Photos by Ophelia Fellhauer

CAST

Sam Landon - Phillip

Antonia Salib - Rhea

Lauren O'Leary - Miriam

Eddie House - Jack

About BIOSPHERE

Four scientists. One year. Sealed away from the world in The Biosphere – an airtight dome; a great glass ark humming with natural life, technology and ambition. Their mission: to prove life can survive beyond Earth.

But as the atmosphere of their meticulously crafted world begins to change, passions fray and hunger bites, and the line between experiment and existence blur. What will they sacrifice to succeed?

Inspired by the infamous 1991 Arizona experiment, BIOSPHERE is a new play about our relationship to nature, technology and the planet we call home.

Critical Praise

The Real Chrisparkle ★★★★

Staged at the Underground space in the Royal and Derngate, Rachel Sampley’s excellent lighting and video design, combined with Vyvyan Stewardson’s sound design, recreates the biosphere perfectly in our imagination…

The acting is of a truly high quality throughout. Sam Landon brings a natural air of authority to the role of Phillip, ostensibly reasonable as a decisive, approachable boss, but underneath lurks a ruthless, angry streak. Lauren O’Leary’s Miriam has all the best lines and she delivers them with relish; it’s a smart and well-judged portrayal of an assertive character who’s nevertheless both vulnerable and volatile. Antonia Salib strongly suggests all Rhea’s insecurities whilst always showing her integrity and commitment to her research, and Eddie House’s performance as Jack is riveting from the start as he negotiates his way through personal interactions, devotion to his work, and the anguish the experiment causes him.

[BIOSPHERE] asks fascinating questions about both the future of the world, imbalance in relationships and the pressures of four people locked away for a year with ever decreasing resources. I’m sure this is not the last we will have heard of BIOSPHERE.

Climate Action - West Northamptonshire

The original Biosphere 2 experiment, and all that preceded it, provides a shocking reminder that climate disaster awareness, and the need for preparedness, reaches far back into the last century. Science-based warnings and mass demonstrations against government and public inaction have signally failed to put a spoke in the wheel of business-as-usual politics and commerce.

Today, surrounded as we are by climate change deniers, BIOSPHERE shows how drama can put the spotlight on a range of contemporary issues. Half a century ago, art, ecology, and enterprise were enjoined to fund, demonstrate and convey important messages about self-sufficiency and its prerequisites. Today society needs more Olivias Foan and Munk to bring truth-telling performances to the attention of the young of all ages.