Homo(Sapien) - The Lemon Tree

Fearing that he’ll die a virgin, Bad Gay Joey goes on a quest to ‘get his hole’ before it’s too late.

Joey’s a Bad Gay. He’s never had sex and can’t get into RuPaul’s Drag Race no matter how hard he tries. Fuck it, he’s never even tried poppers. But tonight’s the night. Fearing that he’ll die a virgin, Joey goes on a misguided quest to get his hole before it’s too late. On his odyssey, he comes face to face with his deeply buried internalised homophobia, the residue of Catholic guilt, and the looming threat of violence from the local GAA lads.

A hodgepodge of misadventure and missed adventure, Homo(sapien) is an award-winning laugh out loud funny ‘masterclass in audience engagement’ (Get Your Coats On). ‘If you think queer, coming-of-age dramas have had their heyday, think again’ (Scotsman).

Conor O’Dwyer is an early career actor and playwright. He specialises in work that is queer and comedic in nature. Aiming to uproot difficult aspects of the queer experience but through a lens of hope and joy. To do away with the ‘kill your gays’ trope. Conor’s debut show, Homo(sapien) won the Best New Writing award when it debuted at the Dublin Gay Theatre Festival in 2025 and went on to do a critically acclaimed run at the Edinburgh Fringe. Conor’s been commissioned to write two more plays which are in development.

Recommended for 14+

Drug Use- There is drug use in this piece.

Violence- Description of violence and sexual violence

Death- Mention of death.

Homophobia- a couple of instances of internalised homophobia.