Ms McFetridge highlighted the importance of the political and cultural context of the time.
She said that a political and religious campaign, led by Ian Paisley called Save Ulster from Sodomy effectively “lambasted the gay community”.
“You would consider people who set up helplines like this to be activists, but at that time these were ordinary individuals.
“We need to tread a very fine line about marking those moments when the volunteers faced terrible threats, but also celebrating those moments when people made connections.
“At the very heart of the play is a drive and a heart to talk about love and relationships,” she added.
