ABOUT THE SHOW
Welcome to Warsaw - a city teeming with secrets and whispers of mythical creatures you wouldn’t dare to dream of. Immerse yourself in the story of brave Magda, who embarks on a quest to save her little brother from the claws of a terrifying monster. Narrated by the ever-curious Rat Squad, this tale will have you in stitches.
Basilitrix is a story about bravery, sisterhood, compassion, and the courage to follow one’s heart, even when the whole world seems to oppose it. Based on
a Polish folk legend, this musical contains a unique jazz and rock blend that pleases younger and older audiences.
PHOTOS FROM THE PREVIEW
Basilitrix had its preview during the Leeds Theatre Festival in “The Venue” of Leeds Conservatoire on 20.07.2024. Nearly 100 people came to see it!
If you saw the show and would like to give us feedback, please email: hello@basilitrixmusical.com!
CAST
Yiyi Fan as The Ratmother
Yiyi is a singer, dancer, and performer from China. Having worked as a performer and assistant producer in several musical theatre productions in Shanghai, Yiyi hopes to bring a new perspective to Basilitrix.
Nicole Snell as Ratette
Nicole is a passionate singer, actress, and performer from South Africa. Having been in a competitive choral choir for 6 years, singing in many European, African, and Nordic languages, Nicole brings a diverse and unique flare to her performances. Nicole's dream is to play the part of Christine Daaé in the West End.
Alex Thackray as Bob
Alex is a writer, performer, and director. She has a particular interest in opera and audio drama.
Eleanor Duncan as Magda
Eleanor is a singer, dancer and actress from Cyprus, born in the UK. Having worked on a range of new devising pieces and productions while studying at the University of Warwick, she is passionate about the development of new works, particularly those that have to do with cultural education and integration between nations. @elleduncan_02
Ida Wrona as Basilitrix
Ida is a Polish musical Theatre performer and creative. She is about to get her MA in Musical Theatre Company degree at the Leeds Conservatoire this August. Before immersing herself in Musical Theatre, she worked in Marketing, PR and Event Organisation. @idawronaaa
BAND
Evie Kitching - Piano
Evie is a Grade 8 Pianist and Composer for Film and TV. Having just completed her degree in Film Music at Leeds Conservatoire, she hopes to begin a career professionally composing orchestral scores for films, particularly animations, alongside performing on piano in a wide range of styles. @eviekitchingmusic
Elizabeth Cunningham - Trumpet
Elizabeth grew up playing the violin before moving to the clarinet, she played the piano through this time also. She is a choral scholar at Leeds Minster, following fifteen years of professional choral training. While at university Elizabeth has picked up the trumpet. This will be her first trumpet performance. @elizabeth.cunningham
Rosie Bristow - Bass Guitar
Rosie is a BA Popular Music student at Leeds Conservatoire, going into her third year. Their main instrument is bass guitar, they specialise in rock and metal. Rosie has wide range of gigging experience, from thrash metal band ‘Theocracide’, to pit band work in musical theatre, and has been performing regular gigs in various cities around the UK. @ro_zi_bristow
Tom Houghton - Electric Guitar
Guitarist Tom ‘Linus’ Houghton is a jazz undergraduate at Leeds Conservatoire. Blending his love of roots and country with his hard-bop jazz influences, he’s played in, led, and composed for many bands, including his own quartet, the LCSU Big Band, and the GT Big Band, amongst others. He also regularly performs solo jazz guitar. @linushmusic
Tariq Megrisi - Drums
Tariq is a drummer, performer, event curator and educator, as well as the lead of MINDSUITTE, an improvised dance music collective based in Leeds . Tariq is always eager to learn and be apart of new projects, Basilitrix being the newest edition to his eclectic portfolio of creative endeavours. @legsndrums
CREATIVES
Ida Wrona - Writer, Producer
Ida is a writer, songwriter, performer, and producer from Poland. Before immersing herself in Musical Theatre, she worked in Marketing, PR and Event Organisation. Ida enjoys being onstage as much as writing new plays and songs. @idawronaaa
Virag ‘Vi’ Zengo - Director
Vi is a Hungarian born theatre creative mainly focusing on directing and choreographing. Having lived in Budapest, USA and different parts of the UK, Vi brings her unique view to any projects she works on, resulting in a fresh take on everyday stories. @virag.zengo.choreo
Sam Newton - Musical Director
Hi, I'm Sam, I'm the musical director for Basilitrix. I've been studying at Leeds Conservatoire for the last 3 years and am planning to study the MA Musical Direction degree here too! I'm really looking forward to working with all the talented people involved in this project!
Elizabeth Cunningham - Assistant MD
Elizabeth has recently finished the second year of her classical singing degree at Leeds Conservatoire, she founded and runs the Leeds Conservatoire Student Union Chorus. With an HNC and HND in Musical Theatre and years of conductor training behind her, she is looking forward to working with the creative team. @elizabeth.cunningham
Katie Ellie Green - Illustrator
I’m Katie and I’ve been doing the illustrations for the Basilitrix musical. I’ve just finished my Ba Visual Communication at Leeds Arts Uni, and it’s been wonderful to work on projects such as this! I love getting stuck into creative projects about mythology, gothica and paganism! @katyabonk.art
Alexandra Thomas - Assistant Writer
Alexandra is a writer from France. A former French language teacher and current librarian, she nurtures a deep passion for books, languages and Musical Theatre. In 2024, she co-wrote the book of a musical that performed in France and co-wrote the script of ''Basilitrix'', a first step to writing her own musicals.'
Michał Grodzki - Composer
Michał is a second-year piano student at the Krzysztof Komeda Popular and Jazz Music School in Warsaw. In addition to playing piano, he is also a guitarist and composer. He loves orchestral and movie music but still enjoys heavy rock riffs. In 2022, he co-founded the Girl's Don't Sweat collective.
Anita Zawadzka - Composer
Anita, a drummer and graduate of ART Music School in Warsaw, currently plays in the Polish production of SIX at Syrena Musical Theatre. Her favourite music styles are hip-hop and Latino. Her favorite animal is a dog.
GIRLS DON’T SWEAT COLLECTIVE
Girls Don’t Sweat was founded in 2022 by a group of artists who crossed paths at the "Art" music school in Warsaw, Poland. The collective consists of Ida Wrona (vocals, lyrics, composition, music production), Michał Grodzki (piano, composition), and Anita Zawadzka (drums, composition).
Their collaboration began when they entered a city contest to create a song about Warsaw. Inspired by the legend of the monster, Basilisk, they wrote “Ja jestem Bazyliszek”, which advanced to the finals and earned them the Jury's third prize and the audience's second prize.
Encouraged by this success, Girls Don’t Sweat created an entire album inspired by the legend. “Bazyliszek - historia śpiewana” features contributions from Radek Łukaszewicz (bass), Filip Gołda (electric guitar), and Piotr Galar (trumpet). It was recorded at 8records studio and released on streaming platforms in May 2023.
In 2024, Ida translated the songs into English and adapted the album into a stage musical titled “Basilitrix,” with the assistance of French writer Alex Thomas. Basilitrix will premiere during the Leeds Theatre Festival held at the Leeds Conservatoire.
CONTACT
Questions? Drop us an e-mail at hello@basilitrixmusical.com
or DM us on insta @basilitrix_musical!
We are open to all sorts of collaboration!
