The Chronicles of Athena, Babes
Written and Directed by Dara Beth
Previous Performances
Alexander Bar and Theatre, Cape Town | 2019
Masambe Theatre, Cape Town | 2019
Original Cast
Michaela Nightingale | Thandi Wiggill | Naledi Majola |
Jade Herbert-Brookes | Sesane Sealy
Jade Herbert-Brookes and Michaela Nightingale, 2019
Photo Credit: Dr Patrick William Adams
Jade Herbert-Brookes, Michaela Nightingale, and Naledi Majola, 2019
Photo Credits: Dr Patrick William Adams
Synopsis
The Chronicles of Athena, Babes is Bring It On meets martial arts; it’s Mean Girls meets Greek mythology meets the Sex Ed class you didn't know you wanted.
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Whether it's prepping for first dates (stressful), going to the gynae (very stressful), trying to tell your parents that you've had sex and may or may not be pregnant (incredibly stressful and exceptionally scary) or fighting for the attention from the very cute older combat coach (problematic, but we'll talk about it), nothing is off the table for this Under-18 Grecian Martial Hand-to-Hand Combat Squad.
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Delve into the minds of horny teenagers as our team navigate new sparring routines and the world of sex, and discover the dark underbelly of the world that awaits them. This play examines how we navigate communication around sex, not just with our partners but with friends and family too. The work seeks to destigmatise sexual pleasure and discuss sexual health and, most importantly, consent.
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The Chronicles of Athena, Babes talks to the stories so many women are experiencing right now. This isn’t a coincidence and it isn’t even good timing; this play, which explores consent and boundaries, coincides with what’s happening in South Africa right now because the stories being told right now are the stories so many of us have lived through, long before this period of heightened awareness.
Further Developments
The Chronicles of Athena, Babes is being developed into a TV series, following a three-season story arc. The series will focus on the lives of five young deities as they navigate the woes and wonders of growing up. Set against the backdrop of bathrooms (from changing rooms to personal bathrooms, to that time when you had to pee behind a tree on the side of the road), these young deities explore the ins and outs of their personal lives between applying deodorant, adjusting binders, rolling up school skirts, and all the other intimate moments we catch ourselves enacting in the safety of bathrooms, in a way that makes taboo subjects feel accessible and natural to explore.
As a series, The Chronicles of Athena, Babes explores themes of: sexual health; sexual pleasure; communication with partners, friends, and parents; consent; boundaries; gender-based violence and sexual safety.
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Denise Onen, Michaela Nightingale, Loren Loubser, Zeno Jacobs, Jaimie Davids, 2021
Photo Credits: Candice Bernstein
After a successful theatrical run in 2019, Dara was awarded a PESP grant by the National Arts Council in 2021 with which they are currently adapting The Chronicles of Athena, Babes for television. The grant allowed Dara to shoot a teaser episode of the series, which will be available for public viewing this coming March.