Eight years after graduation, a group of high school friends reunite, embarking on a booze-filled trip down memory lane. As laughter fades, the evening transforms into a candid exploration of masculinity in today’s world. This thought-provoking play dives into the dynamics of male friendships – how young men of our generation communicate, feel and express love. Challenging contemporary assumptions, confronting the idea of masculinity as inherently toxic. This piece invites audiences to reflect on the evolving notions of masculinity and the vulnerability behind the bravado. 

Written by Benedict Hoesl and produced by David Gardner, this debut full-length production from Balancing Act Theatre examines masculinity with tenderness, urgency, and a biting sense of humour. Following a well-received early staging as part of Finding Balance at the Traverse Theatre, Where Were You? now comes to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe for its much-anticipated premiere.

Set over the course of a single evening, the story zooms in on the little gestures and loaded silences that shape how men relate to each other. This is not the story of loud egos or grand gestures, but of half-finished sentences, well-meaning deflections, and years of bottled-up emotion breaking the surface. With powerful performances and an unflinching script, the play challenges the notion of masculinity as inherently toxic and instead asks whether we’ve given men the space — or the language — to be vulnerable at all.

Balancing Act Theatre continues its commitment to work that reflects the messiness and nuance of contemporary identity. Where Were You? is as much a question for its characters as it is for its audience. Where were you when your friend needed you? When you could’ve said something, but didn’t? And what happens when, finally, someone does?

This is theatre that doesn’t shout, but resonates — long after the lights come up.