Joe Sellman-Leava‘s one man play FANBOY has been selected for publication in the upcoming anthology of five plays from VAULT 2023, London’s leading festival of live performances.
FANBOY is a love-hate letter to pop culture and nostalgia. A five-star hit at the Edinburgh Fringe, it’s the story of a thirty-something, self-confessed nerd – obsessed with Star Wars and Nintendo – asking why his generation can’t let go of their childhoods.
For the Nick Hern Books blog, Joe wrote:
“For some, such childhood obsessions fade away, but I continued to be very into one or other of them. In late 2019, I started to wonder why this might be. Why was talking about these things, with such passion and in such depth, the closest thing men like me got to discussing our feelings with one another? Any why did those discussions so often become hateful or abusive online?
Fanboy asks why my generation is so obsessed with its own childhood. It examines the force of nostalgia, not just in entertainment but in our politics too. It also examines heroes, why and how we worship them, as well as loneliness, mental health, and male friendship.”
PLAYS FROM VAULT SIX will be published by Nick Hern Books on 2nd February 2023. Pre-order on the Nick Hern Books website.
Joe will be performing FANBOY at The Vaults from Tuesday 7th March to Sunday 12th March, directed by Yaz Al-Shaater. Tickets can be booked on the Vault Festival website.
Joe Sellman-Leava and Yaz Al-Shaater are represented by Frances Arnold.
