First Time

Can you remember your first time? In this hilarious and heartbreaking true story, theatre-maker and activist Nathaniel Hall can't seem to forget his. To be fair, he's had it playing on repeat for the last fifteen years... but now he's ready to lift the lid on his life-changing secret. First presented by Dibby Theatre and Waterside Arts, First Time went on to critical and audience acclaim on tour of the UK and at the 2019 Edinburgh Festival Fringe. It smashes through the stigma and shame of HIV, to present an uplifting and inspirational guide to staying positive in a negative world. This edition features the full script of First Time and colour production photographs, alongside extensive material about HIV/AIDS and the themes and issues explored in the play, including several workshop plans which can be used with students and community groups. 'An unabashedly heart-on-sleeve, crowd-pleasing show but also a crucial one for raising awareness about HIV' Lyn Gardner, Stagedoor 'Packs an emotional punch that resonates even after you've left the theatre'Guardian 'A truly remarkable story of triumph. I was in awe'Russell T Davies

Nathaniel Hall is a theatre-maker and HIV activist from Manchester. He writes, directs, inspires and produces bold and provocative, socially minded work. He studied Theatre and Performance at the University of Leeds (Bretton Hall), graduating with First-Class Honours in 2008. Nathaniel creates theatre and stories with (and for) people who are traditionally unheard or marginalised, and is an expert-by-experience in the art of telling autobiographical stories of health and well-being. He has delivered projects for Contact Theatre, the Royal Exchange Theatre, 20 Stories High, Wellcome, Trans Creative, Manchester Pride, George House Trust, the LGBT Foundation and Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust. Nathaniel has lived with HIV since the age of sixteen and is a prominent voice in HIV activism, having told his personal story across many platforms, including on BBC Radio and Television News, MTV UK, Buzzfeed UK and Attitude magazine. He advocates for better representation of LGBTQ and HIV+ actors across the industry. As a television actor, Nathaniel appears in It's a Sin, the Channel 4 drama about HIV/AIDS in 1980s Britain, written by Russell T Davies and first broadcast in January 2021. He is Co-Artistic Director of Dibby Theatre and dad to two dogs, Peggy and Fred. Read more at: www.nathanieljhall.co.uk / @nathanieljhall / @DibbyTheatre