Adapted screenplay: MODERN LYSISTRATA

Copyright © 2026 Lotous Michalopoulou

FADE IN:

INT. LIVING ROOM 1 - NIGHT

A big tv screen is filling most of the frame.

POV: A hand holding a TV remote control in a phallic shape rises and presses a button that turns the screen on.

This scene is on repeat before each cut.

All action is happening on that screen, apart from the hand with the phallic remote control switching the channels.

 

OPENING TITLES

INT. TV SHOW SET - NIGHT

In Brittan has talent, someone of unclarified gender, very thin, with green short hair, wearing yellow raggedy rave-party outfit and red shades, in their mid-30s, is singing off tune:

 

CHORUS 1

# Lysistrata stopped the war #

The music videos in between serve the role of the ancient Greek theatre chorus, and they all share the same tune but different music styles.

 

INT. UNI LECTURE ROOM - NIGHT

An Open University lecturer is walking up and down in front of a blackboard:

UNIVERSITY PROFFESOR

Lysistrata is an ancient Greek comedy written by Aristophanes about women uniting to stop the Peloponnesian War. Women break into Acropolis to control the war funding. And, they unanimously decide to refuse sex with their men, husbands and lovers, until men stop the war.

 

INT. SCHOOL ASSEBLY HALL - DAY

In a primary school play, children wearing polo yellow shirts and black trousers, are singing beautifully:

 

CHORUS 2

# Lysistrata stopped the war #

INT. LIVING ROOM 2 - DAY

Social media influencer 1, bimbo. Influencer 1 is taking a selfie-video. Behind her on a screen the Open University Lecture:

 

INFLUENSER 1

Oh my God that’s totally brilliant. We totally must do that Lysistrata sex-strike. It seems women knew better all along. Am I right? From now on girls, let’s make a new peace-trend. Let's refuse sex to stop all wars. If president Trump wants a Nobel price, we can totally get one too. Let's unite from all over the world into celibacy-for-peace.

 

INT. BAR - NIGHT

A Jazz gig in an almost empty underground London bar. A blond woman in her 20s plays the saxophone, a brunet in her 30s plays the piano, and a redhead in her 40’s is singing. They all wear yellow beret hats (Bird's-eye view):

 

CHORUS 3

# Lysistrata can stop the war #

 

INT. RADIO STATION - NIGHT

In a radio show the host is in his 50s, and he wears a T-shirt with a yellow flower that says ‘celibacy-for-peace’ (Bird's-eye view):

 

RADIO HOST

We have an anonymous caller saying, and I quote: Maybe... if your partner is in the army, or if they are a politician, or if they make guns... then yes, you should refuse them sex until they finally stop the killings. The dear future historians are going to ask what we did to stop the ocean of blood.

 

INT. KITCHEN - DAY

A woman in her mid-30s is washing up a pile of dishes in a small kitchen. She is wearing yellow headphones, and she is singing (Bird's-eye view):

 

CHORUS 4

# Can Lysistrata stop the war? #

ETX. GARDEN - DAY

Social media influencer 2, gay couple. Influencer 2 is taking a selfie video:

 

INFLUENSER 2

Did you hear about the new Sex-Strike trend? We are very offended by it. I am a gay man and either me or my husband—say hi to my audience baby—are involved in any war. We have no means whatsoever to join this supposedly ‘global’ trend. We feel excluded.

 

INT. CHURCH - DAY

In a cathedral church we see an old women’s choir. They all wear yellow scarfs, and they are singing in harmony:

 

CHORUS 5

# What if Lysistrata can’t stop the war? #

INT. NEWS SET 1 BBC – NIGHT

The presenter is a chubby white woman, in her 60s, wearing a yellow floral top:

 

NEWS PRESENTER 1

A new Celibacy-For-Peace trend has flooded the social media. Inspired by Lysistrata, an ancient Greek play by Aristophanes. This is the latest answer of the public to the growing number of global conflicts. The international trend of refusing intimacy with one’s partner, to stop the wars.

 

 

INT. LIVING ROOM 1 - NIGHT

POV: the hand holding the remote control rises and almost presses a button to switch the channel but pauses to hear the rest.

 

INT. RADIO STATION – NIGHT

The reporter continues:

NEWS PRESENTER 1

Instead, this peace-trend seems to have been highlighting the debate about the war between sexes itself. Men who are not in any army state that they feel personally attacked by that new trend.

 

 

INT. ABANDONED BUILDING - DAY

A Heavy metal MTV 80s style music band. The main singer is holding a yellow electric guitar, and he is singing in an abandoned building:

 

CHORUS 6

# And that’s how Lysistrata started a war #

INT. NEWS SET 2 ITV - NIGHT

Presenter white male in his 30s:

NEWS PRESENTER 2

A new underground reporter’s research discovered proof of transactions of the UK army with the Chinese sex dolls factory Lola. The UK army denies the allegations.

 

INT. FACTORY - DAY

We see female robots wearing red dresses being assembled in a factory. (Bird's-eye view.)

 

MAN (V. O.)

The orders are there, the numbers are there. How can they deny them?

 

The robots are dancing and singing in the factory:

CHORUS 7

# You can call me Lysistrata #

INT. LIVINGROOM 2 - DAY

Social media influencer 1, bimbo:

INFLUENSER 1

OK guys I just wanted to start a new trend. I meant us to stop the wars. I didn't mean to start a new war, between the sexes. We're going for the Nobel peace prize here. Come on. Write in the comments what do you suggest I do next. It’s all about you sweeties. (Blows a kiss to the camera).

 

 

EXT. CEMETARY - NIGHT

In a cemetery we see a rapper’s music video He is rapping while walking on a busy London Road, wearing back to front a yellow baseball hat:

 

CHORUS 8

# Lysistrata wanted a Nobel peace prize, she ended up getting an interview with Olivia Attwood at: getting filthy rich #

 

INT. NEWS SET 3 SKY - NIGHT

The presenter is a beautiful Latino woman in her 20s:

NEWS PRESENTER 3

The Chinese company Lola is releasing for public use the AI robot Lysistrata69. Intelligent shows that the UK and the US along with all NATO armies were the main funders and the reason why this sex dolls are now affordable for everyone.

 

INT. MALL - DAY

TV add1, Lysistrata69 boxes are being stacked in a series of shelves in a shopping mall:

 

ROBOTIC WOMAN VOICE (V. O.)

# Lysistrata now on sale #

INT. NEWS SET 3 SKY - NIGHT

Presenter beautiful Latino woman in her 20s wearing a yellow sexy top:

 

NEWS PRESENTER 3

There is a 736% rise on divorces initiated by men above 40, that own sex robots, after Lysistrata69 started doing chores with the new update.

 

 

INT. BEDROOM - DAY

TV add2, a Lysistrata69 wearing a red dress, brings a tray with breakfast to a bed with a white male in his 40s on yellow bed cover:

 

ROBOTIC WOMAN VOICE (V. O.):

# Lysistrata now can bring you breakfast in bed #

 

INT. LIVINGROOM 2 - DAY

Social media influencer 1, bimbo:

INFLUENSER 1

Guys, I’ve made an Only-fans channel. Not sure if we can still take a Nobel Peace Prize, but I could totally let you take me... People are so thirsty for intimacy those days. I wonder what trend led to that...

 

EXT. BATTLEFILEDS - DAY

Montage sequence. Soldiers in battlefields from all over the world with different uniforms dancing and shooting each other in a splatter mix of Bollywood style dance and Japanese Anime battle:

CHORUS 11

# Lysistrata stop the war. We can’t do this anymore #

 

FADE OUT:

Longer song in the same tune

END TITLES

 Director's statement

Lysistrata is an ancient Greek comedy by Aristophanes about women uniting in a sex-strike to stop a long war between Athens and Sparta. I chose to adapt that play due to its relevance regarding the ongoing war in Ukraine, the genocide in Gaza, etc, that have monopolized the news since the pandemic ended.

I tried to keep the ancient Greek drama chorus (Kitto, 1956) by having a music interlude between each scene.

I formed my short Lysistrata film to resemble the effect of scrolling on social media, with a sequence of videos from different people, as if the videos are in a kind of dialectic conversation with each other.

My adaptation of Lysistrata is an attempt to calm the ‘volcano within’ me (Murch, 1995, p. xiv) and answer the questions:

Would Lysistrata’s sex-strike strategy work today?

Is sex as timeless and universal as we think?

In the days of ‘Getting Filthy Rich’ and AI robots, are we in danger of loosing what makes us human?

Despite its short length, I believe that my adaptation of Lysistrata captures the zeitgeist today without losing the essence of Aristophanes original play.

Bibliography:

Kitto, H. D. F. ‘The Greek Chorus.’ Educational Theatre Journal, vol. 8, no. 1, 1956, pp. 1–8. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/3203909 (Accessed 9 February 2026.)

Murch, W. 2001, In the blink of an eye, second edition, Silman-James Press

Olivia Attwood: Getting Filthy Rich, 2022-2026, https://www.itv.com/watch/olivia-attwood-getting-filthy-rich/10a2084/10a2084a0009 (Accessed 10 February 2026.)

11-Feb-26