Sap at Mercury Theatre

Following a critically acclaimed run at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the award-winning SAP returns for an extensive UK Tour, including runs at London’s Soho Theatre, Birmingham Rep, The Marlowe Theatre in Canterbury, and Theatre by the Lake in Keswick, with further venues to be announced.  

From Atticist and Ellie Keel Productions, this hit play is a queer urban fable about bisexuality and what we allow people to believe, in a world where The Song of Achilles meets Killing Eve.  Drawing inspiration from the myth of ‘Daphne and Apollo’, SAP is a contemporary, fast-paced thriller about passion, power, and photosynthesis.   

When a woman tells a lie to her girlfriend, a seed is planted that starts to grow in the darkness. Now roots are cracking up through the pavement and branches are coming in at the windows, and – as she starts to see things that no one else can – she becomes the focus of some seriously unwanted attention.  

SAP is the transfixing debut play from Rafaella Marcus, directed by Offie-nominated Jessica Lazar (Anna Bella Eema, Arcola Theatre; Outlying Islands, King’s Head Theatre).  It became an audience favourite and met with an outstanding critical response at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, gaining an astonishing 21 four-and five-star reviews.  Described by the Guardian as a glorious tapestry of a play, SAP was the recipient of numerous prestigious awards, including The Stage Edinburgh Award (for Jessica Clark), the Summerhall Lustrum Award and the Soho Playhouse Medal of Excellence, and was nominated for an OffFest Award.