Sappho in Love - comes to Eressos for the women's festival!
A Lesbian Midsummer Night's Dream
Sappho in Love is a lively theatrical exploration of the slippery terrain of Lesbian romance, as the goddesses from Mount Olympus come down to earth to persuade young women away from Sappho's decadent teachings.
Artemis, the Goddess of Lesbian Celibacy, and Hera, the Goddess of Coupledom, join forces to challenge Aphrodite, the Goddess of Love, for her hegemony on Lesbos. Sappho, the great poet and teacher on the island, is a devotee of Aphrodite, and because of this, her school has become a center for the cult of lesbian sexuality and romantic love. Artemis, denouncing Aphrodite's use of her intoxicating nectar to attract followers, vows to found a rival school on Lesbos where young girls will be weaned away from Sappho's decadent teachings to learn the more sober arts of wilderness survival.
But Artemis underestimates the power of lesbian seduction, when Aphrodite sends Persuasion, her handmaiden, to enroll in outdoor school - and when the Goddess of Celibacy finds herself entangled with the Slave of Desire, she discovers that freedom without intimacy can be as meaningless as intimacy without freedom.
Meanwhile . . . Sappho herself is experiencing girl trouble when her longsuffering partner, fed up with Sappho's infidelities, begins to date another woman. Add to the midsummer mix-up, the arrival of a new student who can't wait to taste the pleasures of Lesbian life, and the painful trials of a student whose best friend is on the eve of leaving the island to marry a soldier.
Sapphic poetry abounds amid meteor showers, midsummer eve trysts, masquerades and melodramas - all overseen by the benevolent trio of lesbian "deae ex machina!" Throw in a rowdy troupe of soaking-wet naiads and it all adds up to a tasty dish of lesbian comedy. In the end, the couples sort themselves out, for better or worse, and Hera pronounces her blessings on a new matriarchal order.
The Performers:
SisterAct is a regional social network for lesbian and bisexual women living in the Eastern Region of England. The performance group work together collectively to develop women's acting and performance skills.
The cast of Sappho In Love includes eleven strong performers who have different experiences of performing, including cast members who have extensive performance experience. SisterACT recently performed 'Sappho in Love' at the Junction Theatre in Cambridge, UK.
Sappho in Love was reviewed by Tory Young - Read Here
The Director:
Miriam Lynn works as Creative Director for Theatre Resource, a professional arts organisation working with socially excluded groups and individuals in the UK. She has worked with Theatre Resource for 8 years and produces their professional touring theatre. (www.theatre-resource.org.uk)
Miriam says of "Sappho In love": We (SisterAct) chose to produce this play because it is written by a prominent lesbian playwright, lends itself to be played by a lesbian cast and deals with many issues that face lesbians today e.g. relationships, love and fidelity. The play allows lesbian culture to be explored dramatically and will allow a lesbian audience to identify with the characters on stage and open up a cultural debate.
The Playwright:
Carolyn Gage is a lesbian-feminist playwright, performer, director, and activist. The author of four books on lesbian theatre and fifty-five plays, musicals, and one-woman shows, she specializes in non-traditional roles for women, especially those reclaiming famous lesbians whose stories have been distorted or erased from history.
More information on the extensive work and award-winning productions from Carolyn Gage please visit her website:
Sappho in Love will be performed on two nights, during the first week of the festival. We're happy to inform you that this theatrical performance will be hosted in the open air cinema of Skala Eressos!
1st performance: SUNDAY 09/09/07 from 21.00 to 23.00
2nd performance: WEDNESDAY 12/09/07 from 21.00 to 23.00
The price for tickets to this exciting performance is 15 euro per person when bought locally at our office or at the entrance of the cinema during the festival.
We would like to offer you the possibility to order your tickets in advance as well, as we expect quite a number of visitors. We're able to provide you with a discounted rate for bookings in advance. Ticket bookings received before 01/09/07 are 12.50 euro per person, so make sure you get your seat reserved now!
For bookings and enquiries please contact us at: Tickets for Sappho in Love by Sister Act
