Four Letter Words at Liverpool Playhouse Studio

A new play set in ‘the world of queer online kink’ gets its premiere at the Liverpool Playhouse Studio next week.

Four Letter Words comes to the Williamson Square venue from April 16-18.

During lockdown, university student Gemma is swept up in a whirlwind online relationship with the mysterious M, a connection that begins in a BDSM chatroom but quickly becomes something far deeper.

As their digital bond intensifies, Gemma’s real-world relationships start to unravel, pulling her into a journey of first love, heartbreak and self-discovery.

Blending live projection with intimate storytelling, the production invites audiences into Gemma’s private world, exploring how we search for connection, identity and belonging when the world feels out of reach.

Four Letter Words is written by Hannah Greenstreet, who was inspired by the desolate images on television during the Covid pandemic showing university campuses in lockdown, and stars Emma Harrison as Gemma, Nanci Bennett as Siobhan and Samantha Alton as Moira.

Directed by Millie Foy and produced by Harriet Warnock, it has an age advisory of 16 and upwards and includes strong and explicit language and themes of loneliness and isolation.

Producer Harriet Warnock says: "One of the most exciting things about Four Letter Words is how we’re using technology to bring the outside world into the isolation of Gemma’s bedroom.

“The team has been experimenting with live‑streaming, video projection, and playful combinations of sound and light. You definitely won’t have seen the Playhouse Studio like this before."

Hannah Greenstreet is a playwright, theatre critic and academic who is currently a lecturer in creative writing at the University of Liverpool. Her new play is supported by the Everyman and Playhouse through its Supported Studio programme, and by Arts Council England.

Four Letter Words is at the Liverpool Playhouse Studio from April 16-18. Tickets HERE