Futures Theatre is set to present the world premiere of ‘Argos Archives’, a nostalgic celebration of neurodivergent self-discovery written by British Egyptian poet and playwright Sabrina Mahfouz.
This neurodivergent-friendly production, directed by Caroline Bryant, offers an inclusive experience for both neurodivergent and neurotypical audiences.’Argos Archives’ follows a lovable misfit on their journey to land a job at Argos, reminiscing about life through the lens of the famous store catalogue from 1996 until its extinction.
The show blends access and artistic choices, featuring a projection-focused set with creative captioning to immerse audiences in the character’s world.
The production opens at London’s Omnibus Theatre on 27 February, running until 15 March, before transferring to Northern Stage on 19 March and The Sir John Mills Theatre Ipswich on 28 and 29 March.
You’re bringing ‘Argos Archives’ to Omnibus Theatre, what can you tell us about the show?
Argos Archives was written in collaboration with and in direct response to workshops that Futures Theatre held with Thrive Creatives, a facilitated group of young women on the autism spectrum. Everyone shared stories from their life, as well as imaginings for their future.
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From this, the story of a Woman on the autism spectrum who wants to be an archivist and decides that, as she’s unable to access this career through the current mainstream pathways, she’ll create her own pathway and the first step will be to get a job at Argos. The story isn’t one person’s, but an amalgamation of fiction and memories from all those who worked on it and from the collective memory of all those who have had Argos in their lives in one way or another.
How does the production blend access and artistic choices to bring the neurodivergent experience to life on stage?
Neurodivergence is obviously hugely diverse, so there’s nothing that can be incorporated into a production to make sure it is created with every need in mind. What I think it means in this instance is that the different languages of the play – text, speech, song, music, images, music, movement – have been calibrated to allow an enjoyment of the story in whichever way storytelling speaks to you.
Due to the collaborative nature and the centrality of this idea to the director Caroline Bryant, this blending of accessibility with artistic storytelling felt very organic and inevitable. As the original script was put together before the pandemic, the first week of rehearsals was dedicated to working intensely with the wonderful cast – Shakira Newton, Jess Gough, Eleanor Nawal and the tirelessly brilliant Caroline Bryant, the director of the show and the director of Futures Theatre, to collaborate on a new version of the script.
The updated version was also influenced by the impressive artists that are bringing new creative mediums to the collaboration – video design by Charli Davis and Libertad Neves, set design by Lu Herbert, music by Jamie Lu, movement by Lati Saka and lighting by Rachel Sampley, the creative production manager Dylan Tate and the stage manager Maja Lach. Every contribution shaped the play.
Can you tell us about the character’s journey and their connection to Argos?
Argos is a city in Greece that is the oldest continuously inhabited city in Europe. Some say that city is named after the Ancient Greek giant with 100 eyes, Argus, or Argos. It felt too good to not use, especially as we have a main character trying to prepare to apply for a job at Argos and must vigilantly keep watching the world around her to understand how she can fit into it. Our Argos is a personified part of our Woman, who is occasionally drawn to releasing their inner ancient monster!
What would you say to anyone thinking of booking to see ‘Argos Archives’?
I hope audiences feel some aspects of their own frustrations and ambitions reflected back at them, even if they’ve lived very different lives to the one our character has. But mostly I hope they enjoy hanging out (and singing and dancing) with this unique woman who has innovated at every step to be able to find joy and fulfilment in aspects of her life that so many take for granted.
Argos Archives runs at The Omnibus Theatre from 25 February to 15 March. For more information and to book tickets click here https://www.omnibus-clapham.org
