We set down for a quick chat with Mojisola Adebayo ahead of the premiere of her latest project STARS: An Afrofuturist Space Odyssey.
Mojisola, STARS has been described as everything from an “Afrofuturist space odyssey” to a “concept album on stage.” What is STARS, in your own words?
It’s many things at once. STARS is theatre, yes – but it’s also a club night, a DJ set, a live animation, a celebration, a protest, and a poem in motion. It’s about an elderly woman named Mrs who, after a long and unsatisfying marriage, sets off into outer space in search of her own orgasm. It sounds wild – and it is – but it’s also a deeply human story about pleasure, healing, and transformation.
That’s a bold premise – an old lady searching for her orgasm in space. Where did that idea come from?
Honestly? I was thinking about why so many women feel disconnected from their own pleasure. That thought stayed with me as I embarked on a residency with Idle Women – floating on a canal in Lancashire – and I had space to just think. That’s where the idea crystallised: this woman, this journey, this rocket ride through trauma, laughter, memory, and desire.
STARS is experimental in many ways – how does that manifest on stage?
It’s my most collaborative work. We have Debra Michaels giving a phenomenal solo performance as Mrs, DJ Bradley Charles spinning a live soundtrack throughout. Our incredible team includes, among others, Candice Purwin who has created stunning animations that run through the piece. And then there’s the captioning created by Stephen Lloyd – which isn’t just functional, it’s artful and playful at times. The result is that every medium has its own voice and power in the show. It’s not just a play – it’s an experience.
The themes are joyful, but also challenging. You explore FGM, intersex identity, and trauma – how do these elements come together?
I began researching the politics of pleasure – what blocks it, what represses it. I started connecting FGM and non-consensual surgeries on intersex children, especially how both forms of violence are rarely discussed together. That led to beautiful conversations with campaigners, including Del LaGrace Volcano and Valentino Vecchietti. One of the characters in the play is intersex, but they’re not a victim. They’re joyful, empowered, sensual. That’s important to me – not just exposing harm, but celebrating resistance and resilience.
And yet, there’s a real sense of fun and joy in STARS. How do you strike that balance?
I think the key is to not flinch from the hard stuff, but not get stuck in it either. Pleasure is political, yes, but it’s also pleasure! The show ends with people on their feet, cheering. We even had a critic crying with joy. That tells me we’re doing something right. People leave feeling exhilarated. They’re not just rooting for Mrs – they’re rooting for themselves.
Afrofuturism plays a central role. What does that term mean to you in the context of this show?
Afrofuturism, for me, is about reclaiming space – literally and symbolically. In STARS, I draw from the Dogon people in Mali who have a queer cosmology: their ancestral spirits, the Nommo, are both male and female. That mythology is powerful – it lets us imagine a future rooted in an African past that celebrates multiplicity, queerness, and cosmic belonging. It’s a radical act of remembering and dreaming forward.
What do you hope people take away from seeing STARS?
I want audiences to feel joy. Deep, dizzying joy. I want them to cheer for themselves, to laugh, maybe to cry, and definitely to dance. If they leave thinking about pleasure differently – their own or other people’s – then that’s everything. We live in a world that often tries to shut that part of us down. STARS says: no more. Go where the pleasure is.
STARS is presented by Tamasha and Brixton House. Described as “a queer feminist rallying cry” and “the theatre experience you didn’t know you needed,” this Afrofuturist journey is for anyone aged 14 and up.
The performance is followed by a Club Night on Saturday 14 June with DJs Conrad Kira and Deboa.
A Post-Show talk hosted by Jumoké Fashola takes place on 17 June.
Further details and booking: http://www.brixtonhouse.co.uk/shows/stars/