night, theatre trips, social events, workshops, parties and more.

By attending, you consent to Queer Theatre taking and using photography and video from the event for archive, press, marketing, website and social media purposes.

Find out more at www.queertheatre.co.uk/whats-on