CF Creative Productions
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GLADIATRIX storms the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2025 with the untold story of female gladiators who defied the Roman Empire – and history’s silence. In 200 AD, Emperor Septimius Severus decreed that women could no longer compete in the Gladiator Games. And whilst the games were occasionally home to Ludi Meridiani (events intended to be public executions), for many women, the arena was a place to exist outside of typical gender norms. What happens when an empire mandates how women use their bodies?
This fierce new musical brings forgotten warriors to vivid life through powerful songs, gripping drama, and pulse-pounding stage combat. Featuring The Voice UK’s Bukky Oronti, GLADIATRIX delivers a visceral, genre-defying experience that celebrates women who dared to fight.
Book writer and lyricist Paul Bianchi has crafted a bold theatrical vision, drawing from his mythology podcast background and passion for stage combat. Teaming with choreographer Kirsten Longmuir to create a unique balance of fighting and rhythmic movement, whilst musical directors Tony Gonzalez and Sam Johnides inject dark intensity into every song, the production explores the strength, sacrifice and resilience of the women history left behind.
Inspired by true events and sparked by ancient historian Cassio Dio’s phrase “henceforth forbidden,” GLADIATRIX doesn’t present its characters as revolutionaries, but as women living in contradiction – choosing combat in a society that offered them little else. With sword in one hand and song in the other, these women are ready for battle.
You can catch Gladiatrix from August 11th – 23rd (not the 17th) at theSpace @ Venue 45 from 19:40 (50mins). Tickets (£12.50 / £11 conc.) are available through the EdFringe Online Box Office.
Jasmine Silk
Phoebe Bakker
Lamesha Ruddock
