Amazons

Gaël Le Cornec brings Amazons to The Playhouse (Tanya Moiseiwitsch Playhouse) at Sheffield Theatres on Thursday 22 October, starting at 7pm. Le Cornec handles the concept, text, and performance, with Ben Samuels directing. It's a retelling of the stories of women from the world's largest forest, and the whole thing is built around one character: Gayara, who's plant-sitting and live-streaming from a friend's flat here in the UK. While she's at it, she unearths the untold histories of her Amazonian ancestors—from the women who watched the first Europeans lay claim to her land to those fighting to defend the forest today.

It's a show that works across a long stretch of time, connecting a flat in the UK to the Amazon across generations. It was a sell-out at the Edinburgh Fringe and picked up the Guimarães Rosa Institute & Summerhall Arts Award 2025. The development behind it was a wide-reaching effort: it was supported by Norwich Theatre, the Brazilian Consulate in Edinburgh, and King's College Global Cultures Institute, and originally commissioned by Stand and be Counted Theatre and Casa Festival.

There's a Q&A with Stand and Be Counted Theatre after the performance, so if you're the kind of person who likes to stick around and talk through what you've just seen, that's built in. The show itself runs an hour and 25 minutes, and the whole evening—performance and Q&A—comes to an hour and 50 minutes, with no interval. It's aimed at ages 12 and up, as it contains mature themes. If you're planning to come, keep in mind that the Q&A is part of the night, so you'll be there for nearly two hours rather than just the show itself.