It鈥檚 the first time in a decade since Ben Buckingham performed on stage, but he鈥檚 making his debut this Friday for the first production of "Gay on God鈥檚 Campus."

The play follows the story of a student in crisis and asks for support from a queer guardian angel, explained Buckingham, an actor and writer of the play. 

鈥淸The angel] helps her explore the question of was there space and acceptance for queer students at TWU, and what was that experience like,鈥欌�� he shared. 

Without spoiling too much of the play鈥檚 plot, Buckingham said there will be joy and laughter, but also some heartbreaking experiences. 

鈥淭he play is sort of a spectrum鈥� I think the message is that we鈥檝e all emerged on the other side and have grown stronger. This show is a testament of these alumni and me that have come together to create this piece.鈥� 

More than one year ago, Dark Glass Theatre 鈥� an independent non-profit that supports and advocates for 2SLGBTQ+ students of TWU 鈥� partnered with One TWU to interview alumni and collect their stories in their own words to begin writing the script of the play. 

鈥淭rinity Western is well known for its failed law school fight, which put a spotlight on homophobia and transphobia in our country鈥檚 history,鈥� commented Matthew Wigmore, cast member and co-founder of One TWU 鈥� a non-profit created solely to support queer students at TWU in 2014. 

鈥淭his production is our story, our chance to speak without being overshadowed by the university鈥檚 politics and, I think, our chance to surprise people about how we ended up here and what it was really like,鈥� Wigmore said. 

Buckingham attended TWU from 2009 to 2013 and graduated with a degree in theatre (a department that has since been closed by TWU), but came out of the proverbial closet nearly 10 years after his time at the school. He really only began his self-discovery journey a year ago, he shared. 

Though he performed in a few plays 鈥� such as the "Lawyer鈥檚 Show" musical fundraiser, "Hairspray," and the "Drowsy Chaperone" 鈥� Buckingham pivoted from theatre as a full-time career and pursued a law degree. 

鈥淚 haven鈥檛 been on stage in probably a decade now, but it鈥檚 nice to get back to that,鈥� he said. 

He hopes that "Gay on God鈥檚 Campus" helps students and others in the 2SLGBTQ+ community walk away from the play knowing they are loved and supported, and that 鈥渢here is family for them.鈥� 

鈥淚 think queerness in the Christian community is still really challenging鈥� for the Christian community, I hope they can take away being able to hold space for people who are different from them; for people who have different sexual identities, different gender identities, and understand that there鈥檚 space for them too.鈥� 

Buckingham said the play will largely explore the intersection of how to hold faith and sexuality together. 

"Gay on God鈥檚 Campus" premieres at the Fort 91原创 Community Hall on Friday, March 28. It will also be performed on Saturday at the Abbotsford Community Arts Addition, and in North Vancouver on Sunday. All performances start at 7:30 p.m., and tickets can be purchased online at .