"Packs an emotional punch"
"A heart-on-sleeve crowd-pleasing show"
"A remarkable story of triumph"
Russell T Davies
"Moving and educational"
"An award-winning masterpiece"
"Utterly essential"
"An essential piece of theatre"
"Spellbinding"
"A must see"
"An emotional rollercoaster"
"Compelling, motivating, triumphant"
"Humanity and humility are the heart"
"Heartbreaking and uplifting"
"One hell of a ride"
Northern Soul
"An autobiographical masterpiece"
"Hope is the beating heart"
"Universal and deeply moving"
Attitude
"Captivating, life-affirming"
"Captivating"
"An evening you won't forget"
"Raw, autobiographical passion"
"Captivating"
"Messy, funny, heartbreaking"
Within Her Words
"Difficult to forget"
"Gentle and measured"
"Direct from the heart"
"Razor sharp"
"Powerful and passionate"
"Tender and real"
Written and Performed by Nathaniel Hall
Directed by Chris Hoyle
Design by Irene Jade
Produced by Dibby Theatre
A Waterside Arts Commission
Image and title design: Lee Baxter
Can you remember your first time? Nathaniel can’t seem to forget his. To be fair, he has had it playing on repeat for the last 15 years.
Now the party is over, the balloons have all burst and he’s left living his best queer life: brunching on pills and Googling kangaroo vaginas, ancient condoms and human cesspits on a weekday morning... or is he?
Award-winning HIV+ theatre-maker Nathaniel Hall (It’s a Sin) and Dibby Theatre present their critically acclaimed ‘hilarious’ and ‘heart breaking’ hit autobiographical show about growing up positive in a negative world.
Join him as he blows the lid on the secret he’s been keeping all these years.
venues and dates
First Time closed on 12 March 2022 after 100 performances.
Thank you to everyone who supported the show.
First Time in the Media
‘It’s A Sin Star Nathaniel Hall on contracting HIV after having sex for the first time.’
'This Man Became HIV+ Aged 16 When He Lost His Virginity. So He Wrote a Play About It.'
Buzzfeed News
HIV testing rises as ‘It’s A Sin’ becomes C4’s most-watched drama
'I contracted HIV at 16 but after starring in It's A Sin I know I am one of the lucky ones'
'The first time I had sex I contracted HIV'
BBC News Online
It's a Sin star Nathaniel J Hall on contracting HIV as teenager
It's A Sin's Nathaniel Hall Talks Effective HIV Treatment & Overcoming Shame of Diagnosis
The Stigma of HIV at 16
Television Interviews
BBC Breakfast & Granada Reports
BEST shows at
Edinburgh Fringe 2019 - the Stage
In Equal Parts is an outreach project developed and delivered alongside First Time.
It aims to educate everybody on modern HIV healthcare and prevention, destigmatise attitudes to the virus and empower people to understand their role in contributing to the UNAIDS goal of ending all new HIV transmissions by 2030.
To date In Equal Parts has engaged 5.7K people in workshops and talks and over 57K online.
