A heart-wrenching, very real story about the painful underbelly of toxic relationships is brought to light in ‘Behind Closed Doors’, which is coming to the Customs House on 1 August.

Before heading off to the Edinburgh Fringe, ‘Behind Closed Doors’ is making a pit stop in South Shields’ lovely Customs House theatre. This new LGBTQ+ play centres on Jude and Charlie, two young men whose happy and tender relationship turns tumultuous, leading them down a path of emotional abuse and addiction. Writer Corey Muizelaar put together this devastating show to highlight the conversation which is often overlooked: the domestic abuse in gay relationships and how scary the grey area can be between loving someone deeply and being utterly destroyed by them at the same time. Neither character is reduced to a victim or a villain, but simply posed as two people madly in love, even though they’re the worst possible pairing. Sadder than our usual recommendations, this is still an important topic to discuss, and Corey along with producers Studio Muiz have made it breathtaking and educational, which I think makes it well worth a visit. MW

Behind Closed Doors, Saturday 1 August, Customs House, South Shields, 7.30pm, from £10, customshouse.co.uk