Sophia Leonie lifts the lid on toxic 90s culture, consent and powerful female friendships in her debut play
A rollercoaster ride through three decades with three best friends, ‘MILLENNIUM GIRLS’ navigates first kisses and bullies, free yards, club nights, motherhood and meltdowns. This new play is a joyful, achingly honest story about the transition to adulthood written by playwright, journalist and screenwriter Sophia Leonie.
Inspired by real events, Leonie explores mixed-race identity, girlhood and consent with an all-female cast against a musical backdrop of UK Garage and 90s classics. ‘MILLENNIUM GIRLS’ is produced by Zoe Gibbons Productions and supported by Arts Council England and Brixton House.
Ahead of a run at Brixton House we say down with writer and actor Sophia to learn more.
What can you tell me about MILLENNIUM GIRLS?
It’s a story about friendship, girlhood, growing up - and that point in your life when the world is at your feet - and ultimately how your experiences at that time shape the adult you become.
What first inspired you to write the play?
I was actually working at the school I used to go to and couldn’t help remember what my own school days were like there. And that led me to have a look back into my old diaries - I wrote a diary from the age of 12 until I was 17 or 18 - and reading them was so strange and interesting - I was struck by the way we grow and change in such a short time; how it is all so exciting and intense. So, I was inspired and just wanted to create something. First a one woman play - then it morphed into what we have today: I wanted to see Latisha, Chanel and Jessica commanding the stage.
How did you approach combining the story and the music?
Music was such a huge part of the lead up to the millennium for me, it just naturally had to have lots of music in it! Growing up, me and my friends really felt part of the emerging UK Garage scene and its subculture, so garage and clubbing became a big part of the story and the soundtrack to their lives.
It’s a story about friendship, girlhood, growing up - and that point in your life when the world is at your feet - and ultimately how your experiences at that time shape the adult you become.
What first inspired you to write the play?
I was actually working at the school I used to go to and couldn’t help remember what my own school days were like there. And that led me to have a look back into my old diaries - I wrote a diary from the age of 12 until I was 17 or 18 - and reading them was so strange and interesting - I was struck by the way we grow and change in such a short time; how it is all so exciting and intense. So, I was inspired and just wanted to create something. First a one woman play - then it morphed into what we have today: I wanted to see Latisha, Chanel and Jessica commanding the stage.
How did you approach combining the story and the music?
Music was such a huge part of the lead up to the millennium for me, it just naturally had to have lots of music in it! Growing up, me and my friends really felt part of the emerging UK Garage scene and its subculture, so garage and clubbing became a big part of the story and the soundtrack to their lives.
And I also loved working with the legend that is Mikey J. I’ve known him for many years and he’s so talented and knows the era I’m representing so well. I’m so privileged to have him be a part of this project as he’s been involved from the start, and really believed in what I’m trying to do and say.
How has the process of seeing the work come from page to stage been for you?
It’s incredible and somewhat surreal seeing it come, firstly from an idea in my head, based loosely on some real events, to the page - and now up on its feet as we prepare it for the stage.
The cast are brilliant and they bring such fun and energy - but also a real vulnerability and nuance that is really important. And with the set and music - I’m so excited as it all comes together and can’t wait for people to see it!
Have you found much difference in the process between writing for stage to writing to screen?
I find writing for stage much more creative and freeing. You can create other worlds, play with time, place, be stylistic, be poetic. There are so many ways to tell a story on stage and I love that. With writing for screen there are many more rules which must be adhered to - and the process is much more intense with quick turnarounds for drafts, and notes from a lot of people. But once you master it - find a way to tell the story, follow the beats and notes, and use your creativity - it’s really satisfying.
How much of yourself and your own experiences have made it into the piece?
It’s heavily inspired by experiences from myself and my friends growing up in north London. There’s creative licence of course, some exaggeration and changes - but the general idea is very much based on me and my girls in the late 90s. A lot of the things Latisha, Chanel and Jessica experience are things friends of mine - or women I have since spoken to about their teenage years, went through too. During this time, with no internet or social media, people just didn’t talk about things in the way young people do now. I want this play to give a voice to these women and to validate their experiences.
As well as this being your debut play, you also play Jessica, what can you tell me about her and how she fits into the play?
Jessica’s journey is the central narrative of the play. She starts out as a misfit, new to London, and quickly realises she needs to learn the unspoken rules of London teenage life in order to survive. She adapts fast, and soon begins to thrive with her best friends by her side. But as the play progresses, we realise that so much of how Jessica - and the other girls - construct their identity, is actually based on trying to meet other people’s expectations or conditions.
How did the screenwriting bursary you won in 2021 change help you grow your skills?
I was given some incredible mentorship by Neal Street Productions - big love to Julie and Lola who ran the programme and worked with us! They really nurtured us - took us through an intensive 4 draft process and we had weekly industry workshops. The whole experience really helped my screenwriting to become stronger and more specific.
What was the first piece of theatre you saw that had a big impact on you?
Ambreen Razia’s ‘Diary of a Hounslow Girl’. I saw it on tour at Arts Depot in Finchley. That was when I first walked away from a show in tears and it stayed with me long afterwards - felt like I really knew that girl on stage. It was bold and honest and absolutely beautiful. I love Ambreen and her work. I later got to work with her as I acted in her second play POT at Oval house theatre - which is now of course, Brixton House!
What gives you inspiration?
Life. Love. Relationships. Flawed people. Trying to meet expectations that we can never meet. I’m interested in how as people - as women, as poor people and as children of immigrants, we navigate a world that is designed for us to fail in. I marvel at our resilience; where we find joy and humour. That’s what inspires me. Also how the loves of our lives shape us - and I don’t just mean romantic love - I believe friendships are the great loves of our lives.
What would you hope someone takes away from MILLENNIUM GIRLS?
I hope there’s a feeling of being seen, for both women and men of a certain era and time. I hope the audience are reminded of that magical feeling of being young; that feeling that the word is yours. And if - like so many of us - that feeling has been dulled by the day to day of adult life, I hope the play reignites that spark again.
Where can audiences see the show?
A Brixton HouseTheatre from 12-31st May. https://brixtonhouse.co.uk/shows/millenium-girls/
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