Katharine Farmer is set to bring a fresh perspective to Simon Stephens’ Heisenberg at Arcola Theatre.
This queer reimagining of the play explores themes of love, identity, and human connection through the lens of a female-led relationship. Directed by Farmer, the production promises to challenge heteronormative expectations and offer new insights into the complexities of human relationships.
Heisenberg will run from April 9th to May 10th at Arcola Theatre. Book your tickets here.
You’re bringing Heisenberg to Arcola Theatre; what can you tell us about the show?
Heisenberg is a two-character play that explores an unexpected relationship between Alex and Georgie. The play takes its name from Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle, which suggests that the more precisely you know one thing, the less precisely you can know another. This becomes a metaphor for the emotional landscape between our two female protagonists. We’re staging it with a minimalist design in Arcola’s Studio 2, telling a story about the cathartic power of falling in love… and chocolate.
How did you approach reimagining Simon Stephens’ play through a queer lens?
Having worked on the production in 2019, we had the idea to reimagine the story with two women. We did a reading on Zoom last year with Jenny Galloway and Faline England and it was radical for me. The play sat so well in the voices of two women. The beautiful thing we discovered is that this re-imaging doesn’t fundamentally change the play’s brilliant meditation on uncertainty, but rather illuminates different facets of it.
The queer lens allows us to explore how these relationships often exist in spaces of ambiguity, without the prescribed roles and expectations that can come with heteronormative relationships. The age gap between the characters takes on new dimensions when viewed through queer experience, particularly how society perceives and often dismisses relationships between women of different generations. I was interested in how this shift might reveal new textures in the uncertainty that drives the play. Now we are in rehearsals, I can’t imagine that the play was ever written differently.
What challenges did you face in directing this new interpretation of Heisenberg?
Simon Stephens’ script is so beautifully crafted that I wanted to honour its integrity while opening up new possibilities. Finding the right balance between tension and intimacy between Alex and Georgie has been the main focus of rehearsal, finding where intimacy and distance coexist, where confession brings both clarity and confusion. I wanted to capture Simon Stephen’s wonderful sense of vertigo where connection between two people feels simultaneously thrilling and terrifying.
Can you share some insights into the dynamics between the characters Georgie and Alex?
The dynamics between Georgie and Alex are fascinating because they’re two people who are absolutely certain about some aspects of themselves while being completely adrift in others. Their relationship is built on this beautiful tension where the more they learn about each other, the more mysterious they become. There’s a push and pull as they negotiate intimacy and distance, truth and deception.
In our queer reimagining, we explore how these women find each other across boundaries that might otherwise separate them – age, background, socio-economic status. The emotional depth emerges not from fear but from vulnerability, and the courage it takes to be seen by another person. Their connection feels both impossible and inevitable, which creates a magnetic energy between them.
How do you think this production will resonate with audiences in 2025 compared to previous versions?
In 2025 I think this production resonates differently because of our collective experience with uncertainty and isolation. The pandemic has left us all with a different relationship to connection and risk. The characters’ willingness to step into uncertainty feels especially relevant at a time when so many of us are questioning established structures and seeking new ways of relating to each other. The queer perspective also speaks to our current moment, where there’s both greater visibility for LGBTQ+ relationships and continued challenges. By centering a queer female relationship, we’re highlighting how uncertainty can be not just frightening but liberating – a theme that feels particularly timely as we navigate increasingly unpredictable times.
What would you say to anyone thinking of booking to see Heisenberg?
I’d say come prepared to witness something that feels both intensely intimate and universally relatable. If you’ve seen previous productions, I think you’ll find fascinating new dimensions in our queer female reimagining. If you’re new to the play, you’re in for a treat – Simon Stephens’ writing is exquisite, with dialogue that feels both natural and poetic.
The play is funny, touching, and provocative in equal measure. It’s a journey that explores how we find connection in an uncertain world, and how sometimes the most unlikely encounters can be the most transformative.
