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Themis Theatre on debut play The Dissent
Libby Boyd, Ruby Blue Tansey-Thomas and Charlotte Boyle co-founded Themis Theatre in 2021. Named for the traditional Greek Goddess of justice, Themis are actually all set to deliver their debut play The Dissent to VAULT Festival 2023. The Dissent gives an up to date, retelling, of three Greek myths – Icarus, Ariadne and Phaedra – as a method to study how the justice system fails ladies. Always eager to listen to extra about such present matters, we have been solely too blissful to search out time to sit down down with the staff and discover out what else to anticipate.
Hello Themis, first let’s speak about The Dissent, what can audiences anticipate?
In a retelling of three intertwined Greek myths, Icarus (now a younger lady) has fallen from the sky to her dying. In a trial to find out the place she’ll spend eternity, Icarus is pressured to look at the occasions which led to her flight and defend her selections. But how can she give her defence when historical past, the justice system and language itself, isn’t designed for ladies?
Playful, provocative and poetic at instances, The Dissent fuses mythology with prose and parody to discover injustice, the language of the patriarchy and the function it performs in gendered violence.
Audiences can anticipate to come across myths, minotaur and mayhem… and hopefully stroll away with one thing to consider.
Themis Theatre is an ‘an all female collective using Greek mythology to reflect issues facing women today’, we’d love to listen to extra about this?
Themis Theatre was based on a shared need to create new work that’s unapologetic, uncooked and impassioned. We discovered ourselves repeatedly questioning the performs we have been finding out all through drama faculty and felt that many fell wanting expressing and analyzing points ladies face in the present day. Ultimately we see Themis as an act of protest.
For Libby, who wrote The Dissent, Themis Theatre grew as a response to the fashion and exhaustion we felt with every new media report of violence in opposition to ladies. Since then it’s grow to be a cross between our collective expertise as ladies, our love for the Greek myths and our have to snicker. We don’t know if performs can change the world – we want they may – however they’ll make area for collective feeling, and we hope that’s what we’ve finished with this one.
What drew you to Greek mythology orihinally and why is it nonetheless so related in the present day?
The myths are fairly helpful as a foundation for the present, as nearly all of audiences have heard some type of delusion or fairy story of their lifetime, making it a format that they perceive and may get on board with rapidly. What’s superb is how a lot these historical tales parallel trendy points when checked out from a brand new perspective. In reimagining these narratives in The Dissent, we’re capable of interrogate these points.
Myths usually have a lesson connected to them so by utilizing our personal tailored model of a delusion, we’re disrupting the ‘lessons’ we’ve been advised again and again acquire. Using Icarus’ flight as a metaphor for gendered violence lets us shine a light-weight on the absurdity of blame allocation and prejudices that are nonetheless very a lot at play in the present day, with out having to get severe or preachy. By altering the parable, we management the narrative.
Despite the heavy subject material, The Dissent is a billed as a comedy with foolish wigs and props. What was your course of to stability the intense with the comedy?
I believe when taking about heavy matters there generally is a potential hazard of trauma dumping on stage which makes it virtually inconceivable for each the viewers and performers to really feel secure all through the method. So there must be some type of lighter components to counter stability this; that’s the place the foolish wigs and props are available in.
Secondly, we wish folks to absorb what we’re saying. Comedy is typically a much better means of highlighting points and issues in society as audiences are normally extra prepared to play alongside. I additionally suppose the comedic moments permit the heavier moments to land extra.
And lastly when enjoying a number of roles (some not human) there’s a component of pure chaos that makes it virtually inconceivable to not be comedic!
The Dissent is Themis Theatre’s debut play, coming to VAULT Festival off the again of a sold-out tour, are you able to mirror a bit of on this journey?
We graduated drama faculty in 2021 figuring out we wished to work collectively however with no clear plan on how. We gained a slot in final 12 months’s VAULT Festival however when it acquired cancelled we utilized – and have been accepted to IdeasLAB at Theatre Royal Plymouth (a scratch night showcasing new work). Following on from that we have been invited again within the December 2022 to carry out the complete size piece. Along with a summer season run at The Golden Goose in Camberwell and an evening at Upstairs at The Western in Leicester a tour was shaped!
We’d be mendacity if we mentioned it was a totally deliberate out journey. In actuality there’s been quite a lot of trial and error alongside the way in which! We do all the things ourselves from promoting to producing to costume and set design, so there have been so many moments of studying! That, matched with balancing rehearsals round full time jobs and different commitments, has meant it’s been a novel course of. That being mentioned, it was additionally a constructive as we’ve been given the prospect to develop The Dissent over such a sustained time frame – far longer than a common rehearsal interval
The Dissent is part of Generation V at VAULT Festival, how did this come about and what has it meant for Themis & The Dissent?
Generation V showcases ‘the brightest and boldest work from the UK’s main artistic drama faculties East 15 and Fourth Monkey’. In our remaining time period of drama faculty we carried out an preliminary 15 minute scratch of The Dissent and have been fortunate sufficient to be chosen as one of many chosen items. Sadly final years VAULT Festival was cancelled however we’re so glad to be given the chance once more this 12 months!
It’s been an amazing factor to work in direction of. The VAULT Festival has been an actual driving pressure and one thing to concentrate on all through our 12 months. We can’t wait to showcase our work at a competition that we now have attended and admired for thus lengthy.
What’s subsequent for The Dissent and Themis Theatre?
Beyond our performances we run scratch nights and networking occasions for female- figuring out creatives within the trade to satisfy liked-minded folks and check out new work in a safe-space. Post VAULT Festival we’re trying ahead to organising extra occasions. We additionally not too long ago labored with Trevi, a tremendous charity primarily based in Plymouth offering assist for ladies dealing with gender-based violence. We have been capable of have them be a part of us for a post-show discuss after our efficiency and we’re actually hoping to proceed this relationship. We will even begin to work on our subsequent theatre present quickly – keep tuned for more information on what its about!
We’re having a lot enjoyable rising this firm and if our subsequent 12 months is something like our first, we will’t wait!
Finally, any suggestions of different reveals to take a look at at Vault Festival?
We would positively advocate seeing the opposite reveals participating within the Generation V line up. In specific, Fourth Monkey’s choice comprising of: Home, Stacey and Rose, My Last Two Brain Cells and The Art of Saying Goodbye. We can’t wait to see what our fellow monkey alumni have created!
Our because of Themis Theatre for taking the time to talk with us. The Dissent performs VAULT Festival on 2 and three February. Further data and bookings might be discovered right here.
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