1984
The first production of Bryony Lavery’s re-imagining of the theory of evolution, Origin of the Species, was at the Birmingham Repertory Company Studio, following development with Monstrous Regiment, a feminist theatre collective.
Archaeologist Molly discovers a prehistoric skeleton on a dig in Africa, a skeleton that returns to life as 'Victoria' and takes up residence with Molly in Yorkshire.
Origin of the Species questions the theory of evolution. What if there are things the Victorian scientists didn’t know about early man and woman? What if the historians missed the most important parts of the story? What if evolution has been one giant leap backwards for womankind?
The play was revived by
Arcola Theatre in 2009, the 150th anniversary of the publication of Charles Darwins' On the Origin of Species