Queer Play Reading Club: Lavender, Hyacinth, Violet and Yew w/ Coral Wylie

The Queer Play Reading Club is a monthly event from Queer Theatre, held in partnership with Nick Hern Books, celebrating LGBTQIA+ playwriting in a supportive, low-pressure, queer-run, social space. Each session begins with up to an hour of sharing brand-new queer writing from our members, giving LGBTQIA+ playwrights and writers the chance to share short scenes or monologues and receive supportive feedback. We then move into a group reading of a full-length published play from Nick Hern Books, with relaxed discussion and Q&A with the playwright, facilitated by Queer Theatre’s Artistic Director, Andrew Keates.

“A garden without a traditional English rose is a cardinal sin – and I committed eight of those before my Ready Brek”

Nineteen-year-old Pip is trying to find themselves through gardening. But with a dad more interested in plants than people and a mum stuck in the past, they're left to ponder life's questions alone.

Then one day, they uncover a jacket in the attic that's been gathering dust. Bold, vibrant and very '80s, in its pocket lies a diary belonging to someone long gone. Swept up in the mystery, Pip digs into the past, unearthing secrets about an old friend their parents don't want to discuss…

Funny, affecting and beautifully queer, Coral Wylie's play Lavender, Hyacinth, Violet, Yew tracks one family's efforts to assuage the past and plant the seeds of a better future. It was shortlisted for the Alfred Fagon Award in 2023 and premiered at the Bush Theatre, London, in 2025, directed by Debbie Hannan and starring Omari Douglas, Pooky Quesnel and Wil Johnson alongside the playwright.

We are delighted to announce that Coral Wylie will be joining us for this session to discuss the play and answer your questions.

Coral Wylie (they/them) is a writer, performer and environmental dramaturg from London. Their work finds its voice in the natural world (most often bugs..), playing in the overlaps of science and art.

Their debut play Lavender, Hyacinth, Violet, Yew was shortlisted for the Alfred Fagon Award in 2023, before premiering at the Bush Theatre in February 2025, for which they were nominated for 'Best Playwright' at the Black British Theatre Awards. Coral is a founding member of the Bush Theatre’s Young Company, a graduate of the Bush Theatre’s Emerging Writers’ Group and an alumnus of Soho Theatre Writers Lab, where their play ENTOMOLOGY was longlisted for the Tony Craze Award in 2022.

Tea, coffee and snacks from 6:30pm
Session starts at 7pm (sharing new writing with the group and receiving supportive feedback)
We read the play together.
Q&A with Coral Wylie and Andrew Keates
Drinks and socialising until 11pm

The Railway, Clapham
18 Clapham High Street, London SW4 7UR

By Tube: A 1-minute walk from Clapham North (Northern line) and 5 minutes from Clapham Common.
By Overground: Clapham High Street Station is directly opposite the venue.
By Bus: Served by routes 50, 88, 155, 322, and 345.
By Train: Clapham Junction is a short bus ride away, with connections across London and the South East.

The event takes place in an upstairs space accessible only by stairs. If you have access needs or questions, please contact us in advance so we can support your visit as best we can.

This is not a performance but an informal exploration of the play’s text. Scenes will be read aloud by members of the group who wish to participate. Roles may therefore be read in ways that differ from their original casting intentions, including across gender, race, age, sexuality, and lived experience. We actively welcome this openness while also encouraging those with lived experience reflecting the characters to volunteer where appropriate.

If you are a writer wishing to have your own work shared aloud in the opening section, please bring an excerpt of no more than five minutes to allow space for others. We may not have time to include everyone’s work on the night. If you need excerpts printed, please email us.

This event forms part of Queer Theatre’s commitment to ensuring LGBTQ+ theatre-makers always have somewhere to go each week to connect, create, and be inspired – alongside our 2B: Acting Classes, OutCast showcases, theatre trips, social events, masterclasses, parties and shows.

Find out more at

Book via Eventbrite below. And if you’re having any problems with your booking, please contact us.

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