Killing Me Softly: Reflections on HIV and AIDS in Scottish Theatre
UK AIDS Memorial Quilt display
Playwright John Binnie and original cast members of his 1987 play Killing Me Softly explore the ways in which Scottish theatre responded at the height of the AIDS crisis. Between performed extracts of the play, the discussion will reflect candidly on the experience of performing the work in theatres, housing estates, unemployed workers' centres, hospices and "Safe Nookey Nights" in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
This event is part of a public programme curated by Steven Grainger to accompany the UK AIDS Memorial Quilt exhibition at Tramway.
Audience note
Audiences may find the content deeply moving, emotional, or distressing, as it deals with themes of illness, bereavement, social stigma, and historical marginalisation.
ACCESS
Tramway is fully wheelchair accessible. See more information about venue access on our Access page
About John Binnie
John Binnie is an award-winning playwright and director, who has worked in theatre since 1986. He set up Glasgow's Clyde Unity Theatre with friends, and wrote and directed over 30 productions that toured all over Scotland and beyond. He's been fortunate to make theatre in America, Germany, Singapore, Africa and India.
John also works regularly in delivering creative community engagement. Currently he is an Artist in Community for Glasgow Life. He believes everyone has a story to tell, and his drama/writing classes encourage people to find their voice, develop their confidence and creativity, and contribute to community.
John Binnie's play Mum, Dad, There's Something I Got To Tell You features alongside seven other works in Salamander Street's Queer Plays Volume One, a new anthology spanning 50 years of Scottish LGBTQ+ drama (curated by J D Stewart, foreword by Alan Cumming, out 14 September 2026).