REVIEW: Stealing Stories, Acting Out, Prague Fringe 2025 ★★★★☆

Which stories are we allowed to tell and profit from? Laugh-out-loud funny yet nuanced and complex, this new comedy from Acting Out questions who has the right to tell which story.

We meet Gavin, a cis gay man, who is helping his cis straight writer friend Robbie to write a novel with queer themes, stating that anyone is allowed to tell any story. But when a publishing offer arrives, questions of authenticity, ownership and profit create tension between the two friends.

Are straight people allowed to write about the queer experience? Do white people have the right to tell the story of a person of colour? And who gets to benefit? Acting Out have created a play that does not answer these questions but leaves room for you to debate and decide for yourself. In a world that often seems desperate for clearcut answers, it’s refreshing to see a show that refuses to tell you exactly what to think.

Gavin, a cis gay man, starts off convinced that everyone is allowed to tell whatever story they want. He helps his friend Robbie write a convincing queer story but, with time, begins to question who benefits from this set up. When he finds out that Robbie is pretending to be queer to sell the novel to a potential publisher, Gavin decides that things have gone too far.

The publisher is mostly interested in turning a profit, which brings the struggle of making art versus making money into the conversation. A queer Arab refugee and a lesbian playwright are thrown into the mix to highlight more angles of the debate, and the question is raised: is it better to have a story be told by someone not directly affected, or to not tell it at all?

Taking you to unexpected places, Sean Denyer’s script is brilliantly written and, aside from a direct conversation with the audience at the end which might have worked better as an additional scene, refuses to preach or give straight answers. Whilst each individual scene creates tension, the blackout transition felt too long and slowed down what is otherwise a fast-paced and witty comedy. The acting, too, whilst stunningly truthful and full of life, seemed a little stifled by the static direction and lack of background music and sound, especially in the scenes taking place in a queer bar.

Whilst this did not take away from making the characters believable and every actor was brilliant in their own way, what stood out was the lack of people on colour on stage. The one person that was much debated on stage and yet was not given their own voice is the queer Arab refugee, perhaps the most marginalised person in the play. How would it have affected the experience of the play if this character was portrayed on stage and got to share their take on the debate? I did question how much it impacts the play’s message that representation of this person was missing on stage.

Still, Stealing Stories sucks you in and makes you feel as if you’re part of the events as they unfold, and feels like an important piece in our current theatrical and social landscape.

Recommended Drink: Pink G&T – fruity but somewhat serious, refreshing and sophisticated all at once.

Performances of Stealing Stories have now concluded at Prague Fringe 2025.