Liam is sick. Matthew is sick of him. Trapped in a run down flat in Belfast, dying of AIDs, Liam depends on Matthew for everything. He rants and rambles, desperate for release or entertainment. Matthew, meanwhile, finds his patience wearing thin. Liam is no angel, and Matthew is no martyr.Funded by the Cambridge University Amateur Dramatic Club, this irreverent dark comedy traps the audience with the characters in a claustrophobia of illness, caregiving and resentment. One scene, one set, spanning one endless argument: every beat of the frustration and the building tension is felt in real time. Balancing raw humour with intense emotion, this two-hander confronts sickness, shame and guilt through a distinctly Irish humour.Rooted in the real historical context of both the Troubles and the AIDs crisis, the play sheds new light on overlooked perspectives. With biting dialogue and unbroken narrative, Giving Out offers an unflinching, immersive theatrical experience which is as funny as it is devastating.
