The Wasps

When Aristophanes wrote The Wasps in 422 BC, he deliberately ridiculed the prevailing system of power. The original text depicts the story of Philocleon, a ‘lover of Cleon’ – the Athenian leader at the time. His obsession with his role as a juror clouds his ability to see the tyrannical political system that he willingly upholds through unrestrained judgement.

In this devised reimagining, we put another system on trial: the internet.

While the internet has improved our lives and connected us across geopolitical worlds, in recent times, we have come to see its darker role as a vehicle for polarisation and extremism on all sides of political debate. If you visit any public comment section, you are almost guaranteed to find a barrage of insults which, at worse, can escalate into threats of violence. Individuals can now face a trial by social media, where you can be ‘cancelled’ by the masses irrespective of whether the punishment measures up to the crime.

For our antihero Tomoti, the obsession with sharing personal judgement online drives him to distraction. Separated from his beloved algorithm and the swarms of unquestioning support, he must find a way to reconnect and ultimately face up to what he is sorely lacking: context.

The Wasps explores internet culture, authoritarianism and the rise of mindless groupthink extending to group hate. At the end of this play, we hope you will consider the message of caution housed within the loving walls of our satirical comedy: that it is our collective responsibility to look beyond the scrolling diversions and misinformation to seek the common humanity at the core of our intersecting communities.

It was a privilege and a joy to work with this brilliant cast of young creatives. The actors you see in this recording created this show in its entirety and worked tirelessly to bring it to life. It is a brilliant example of how putting down our devices and collaboratively engaging with the arts makes us stronger and, sometimes, wiser.