I AM LYSISTRATA Comes to the Park Theatre in July

Created by playwright Carmen Nasr and a company of ten women seeking sanctuary in London, I Am Lysistrata reimagines the 2500-year-old comedy by Aristophanes about women coming together to end a war. The project was made with participants from lands as far flung as Ukraine, Syria and Zimbabwe, with the aim of providing refugee women with a platform to tell their own stories in their own way. Set in a rehearsal room for the play, each participant uses the stories of their own lived experience to argue their case as to why they are the character of Lysistrata and how the play should be staged, from a musical to a drama and everything in between. The modern and meta interpretation of the classic play highlights the timeless relevance of living in a world impacted by war. The show is a humorous but provocative piece exploring themes of sisterhood and solidarity, losing homes and making new ones.

Director Sepy Baghaei said “It’s an honour to be working with this company of ten brilliant women, alongside our talented playwright Carmen, to create a whole new play inspired by the themes of Lysistrata. When you come to see I Am Lysistrata, you can expect to laugh, to be challenged, and ultimately, to be moved by the unflinching honesty and power of the voices of our ten women performers.”

Playwright Carmen Nasr said “This company of bold, intelligent and endlessly creative women have galvanised me as a writer. We have made a play that is unique, formally playful, and absolutely brimming full of heart and sisterhood. I’m already beyond proud to play a part in telling this story.”

Makani are a Lebanon and UK based company who, through therapeutic arts projects, work with refugee women to overcome trauma, fight for their rights, and to transform their lives and the world around them. The organisation offers various workshops with the goal of building confidence and community whilst also trying to increase access to employment and diversity in the arts. Alongside their craft and theatre therapy workshops, Makani’s previous theatre projects include Antigone of Syria as well as their Film For Freedom educational empowerment workshops. I Am Lysistrata is produced by the Executive Director of Makani, Itab Azzam, whose previous work in theatre and film includes Antigone of Syria, The Trojan Women, and BAFTA-winning documentary Exodus: Our Journey to Europe. 

Park Theatre presents exceptional theatre in the heart of Finsbury Park, boasting two world-class performance spaces: Park200 for predominantly larger scale productions by established talent, and Park90, a flexible studio space, for emerging artists. In 11 years, it has enjoyed eight West End transfers (including Rose starring Maureen Lipman, The Boys in the Band starring Mark Gatiss, Pressure starring David Haig and The Life I Lead starring Miles Jupp), two National Theatre transfers, 14 national tours, seven Olivier Award nominations, has won multiple OffWestEnd Offie Awards and won a Theatre of the Year award from The Stage.

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