Hoping to become dads, Eoin and Zeb meet Beth who guides them through the difficult journey of adopting as queer parents

Beth thinks Eoin and Zeb have odd names. She will also be deciding if Eoin and Zeb get to be dads. The adoption process works in three stages. It’s complicated, confusing, intrusive and borderline humiliating. Eoin and Zeb must hold onto each other tightly while they navigate this course, and issues within their personal life outside of the adoption process are forced to take a backseat while they struggle to prove to the panel that they are worthy of being parents. 

Breeding dissects the journey of queer parenthood with brutally honest, painful clarity. The play exposes the stark dichotomy between becoming parents as a straight couple, a relatively simple process that needs no qualification, and that of a queer couple. The audience bears witness to the difficulty of the process and the pain of having to prove your worth as a potential parent. It begs the question of how the adoption process really endeavours to protect children; how do prospective parents prove to a panel how much they will love their child? 

Playwright Barry McStay’s phenomenal writing cuts to the core with dexterity. The play initially presents as a fairly straight-forward storyline, that is nevertheless tender, and yet various tragic twists keep the audience radically on their toes. The language is beautiful and grounded, passionate and profound to say the absolute least. Tom Ratcliffe’s direction is incredible to witness. The King’s Head Theatre’s thrust-stage space poses many difficulties, audience eye-line and freedom of movement for starters. Ratcliffe expertly crafted the performer’s blocking to ensure the audience is able to appreciate the actors’ performances wholly. Ratcliffe created an environment in which the actors seamlessly jump from one location to another, sometimes multiple times within one overarching scene, an incredible achievement to witness. Where the actors were and what was happening was never within question. This was compounded by the remarkable set, lighting, and sound design. 

Barry McStay and Dan Nicholson are brilliant as Eoin and Zeb respectively. Reprising their roles from the first production of Breeding at the Kings Head in 2023, their intimate knowledge of their characters was evident. The chemistry between the two actors was exceptionally crafted to resemble many years of tender love. Nemide May was astounding as Beth, having clearly spun a complex inner life that openly expressed the difficulties of doing her particular job. The three actors came together to create an impressive ensemble, guiding the audience through the simultaneously joyful and poignant world of Breeding. Breeding is more than worth a watch. Eighty minutes seem to fly by, leaving the audience entirely affected and in various stages of joy, sorrow, and reflection.