NHB Modern Plays- Foam

A gripping play that examines the nature of identity and the consequences of right-wing extremist ideology against the backdrop of London's skinhead and gay scenes of the 1970s and 1980s.

'You forget I knew you were a queer long before I knew you were a fascist.'

1974, a public lavatory. Nicky shaves his head, watched by an older man.

Publicly, Nicky is a skinhead. And a neo-Nazi. But right now, in this place, that doesn't matter. This is not the first man Nicky has met in a public toilet, and he won't be the last…

Spanning twenty years and inspired by a true story, Foam examines the nature of identity and the consequences of right-wing extremist ideology against the backdrop of London's skinhead and gay scenes of the 1970s and 1980s.

Colliding the terrifyingly personal and the violently political, Harry McDonald's play Foam was first performed at the Finborough Theatre, London, in 2024, directed by Matthew Iliffe.