LETHE

About LETHE

A woman with white hair plays the cello in front of two goats on some dry-looking ground.

The film

“A joyful, albeit completely bizarre, yet somehow captivating experience.”
Audience member, LETHE premiere at South London Gallery, July 2024

Starring a cast of community music participants from the UK and Greece turned ancient Greek deities, LETHE merges the worlds of film, experimental music theatre, LARP and goats, communicating the myths of the past and how they continue to shape our future.

Set on the beautiful Greek island of Kythira, LETHE starts as a documentary, but soon morphs into an absurdist journey back in time. We return to the ancient inspirations, seeking not only to understand the gods and myths of the Greeks but to embody them, and to live through their stories once more.

The storyline of LETHE is inspired by the myth of the River Lethe, which in ancient Greece served as a gateway to transformation. As our group of participants drink the waters of LETHE, they experience extreme forgetfulness and symbolic rebirth. Shedding their previous existences, they become their divine characters and step into a new realm of creativity.

Two bottles of wine are held aloft against a blue sky. We can see the face and hand of one of a woman holding one of the bottles.

LETHE is captured with impressive subtlety, meaning the participants never demonstrate any sense that they are aware of being filmed, while the film’s videography and editing create a heightened sense of reality.

Lighthearted yet unique, LETHE turns from participatory arts documentary to fantastical time-morphing adventure. The film is suitable for audiences of all ages, offering particular appeal to ancient history buffs, music and theatre artists, audiences and performers of music and theatre, participatory arts practitioners and arthouse film lovers. With most of the cast aged 60+, it transcends the ageism demonstrated in many of today’s mainstream theatres and celebrating cross-generational artistic engagement.

LETHE runs for 1hr 40 mins and is in four parts, with an optional 30-minute interval.

Image gallery

Photo taken from a low viewpoint of a white-haired man wearing billowing pink cloth, standing in front of a stone lighthouse with a bright blue sky. Another figure dressed in purple is in the background.
A group of people wearing colourful robes queue on a small jetty as a boat captain welcomes them aboard. Behind them in the water are some rocky outcrops.
A woman in a light coloured shirt stands dramatically in front of a coastal view, looking upwards with both arms raised and a book in one hand.
A rocky piece of land in front of a blue sea. In the distance a line of people dressed in colourful robes are walking.
Two wine bottles are held aloft in front of a blue sky; we can see the hand and face of a woman holding one of them.
A man holds two dark fruit in his clenched fists. He is grimacing and his mouth is stained with red juice.
A figure entirely cloaked in silver cloth stands in front of a wall with the arched entrance to a small chapel, painted white.
A woman playing cello, photographed from above and with moody low lighting, like a twilight scene.
A figure with grey hair, nearly hidden behind a billowing red robe, looks up at the blue sky, while standing in front of a white lighthouse.
A man in a blue shirt, holding a double bass, stands at the left of some rocky ground. To the right, a group of four goats look at him.
A group of people wearing different brightly coloured robes sit on the rows of a stone ampitheatre.

Creative team

Performers
Anna Birch Άννα Μπιρτς
Gina Boreham Τζίνα Μπόρεχαμ
Jimmy Condoleon Τζίμι Κοντολέον
Catherine Foderingham Κάθριν Φόντερινγκχαμ
Metaxia Georgopoulou Μεταξία Γεωργοπούλου
Liz Herbert Λιζ Χέρμπερτ
Linda Leroy Λίντα Λερόι
Sigurborg Oskarsdottir Σιγυρμποργ Οσκαρσντοτιρ
Clark Page Κλαρκ Πέιτζ
Mick Peake Μικ Πικ
Paul Scrivens Παυλ Σβριβενς
Chris Shurety Κρις Σούρετι
Heidi Siegel Χάιντι Σίγκελ
Panagas Stathis Πανάγας Στάθης
Amanda Vickers Αμάντα Βίκερς
Tom Whitehouse Τομ Γουάιτχαουζ

Camera
Sasha B Owen
Additional camera
Chris Adams (Drone Shots)
Edit
Loré Lixenberg/Sasha B Owen
Sound
The Bookhouse Studios, London
Producer/Locations
Chris Shurety
Concept/Composition and Direction
Loré Lixenberg

With thanks to
Allcomers Music
Contemporary Music for All
Friends of the Museums of Kythira
Hidden Retreats
Zeidoros Arts Centre

Kythera locations
With special thanks to
Alexandros Haratzas Αλέξανδρος Χαρατζάς
Dina Kalligerou Ντίνα Καλλιγέρου
Yiannis Kalligeros Γιάννης Καλλίγερος
Panagas Stathis Πανάγας Στάθης
Father Seraphim Παπά Σεραφείμ
Helen Tzortzopoulos Ελένη Τζωρτζοπούλου

A Voice Party / CoMA / Allcomers Music project

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