I’ve been receiving quite a few messages about shows coming to the festival this year and none caught my attention more than Gladiatrix: a new musical by Paul Bianchi. It centres on women’s participation in the Ancient Roman gladiator games and what happened when this right was taken away. As a largely undocumented topic throughout history, I was intrigued to find out more about the inspiration for the show and how the creative team hopes it will resonate with audiences today. Paul is wearing many hats as the book writer and lyricist, but he also recently mentioned that he’s working on costumes too! It was brilliant to have the opportunity to ask the creative some questions about the historical-focused musical which is heading to theSpaceUK for 2 weeks.
How did you get into writing musicals?
I studied sketch comedy at The Second City Comedy Theatre in Hollywood. The Second City specializes in satire. My favourite shows performed on the main stage were always the musicals. I think musicals are a fantastic way to approach satire because you can shroud the very serious things you want your show to address in “razzle dazzle.” After performing in a few shows, I felt compelled to team-up with some musical directors and put on a few satirical musicals of my own. In 2016, following the Clinton/Trump election, I wrote and directed “Ctrl Alt-Right Delete” a personal story about the falling out of a friendship in the wake of the election. It had a singing Alex Jones, Russian internet trolls, conspiracy theories, and plenty of aforementioned “razzle dazzle.” It was cheaper than going to therapy.
What inspired you to write a show about the Ancient Roman gladiator games?
I used to host a mythology podcast with my best friend called Mythunderstood. For that podcast, I had to do a lot of research. One day, while researching Ancient Rome to provide context for Roman mythology, I stumbled across Cassius Dio’s account of Emperor Septimius Severus stating that female gladiators would be “henceforth forbidden.” There’s not much else written about it. Like a lot of history about marginalized people, it’s a footnote. But I thought, there’s a story there. I love hidden history and underdogs, so it was less about being inspired by the gladiator games and more about uncovering the mystery. It helps that I have a history of stage combat in my background. That’s become very relevant to the development of the project.
The new musical focuses on female gladiators, specifically from 200 AD onwards when women were banned from competing in the gladiator games. Why did you decide to focus on the role of women during this time period?
You might be aware of that meme about men frequently thinking about the Roman Empire. If not, it’s this premise that everyday men in western society daydream about the Roman Empire more often than what would be considered normal. A girlfriend will ask her boyfriend, “how often do you think about the Roman Empire?” He’ll say something like, “Twice a week, maybe,” much to her dismay.
I promise this is heading towards an answer, haha.
My assumption is that this man in question is thinking about the Roman Empire under a certain lens. He might be thinking about militant power, conquest, intellect, and masculine supremacy. He might be thinking about the gladiator games as this time, “when men were men.” So much is written about these powerful emperors and senators. Yet I am so much more interested in regular people surviving in a time period where wealth and class disparity had reached a boiling point. People in the shadows uncelebrated by historians. Septimius’s ban aligns with the beginning of the fall of the empire and I don’t think it’s a coincidence. A push for conservative values, nationalism, war mongering, unchecked power, and a wish for territory expansion. It might sound very familiar to how a certain world leader is running his country.
I want to flesh out the stories of these unknown women and draw a correlation to current events. If we’re going to spend time thinking about the Roman Empire, I want to think critically.
What can you tell me about the central characters?
The show focuses on four women affected in different ways by the emperor’s decree: Mevia, Deireoe, Vita, and Felicitas. Mevia (portrayed by Kirsten Longmuir) is a Domina, a wealthy lady who has chosen to fight in the gladiator games. While noblemen were known to gain glory and fame for fighting in the arena, women were criticised. Mevia embraces her bad reputation and refuses to compromise. Deireoe (portrayed by Bukky Oronti) is a North African immigrant who has contracted herself into temporary servitude. Her contract states she has three fights left until she is free again and the emperor’s decree threatens to interrupt her contract. Vita (portrayed by Stella Antonogianakki) is a gladiator who is equally favoured in Rome’s most pervasive career: sex work. And Felicitas (portrayed by Olivia Blair) is a Thracian slave who is considered untouchable by Rome’s archaic understanding of medicine.
If you were to describe the score in one word, what would it be and why?
I’d have to say, “moody”. I was very inspired by gothic rock. Musical directors Tony Gonzalez and Sam Johnides really elevated the original melodies I sang at them like a cringey a cappella audition. They found a way to transform them and craft a unifying through line. From song to song, you will hear nods to atmospheric trance, disco, camp, and punk, but I’d say moody encapsulates it all. Moody, like when you step outside, feel the air, and see on the horizon that a thunderstorm is coming.
How do you hope the historical-focused material will resonate with audiences today?
While the script makes no mention of current events or people, it also makes no attempt to hide the correlations between modern politics and 200 AD Rome. I think if you’re someone who’s stayed abreast of western politics in the last ten years, the messaging will resonate. Or if you’d rather turn off your brain and escape (I don’t blame you), we have talented singers performing beautiful songs and people fighting with swords, shields, and spears.
How are you preparing for your two week run in Edinburgh?
Panicking. Rather, trying not to panic. I have a white board in my room with a checklist. I’ve been cursed to be an artsy jack-of-all-trades, so I have costumes to sew, props to build, graphics to design, and blocking to notate. My husband Calum is an experienced Fringe producer and is from Edinburgh, so he’s an incredible asset to the production. It literally couldn’t happen without him. We’ve had a few days with the cast already to introduce them to the stage combat and weapons. They are all so quick already, so I’m feeling positive about our ability to deliver good fights come showtime. Stella can flip me over with her legs like Black Widow. It’s incredible. So yes, we’re gearing up and getting ready for our full rehearsals. I’m looking forward to seeing it all come together.
Journey back to Ancient Rome at the Edinburgh Fringe
‘Gladiatrix’ certainly sounds like it’s going to be an epic musical tale, exploring a part of history that is largely overlooked. I can’t wait to hear what audiences think of the material when the Fringe starts. The show is at Venue 45 at theSpace @ Venue 45 from 11th to 23rd August (not 17th). Performances start at 19:40 from 11th to 16th and 20:50 from 18th to 23rd. Tickets are available via the festival’s website.
Thanks for reading my blog today.
Love Kat xxxx
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