Dionysa by Sophie Laithwaite - Edinburgh Festival Fringe Preview

A re-imagining of Euripides’s The Bacchae in a mystic, dreamlike world set in the 1920s. Post WW1 city chaos and mountain frenzy form the polar backdrops to an updated Greek tragedy which looks closely into the life of Theban royalty to examine the lure of temptation in a world of false conservatism. A theatrical game of manipulation, revenge and self-discovery.

Madness. Mania. Murder. It’s 1920 and Thebes is under attack. The mysterious imposter, claiming to be a god under the name Dionysa, seeks to stir the people of the city into a frenzy of primal elation. As the women are lured into the mountains to join the revels, the young Pentheus, Prince of Thebes, wants order in the city. But he also wants to dress up in women’s clothes.
The unfolding drama raises questions about the pressures put on royalty to live up to expectations, and the possible cost to reputation in maintaining personal freedom of expression. Will Pentheus pass Dionysa’s final test or fall into the history books of failure?

Dionysa is a one-act play receiving its world premiere at the Edinburgh Fringe. It is written by 17-year-old student Sophie Laithwaite, who co-directs the piece with Claire Anderson, and performed by students from the Wellington Theatre Collective.

Venue21 – C ARTS | C venues | C aquila – temple
13:35 – 14:20
Aug 5-10
Tickets – Dionysa | Theatre | Edinburgh Festival Fringe (edfringe.com)

The company also perform Blood of My Father from 5 – 10 August at C aquila at 12:35.

Wellington Theatre Collective is the company name for the talented ensemble of 18 drama scholars from Wellington College and the play is produced by Nick Huntington, its Director of Drama whose play Ugly Youth, the company performed at the Fringe in 2019. Wellington Theatre Collective are delighted to be performing in Edinburgh once again.

‘A theatrical triumph in every respect’
★★★★★ BroadwayBaby,com (Ugly Youth, 2019)

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