THE APIARY by Kate Douglas

A play by Kate Douglas, directed by Brook C. Hall

International premiere

With Emily Busvine, Lisa Gray, Anna Hiller, & Lynne Ann Williams

It’s twenty-two years in the future, and honeybees are nearly extinct except for those kept alive inside synthetic apiaries where they live year-round in perpetual spring. When an unfortunate incident leads to a boost in the bees’ numbers, lab assistants Zora and Pilar must decide how far they’re willing to go to keep the population growing.

Sci-fi meets dark comedy and ecological fable in this thought-provoking play from award-winning writer and composer Kate Douglas. The Apiary takes us into a not-too-distant future where the negative effects of bee decline have inarguably manifested and a workable solution is not apparent. It is a call to action, a meditation on sacrifice and ambition, and asks us to reconsider our relationship to nature and each other.

About the author
Kate Douglas (she/her) is a writer, performer, and gardener. Her work has been presented by the O’Neill Playwrights Conference, Met LiveArts, and The Civilians. She has developed pieces at SPACE on Ryder Farm, Millay Arts, and Rhinebeck Musicals. She is currently a Colt Coeur resident artist. One day, she hopes to be a beekeeper.

About Butterfly Effect Theatre
Butterfly Effect is an independent, non-profit film and theatre collective. Founded in Taiwan in 2014, we have been based in Vienna since 2023.