A queer sci-fi heartbreaker
a new play by Timothy X Atack | directed by Tanuja Amarasuriya | theatre
Lin, an astronaut, speeds towards a distant planet. He’s on a pioneering mission to create a new home for humankind. It’s a solo expedition. His only human contact is an exchange of voice messages with his lover, Silas, back on Earth.
But thanks to the laws of relativity, Silas is ageing so much faster than Lin. Days for the astronaut will be decades for the lover left behind.
Disasters befall the spacecraft; planet Earth falls apart; Silas and Lin’s love is tested to the limit.
A suspenseful, heart-wrenching yet hopeful drama about saying what you mean, and saying goodbye.
DELAY was first presented at Bristol Old Vic in June 2025
The playtext is available to buy, published by Nick Hern Books.
Production photos by Paul Blakemore.
“One of the finest new plays to grace Bristol in years… a marvel of theatrical alchemy — intimate yet vast, tender yet epic. It transcends its modest scale with vivid theatricality and grand ideas, wrapping itself around a love story that defies the constraints of time and distance. In the end, it is a play that feels as infinite as the stars, and as fragile as a whispered word.”
– Kris Hallett, life as theatre“Love is stitched into every moment in this beautiful work.”
– Audience response“This show is so stunning, moving human, gorgeous.”
– Audience response“Heart broken open and made new. A proper meditation on love – and so much more. Thank you for reminding me how utterly transformational art can be.”
– Audience response
Cast & Credits
LIN – Jyuddah Jaymes
voice of SILAS – Alex Lawther
voice of AUTO – Vera Chok
Written by Timothy X Atack
Directed by Tanuja Amarasuriya
Set & Costume Design by Bronia Housman
Movement Direction by Laïla Diallo
Lighting Design by Alex Fernandes
Composition & Sound Design by Timothy X Atack
Casting Director Amy Ball
Voice consultant Carol Fairlamb
Research & Evaluation Consultant Dr Hassan Hussain
Producer Amanda Fawcett
Production Manager Jo Woodcock
Stage Manager Kay Hudson
Costumer Supervisor Rhi Good
Assistant Director Lau Batty
Assistant Producer Bilquees Khalid
Image design Malcolm Reid
Image photography Paul Blakemore
Produced by Amanda Fawcett in a co-production with Bristol Old Vic. Supported by Arts Council England.