Review: The Apiary

Set some 22 years into the future, The Apiary is a play concerned with the destruction of our planet and the dying population of bees. Set in a lab, The Apiary is an alarming story of a post-apocalyptic world with no flowers, no fruit, no honey and almost no bees.

The bees are almost extinct. Lab researchers are trying to boost production in the few hives they have left. When a previous employee dies in the lab, the bees start to feast off her flesh and their population numbers initially increase. This leads to the lab techs starting a gruesome experiment where dying people submit their body to science to try to save the bee population. Suddenly, everyone seems to have developed stage 4 cancer. The researchers are excited at first about finding an apparent breakthrough, and even dream of a time where fruit might be introduced back into society.

But it's not just about intentions, it's about connections. We cannot save the bees unless we can connect with them and each other.

There are many ways this play could be staged. While it is written for just four characters, there is the opportunity for directors to physicalise the swarm of bees somehow. Video production, lighting and sound effects could be used to great effect, for instance.

The notes at the start of the text recommend covering the bodies or finding a less literal gesture, as ‘the body hives…seem to disturb the audience’. They certainly would.

The intersection of horror, science fiction and conservation at the centre of The Apiary is a draw for any theatre-maker. Its subject matter is provocative and prescient for a modern audience. It feels almost cinematic, and may be challenging for schools to produce without creative staging solutions. Look out for the dialogue between the two main lab workers, Zora and Pilar, as an option for a practical scripted piece. But as to whether this would work for a full-scale school production? I'll leave that to the filmmakers.