When a gay man fleeing an abusive partner is turned away from a women-only refuge, one of the residents sneaks him into her room. The initially clashing characters, the shy Dave and the gobby Zoe, begin to bond over their shared traumatic experiences. But will they be able to keep him hidden from the eagle-eyed security guard? And will they be able to instill enough confidence in each other to be given the strength to leave their violent partners for good?

The Black Eye Club by Phil Charles was selected anonymously out of over 450 submissions as the winner of The Bread & Roses Playwriting Award following three reading rounds. The award was open for submissions last summer/autumn and called for full length plays with at least 50% material that are female, non-binary or gender neutral roles, from UK based playwrights. The premiere of the winning play is being staged for the theatre's third anniversary in November 2017, directed by the then Artistic Director Tessa Hart. 

Phil Charles was propelled to write The Black Eye Club after witnessing cuts to council budgets and their disastrous impact on services for those affected by domestic abuse, many refuges are forced to shut down or taken over by non-specialist providers.