©Todd N Murray

Do you remember the ‘Biosphere 2’ experiment, where eight crew members were sealed inside a vast Arizona biodome? It was intended to be a prototype for establishing life on other planets, but it slowly descended into disaster when the crew’s survival was threatened by the instability of their ecosystems, and their own relationships – we’re all human after all. BIOSPHERE, by Northampton’s own Olivia Foan, was inspired by this failed experiment, and is written to explore whether such an attempt could be tried again today, in light of our further descent into climate crisis.

Sam Landon ©Part of the Main

Produced by Part of the Main company as part of the Royal and Derngate’s Genfest 2025 season, Foan sets the play in an airtight dome – the Biosphere – where four scientists are sealed away from the world for a year to prove that life can survive beyond Earth. Can the four interact constructively and purposefully, working together for the good of mankind, or will human nature interrupt their ambitions and send the scheme crashing down? NASA’s Frank Rubio spent 371 days in the International Space Station, so theoretically it can be done – but is it within the abilities of Phillip, Rhea, Miriam and Jack to do the same?

Staged at the Underground space in the Royal and Derngate, Rachel Sampley’s excellent lighting and video design, combined with Vyvyan Stewardson’s sound design, recreates the biosphere perfectly in our imagination, with just a few additional props to give us additional context. Wealthy Phillip, whose brainchild the experiment is, takes charge and has recruited three scientists to assist him: engineer and analyst Miriam, agriculturalist and nutritionist Jack, and medical researcher Rhea (who also happens to be his girlfriend). Each has their own expertise vital for the experiment to succeed.

Lauren O’Leary ©Part of the Main

But people are human, and human frailties cannot be left outside the sealed door. Relationships are forged and fragmented, minor injustices expand into treachery. Phillip’s status confers additional privileges, such as the use of the phone and the right to withhold important information, which creates jealousy leading to resentments and anger. It’s very similar to the pressures you can watch on Big Brother, except they go on for a year! The integrity of the experiment requires access to the outside world to be impossible, but what if one of the four needs urgent medical attention beyond their own capabilities, or if food and nutrition dwindle to the minimum so that they can barely operate? If that integrity has to be breached to keep the four alive, does that make the experiment a failure, or do the lessons learned as a result render it a success?

Antonia Salib ©Part of the Main

In a sub-plot, Philip is financing Rhea’s defence in a court case resulting from misuse of her medical research; in another, one of the so-called supporters who observe the goings-on inside the dome from outside fixates on Miriam and masturbates whenever he sees her. The first gives us some additional insight into the characters and the world of medical research; the second, however, could be developed further. The projection occasionally reveals the numbers of days left in the experiment; this is unnecessary, as it’s hard to read the numbers projected on the floor, and, in any case, the writing is sufficiently informative for the audience to understand their time progress. That said, the ending of the play feels a little drawn out, as if they couldn’t quite decide at which point the story is fully concluded.

The acting is of a truly high quality throughout. Sam Landon brings a natural air of authority to the role of Phillip, ostensibly reasonable as a decisive, approachable boss, but underneath lurks a ruthless, angry streak. Lauren O’Leary’s Miriam has all the best lines and she delivers them with relish; it’s a smart and well-judged portrayal of an assertive character who’s nevertheless both vulnerable and volatile. Antonia Salib strongly suggests all Rhea’s insecurities whilst always showing her integrity and commitment to her research, and Eddie House’s performance as Jack is riveting from the start as he negotiates his way through personal interactions, devotion to his work, and the anguish the experiment causes him.

Eddie House ©Part of the Main

At two and a quarter hours including an interval, the play could do with a little tightening-up and maybe shaving off ten minutes or so. But it asks fascinating questions about both the future of the world, imbalance in relationships and the pressures of four people locked away for a year with ever decreasing resources. I’m sure this is not the last we will have heard of BIOSPHERE, and the company will be leading further development workshops which you can discover here.

Four They’re Jolly Good Fellows!