Queer Play Reading Club: Otherland
By Chris Bush

Tuesday 20th January 2026
The Railway, Clapham

The Queer Play Reading Club is a monthly event from 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 up to an hour of sharing brand-new queer writing from our members, 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 from Nick Hern Books, with relaxed discussion and Q&A with the playwright, facilitated by Queer Theatre’s Artistic Director, Andrew Keates.

This month’s play: Otherland by Chris Bush

Break-ups aren’t just about who gets the CD collection. As Jo and Harry begin to untangle themselves from each other, new worlds start to open up, worlds filled with new partners, new identities, new possibilities.

What kind of women do they want to be, and do they have the courage, or the permission, to get there?

Chris Bush’s play Otherland is a bold and beautiful exploration of what it means to be true to yourself in the face of unstoppable change. It premiered at the Almeida Theatre, London, in 2025, directed by Ann Yee. 

Otherland was a finalist for the 2025 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize.

Special Guest Announcement

We are delighted to announce that Chris Bush will be joining us for this session to discuss the play and answer your questions.

Chris Bush is an Olivier Award-winning playwright, lyricist and screenwriter, known for bold, emotionally intelligent work that explores identity, change, and the worlds we build for ourselves. Her theatre writing includes Standing at the Sky’s Edge, Otherland (Almeida Theatre), Faustus: That Damned Woman (Headlong, Lyric Hammersmith and Birmingham Rep), Hungry (Paines Plough), and Rock/Paper/Scissors and A Doll’s House for Sheffield Theatres, as well as Nine Lessons and Carols at the Almeida. She has also written acclaimed adaptations including Jane Eyre and Pericles for the National Theatre.

Her work has been recognised with an Olivier Award, a South Bank Sky Arts Award, and multiple UK Theatre Awards, and she has been named by The Stage as one of the 100 most influential people in British theatre, most recently in 2025.

Itinerary

Tea, coffee and snacks from 6:30pm
Session starts at 7pm (sharing new writing with the group and receiving supportive feedback)
We read Otherland together.
Q&A with Chris Bush 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 LGBTQ+ theatre-makers always have somewhere to go each week to connect, create, and be inspired – alongside our 2B: Acting Classes, OutCast showcases, theatre trips, social events, masterclasses, parties and shows.

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