Inside Adina Aaron’s Queer Retelling of the Lilith Myth
“Lilith”, a new play written by Adina Aaron and directed by Samantha Ozeas, reinterprets the erased mythical figure of Lilith not as a cautionary myth, but as a story of queer desire and defiance between two women.
Children are taught early on that the first man and woman on earth were Adam and Eve — Adam formed from dust, Eve from his rib — living together in a peaceful paradise. Omitted from standard Genesis creation accounts, however, is Lilith (or Lilit), Adam’s first wife, who was created from the earth just as he was. She was banished from the Garden for disobedience: her refusal to submit to Adam’s God, and her refusal to submit to Adam himself when he insisted she lie beneath him.
25-year-old Adina Aaron poses the question: What does it mean to reclaim Lilith not as a cautionary myth, but as a story of queer desire and defiance between two women? Enter Lilith, a new play written by Aaron and directed by Samantha Ozeas, which reinterprets the myth to interrogate these gender dynamics. The play imagines the freedom of a world centered on Lilith’s own vision of God — Inanna, the goddess of war, love, and sex — and reimagines Eden through this new paradigm. Showing solely at The Tank theater, the play, which features Sofia Deler as Lilith, Bryanna Felipe as Eve and Erik Dagoberg as Adam, will run through August 22.
Growing up in a religious household, Aaron’s curiosity about the divine stemmed from their father’s teachings as a rabbi. Though they came out at 14 and received support from their family, the paradox of religion being both so beautiful and so homophobic remained a topic that fascinated them. The core element of every mythology written about Lilith, they said, is her need for reciprocity and equality with Adam — a belief that deeply resonated with Aaron and inspired them to bring her story to the stage. The play itself was born out of their desire to tell this familiar story through the perspective of the first woman to say no, and to choose herself.
“I really enjoyed the idea of fitting the play within the canon of the creation story that we know, in that Lilith has just been forgotten or erased from the story,” Aaron said. “Most people know the story of Eve but not Lilith, and I don’t think it’s a coincidence they know the more obedient, passive archetype.”
The story follows Eve, an innocent woman overcome by both Adam’s love and Lilith’s, as the three navigate the boundaries of being physically inside and outside the gates of Eden. While Adam’s relationship with the two women remains primarily physical, Lilith and Eve prefer to express their desire through words. Their bond is rooted in curiosity — about the world, about each other — and a genuine connection of both mind and heart.
“There’s almost a literal and metaphorical barrier between them,” Aaron said. “I think this is true for a lot of queer people who are not safe enough to fully express their sexuality. I really wanted to show there’s a wide range of intimacy that can exist between people – it’s not just a physical thing.”
Sofia Deler, 25, who plays Lilith, emphasized her character’s duality — both her connection to the divine feminine and the perceived threat her curiosity presents to the world. As a queer actress and playwright herself, Deler said Aaron captured her story in a way that’s rarely depicted on stage. Beyond the writing itself, she said what initially drew her in was the way Aaron portrayed queerness and sapphic love so naturally, rooted in curiosity and humanity.
Because Lilith’s story has been intentionally omitted from history, so too has much of the divine feminine been deliberately erased. The premise of the play, according to Deler, is to make viewers really think about why the original woman was removed and demonized, and what that reveals about the values of our society.
“I think what Adina has done so beautifully is she’s found how easy it is for us to misunderstand someone, especially a woman, who is challenging things, and how that can be the biggest threat to the world,” Deler said. “Because of her experience in the outside world, Lilith has the context to say no.”
The ending of the play — in which Lilith is left holding Eve’s stillborn child as Adam and Eve return to Eden together — represents this duality: that darkness and tragedy can exist even in a world God tries to protect, and that despite Lilith’s desire to be with Eve, she ultimately has to choose herself. As Lilith sings to Inanna for guidance, the baby begins to cry, mirroring how death gives way to birth, and vice versa. While Eve cannot comprehend this paradox, Lilith embraces it, ultimately showing that, for her, the freedom to love someone proudly, despite the circumstances, is what she chooses.
This idea of duality runs throughout the entirety of the play, especially in the concept of the divine feminine and masculine. On a global, societal level, the divine masculine has become extremely oversaturated — pushed to a point where we’ve lost its divinity, Aaron said. Although they hope people leave considering what their own inner femininity is, there’s a beauty to the simplicity and steadiness behind the divine masculine, and it’s important to differentiate that from the elements that have been misconstrued in modern culture.
All in all, Lilith is a play about choice — choice in who you love, choice in who you listen to, and, most important, the ability to choose yourself. For those interested in seeing the play, the cast asks that you set aside anything you know about the creation story and witness it with an open mind.
“I think we’re really in this renaissance of anything divine feminine,” Deler said. “A lot of lost mythologies like Lilith are resurfacing and coming back into cultural consciousness. I hope that anybody who is interested can go down the rabbit hole of exploring what that femininity means, and can feel validated through this play.”
