Doctor Who Inspires New Science Fiction/Fantasy Theatre Company
By Leah Tedesco
A conversation about Doctor Who was the catalyst for the formation of Lost Girls Theatre, a science fiction/fantasy theatre company in Miami, Florida.
Science fiction and fantasy have become two of the most popular and influential genres in many cultures around the world. Whether in the form of books, shows, movies, or what have you, a plethora of franchises have captured the hearts and collective imagination of various fanbases.
A largely unutilized medium for these genres, however, is live theatre. There is, of course, the occasional play or musical such as Wicked, Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, J.K. Rowling’s The Cursed Child, and various Dracula musicals,* but it is rare to see new, original productions written and performed. Well, Doctor Who — one of the most popular science fiction franchises in history — recently played a part in a budding movement in the world of theatre.
An article by Rod Stafford Hagwood of SouthFlorida.com discusses Lost Girls Theatre, the new science fiction/fantasy theatre company in Miami, Florida. Andie Arthur — a Lost Girls Theatre founder and executive director of the South Florida Theatre League — wrote their first production, a fantasy called Juliet Among the Changelings. It tells the story of “a young woman whose mother gave her up to fairies in exchange for magical powers.”
Juliet Among the Changelings poster (credit: Lost Girls Theatre)
Regarding the inception of Lost Girls Theatre, Arthur and the play’s director Katherine Siegel recall a conversation at a baby shower. While discussing Doctor Who, they expressed their desire for theatre to have “some of the qualities [they] saw and loved in [the program].”
"There’s Vampire Cowboys Theatre Company in New York and the House Theatre of Chicago, which does shows in the summer here at the Arsht. But we left with, ‘Why not have a Miami-based theater company that does that kind of work?"
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Arthur describes Juliet Among the Changelings as “fundamentally a young adult fantasy story” that is “also essentially a lesbian love story.” She says that it will appeal to fans of franchises such as Harry Potter and The Hunger Games. Siegel explains that her own background is in agitprop and Brechtian theatre, so shows that address “social causes” appeal to her. This is certainly in line with Doctor Who.
Juliet Among the Changelings — which debuted last December in a reading as part of the Getting Lost Reading Series at the Deering Estate in Cutler, Florida — premiered as a full production on August 12th at the Main Street Playhouse in Miami Lakes, Florida. It is running through August 21st, with showtimes Thursday through Sunday at 8 PM. Tickets are $20 and can be purchased at LostGirlsTheatre.com. You can also donate to the show’s IndieGoGo crowdfunding campaign.
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Their next production, The Secret of the Biological Clock by Andie Arthur, will be science fiction. The reading for it was on July 22nd at 7:30 PM at the Deering Estate.
The Getting Lost Reading Series is currently accepting script submissions.