National Theatre of Scotland

In a room in Soho, a dying man is turning gold.

He has a gift. With just one touch or kiss, he can reveal a glimpse of heaven in all its glory. Some call him Cupid. Or Venus as a Boy.

Journeying from his turbulent childhood in Orkney - haunted by the girl he betrayed and the lover he never escaped, travelling south through the Highlands and Edinburgh, he finds himself in the seedy underbelly of Soho, where pimps and hormones and a transsexual called Wendy finally break him.

"True love was never going to be my reward . . . My reward is the understanding that, for those I’ve touched, knowledge of me is knowledge of the divine."

Adapted from Luke Sutherland’s acclaimed novel, and performed by award-winning actor Tam Dean Burn, Venus as a Boy is an explosive and haunting story about the miraculous power of sex.

After opening at the St Magnus Festival in Orkney, Venus as a Boy will have an extended run at the Traverse for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe this summer before reaching London, with dates in Glasgow and Liverpool later in the year.

"Tam Dean Burn's performance is a tour de force, a brilliantly-pitched piece of theatrical craftmanship." The Scotsman

"A parable for our times." The Herald

WINNER Herald Angel for Luke Sutherland and Tam Dean Burn

Notes : Luke Sutherland is a writer and musician who grew up in Orkney. His novels include Jelly Roll, which was shortlisted for the Whitbread First Novel Award and Sweetmeat.

Venus as a Boy is co-produced by National Theatre of Scotland Workshop and Burnt Goods. Photo of Tam Dean Burn by Eamonn McGoldrick.