If you are born in a country where being yourself can get you killed, exile is your only choice.
Frances Poet’s play Adam is the remarkable true story of a young trans man having to make that choice and begin his journey. It charts Adam’s progress from Egypt to Scotland, across borders and genders, in his search for a place to call home.
The play was first performed by the National Theatre of Scotland at the Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh, during the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2017, where it won a Fringe First award. It was directed by Cora Bissett, with music by Jocelyn Pook, and starred Adam Kashmiry, whose story inspired the play.
A TV movie based on the play, written by Frances Poet and also starring Adam Kashmiry, was made by Hopscotch Films and National Theatre of Scotland, and was broadcast by the BBC in 2021. The film was the winner in the Television Scripted category at the 2021 BAFTA Scotland Awards.
‘A resonant, broad meditation on the theme of identity… a compelling, hugely moving experience, and a show that blurs boundaries between theatrical artifice and real-life trauma to provocative effect’
- The Arts Desk
‘What a lovely thing Adam is… a beautiful adaptation of [this true] story’
- Observer
‘No pale recreation, but honest first-person testimony… essential viewing’
- Independent
‘Deeply moving… with an extraordinary story at its heart, Adam is a compelling piece of theatre, which seeks to fully interrogate the challenges of the trans experience’
- The List
‘A big-hearted, moving show that explores both the human urgency of living your truth and the cost of that transformation’
- WhatsOnStage
‘Fearlessly honest… fresh, interesting and impactful, with a strong message of hope and persistence against bigotry that remains sincere throughout’
- The Skinny
‘High-energy and often spectacular theatre’
- Scotsman
Edinburgh Fringe First Award
