Earlier in the year, I had the pleasure of reviewing the latest show by Themis Theatre, Schrödinger’s Lesbians.
It’s opening at Omnibus Theatre’s 96 Festival next month, and I caught up with the team to find out more about their Sapphic saga’s new chapter.
Where: Omnibus Theatre
When: 4-5 Jul
Ticket link: https://www.omnibus-clapham.org/schrodingers-lesbians/
Schrödinger’s Lesbians presents a single Sappho who has something to say. How would you sell this to those who haven’t seen it?
If you’ve ever wondered what it’d be like if the ancient poet Sappho came to your party or if she could finally speak for herself instead of being filtered through centuries of (mostly male) historians, this play is for you!
It’s smart, funny, and chaotic: myth meets modern dating drama with a big queer heart at its core!
The show previously showed up at The Glitch, where its irreverence and charm won over audiences. Have you had to make any significant changes to open it out in a larger space at the Omnibus?
Definitely! The Glitch was intimate and had a kind of DIY charm, which suited the energy of the show.
Moving to the Omnibus has been exciting. We’ve had the chance to play with space in new ways. It’s still the same Sappho, but now she’s got a little more room to breathe!
We couldn’t do it without our amazing director Bobbie-Jean Henning or the fantastic lighting work by Dimitry Bashtanov – they really help us bring the world to light in whichever venue we’re working with!
What do you think still fascinates people about Sappho, someone whose writings are fragmented and whose personal life is unclear?
That mystery is kind of the magic, isn’t it? We only have scraps of her work, but those scraps are powerful: emotional, raw, and deeply human.
People are still drawn to her because she wrote about love and longing in a way that feels timeless.
Plus, there’s something really compelling about reclaiming her voice and queerness from the gaps history left behind. And she gave us two very important words: Lesbian and Sapphic!
And how easy was it to bring Sappho into the present day of dating apps and friends with benefits?
Surprisingly easy! Swipe culture and ancient poetry aren’t that far apart when it comes to feelings of vulnerability, rejection, and craving connection.
Sappho’s emotions map pretty neatly onto our modern messes. We’ve just updated the context: from lyres to left swipes.
What’s next for Themis Theatre?
We’ve got lots in the pipeline! Our mission is all about giving a voice to overlooked women from history and myth, and Schrödinger’s Lesbians is just one chapter.
We’re cooking up new work that dives into more feminist stories, plus this isn’t the last you’ll see of Sappho… stay tuned!
We also hope to run the next of our community events – a mix of networking, social, and scratch nights under the banner of THEME-is!
Image credit: Lidia Crisafulli