Quinn Cloud takes on the fascinating role of Dr Dillon, born into Irish aristocracy as a female. She approached her Aunt performed by (Kay Elúvian) explaining how she felt to which her Aunt dismisses her as being foolish and is simply going through a phase that she will grow out of and see how “silly she has been”.

Elúvian is a talented and versatile actor who plays all the other roles in the play and has a wide range of voices, which allows each character to take on a different persona therefore allowing the storyline to flow with ease. The actors work closely throughout and it is clear they have a strong working relationship which a play as emotive as this requires.

The storyline offers an insight into the work and life led by Michael Dillon as he tries to find somewhere to fit in and live the life he deserves rather than the level of hostility and misunderstanding he faces from different people.

In a world that talks about “being kind” after another person in the public eye loses their life, after being publicly hounded. It shocks me how many public figures and papers still those who follow their instincts and want to change into the body they want to belong to instead of the one they are born into. Why can’t we all just be ourselves and see each other as equals instead of something to be hated or ridiculed?

The Strange Case of Dr Dillon is a thought-provoking true story which warrants further googling and research to find out how pioneering and fascinating Dr Michael Dillon’s life was and how his research and surgery impacted the methods still used today.

For more information on The Strange Case of Dr Dillon and other productions being performed as part of the Camden Fringe please use the link below.

Four Stars.

Photos by Chris Jepson Photography.

The Strange Case of Dr Dillon

From 1915 to 1940, Michael Dillon struggled against a world that insisted he was a girl. The only way he could live a full life was to invent gender affirming care for trans men. Body aligned, he began work on his soul. Heart-break, world travel, and life as a Buddhist monk followed.

Today, trans identities are openly mocked in British parliament, and gender affirming healthcare increasingly difficult to access. Far from “new and experimental”, hormone and surgical treatments developed by and for Dillon, in partnership with an emerging plastic surgeon, are established best practices for the global medical community.

Follow Michael’s journey from his childhood in Folkestone, through his medical training and transition, to the Merchant Navy and Buddhist monasteries in India. Described by biographer Liz Hodgkinson as “the world’s first female-to-male transsexual”, Dillon’s extraordinary life comes to the stage for the first time, with an all-trans cast.