LAMDA Directors’ Showcase: A Microscopic Odyssey
Venue: Theatre503
Date: 26–30/08/2025
Type: Theatre
James, a young man living alone, places a droplet of pond water beneath his microscope. Inside it swims a rotifer, a creature no bigger than a grain of dust, and everything begins to change. In the aftermath of trauma, and cut off from the world around him, James turns to the unseen universe of microbes: documenting, filming, and narrating their lives in intimate detail. Completely self-taught, he begins making discoveries rarer than a trip to the moon, and a vast online following gathers around his work. James has an extraordinary mind. He taught himself Mandarin, ancient languages, and the study of planets and stars. But human connection is harder to master. As he peers into this hidden world, he begins to make sense of his own and what starts as a retreat into solitude becomes an odyssey of survival, curiosity, and quiet transformation. This tender and urgent new work explores survival, love and the strength it takes to re-emerge, one microscopic revelation at a time. Based on the real-life story of cult microscopist James Weiss, A Microscopic Odyssey follows a young man who finds unexpected salvation in the most unlikely place: a single, glimmering specimen drawn from a puddle. In the quiet aftermath of trauma, he retreats into his microscope, drawn into a hidden cosmos teeming with life rotifers, ciliates, water bears, creatures whose strange resilience begins to mirror his own. As his gaze deepens, flickering between the solitude of his home lab and the digital world he slowly builds around it, James discovers not only the wonder of the unseen, but a fragile path toward healing. The play traces his journey from a curious, book-loving child to an adult navigating the long shadows of trauma, heart break, and addiction. As his inner world fractures, he turns inward to the microscopic life swirling beneath his lens. What begins as a quiet obsession grows into a radical act of survival, connection, and transformation, as James learns to see both the world and himself anew. Hope Wishart is a theatre and film director interested in re-imagining classic texts and exploring the boundaries between theatre, dance, cinema, and music. Her work often blends documentary and fiction, with movement at its core. She creates devised, emotionally-driven pieces that push the limits of how stories are shaped and shared. Above all, she wants her work to make people feel alive: to experience the fullness, complexity, and wonder of life. Running time: 70 minutes (no interval) Age guidance: 12+
Address:
Theatre503, 503 Battersea Park Road, London SW11 3BW
Phone: 020 7978 7040
Web site: https://theatre503.com
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