We sat down with Joel Samuels and Roann Hassani McCloskey, artistic directors of Bet’n Lev Theatre whose new show Remythed comes to Kings Head Theatre on the 9th of May before touring the UK. Remythed is a thought-provoking and feel-good queer reimagining of myths and legends.
How did the process of reclaiming and reimagining these myths influence your understanding of queer history?
Joel: For me the main understanding is that we have always been here. And I think there’s a kind of personal relief and community in realising that the narrative has been changed to suggest queerness hasn’t always been present. We aren’t changing the history of queer people by changing these myths and stories – we’re accurately reflecting the fact that we have always been here. In fact, in choosing to reframe stories from the Akan (West Africa) and Assyrian (Middle East) backgrounds of two of our company we’ve learnt that queerness was always accepted and intrinsic to begin with in those cultures; we’ve all just mistakenly understood that it hasn’t been.
Roann: I think even more than that: by reimagining it – more accurately showing queer history as we all know it truly was – it transforms our queer present and therefore our queer future.
Joel: Yes definitely!
What inspired you to balance joy and humor with meaningful storytelling in Remythed?
Joel: I remember our first conversation about what this show could be and the moment where we hit on the word joy.
Roann: We chatted about the fact that, both in shows we’d made and so many we’ve seen, there isn’t queer joy or stories where the characters just get to be queer and live life.
Joel: It’s often so overlooked. Especially in queer theatre in this country where the focus has – often rightly – been on overcoming trauma and struggle.
Roann: We knew from the get-go that these retold stories could redress that a little.
Joel: So of course there is meaning and sentiment in Remythed, but fundamentally it’s five queer people mucking about with joyful abandon. And that is something we believe in wholeheartedly.
Can you share a moment from the creative journey that surprised or moved you the most?
Roann: Oh my god, sooo many! One that really sticks out is a moment where Ishmael [Kirby, performer in Remythed] used ‘they’ to refer to me onstage the first time. He introduced me to the audience, and said “they they are!” I cried happy tears. It was the first time I’d heard it so clearly from someone else and a few personal puzzle pieces slotted into place.
Joel: There’s a story in the play that we have reframed to include asexuality at its heart. When we first put the show on at VAULT Festival in London in 2023 an audience member came to every single performance – something that has never happened to me before. We connected with them online and they have since included Ace/Aro [Asexual/Aromantic] in their social media bio. I think about that all the time.
Roann: Oh god yeah. Now I feel bad that mine was about me and you’ve gone for a far more lovely one about someone else!
How did blending your own personal stories with legendary figures shape the emotional depth of the show?
Roann: I was brought up on stories from 1001 nights. Ask any Arab or middle eastern person and they will tell you that Scheherazade is THE O.G storyteller. So getting to play her, but not just that, to play her as a lesbian; to reframe her story; to play her as a woman with agency and autonomy and wisdom who heals a man through her storytelling; and then carries on living the life she actively chooses. Getting to blend my ethnicity and queerness into one character is profoundly impactful – how different life would be if I’d been in the audience in my teens watching this character!
What do you hope queer audiences, especially younger generations, take away from Remythed?
Joel: That every version of queer life is valid. That you are a part of and intrinsically linked to everyone that has gone before. No culture has ever existed without queerness and – whilst you might feel attacked, marginalised and not seen by mainstream culture a lot of the time – you are a part of our collective history and a fundamental part of our future.
Roann: Yes, that x10000! And to get to sit back and relax and be entertained for an hour, to not be reminded of past pain, to escape present hardship and to just watch stories that we should have always have been told this way.
How does Remythed reflect Bet’n Lev Theatre’s mission of centering global queer narratives with heart?
Joel: Everything that is in Remythed – five idiots having fun, taking the piss, being ourselves – is what we want this company to be. Because when we enjoy the work we make we can centre those narratives in a way that doesn’t feel forced or belaboured. So you leave the show having laughed a lot, feeling warm and safe; but also you might have a little cry. That’s our mission really. Being the idiots we are but also having an important message!
Roann: Bet’n means belly, Lev means heart. We hope you laugh till your belly hurts, your guts feel punched from the political subtlety woven in, and your heart feels held and squeezed at the beauty that comes from five storytellers taking you on a magically queer journey through lands and time.