Greetings mortals! Zeus here. You’re all stuck in your houses? Pah! That’ll teach you for accepting the gift of fire from that scumbag Prometheus. Oh, Prometheus! Why did you abandon me…? But anyway, my relatives the Muses (I suppose they are my aunts – all the relations get a bit confused up here on Olympus) have decided to provide you with some entertainment and become vloggers. Apparently, it’s a thing on the internet where they film videos of themselves every day and stick it to a post in a place called YewTube (maybe it’s a ring of sacred trees like the Grove of Dodona?) I don’t know why they’re wasting their time trying to please you ungrateful lot, but they seem to be having fun. Even my favourite daughter, Athena, has been a guest – hang on, why was I not invited to be a guest? This is a blatant disregard of xenia. I am Zeus, King of the Gods, Lord of the Skies, Bringer of Lightning-

-Yes, thank you Zeus for that wonderful introduction. Now let’s actually get on with the preview!

Hi, I’m Ella, writer and director of Museings, which I – like Zeus and all the other Olympians – highly recommend you watch. The reason behind the show, apart from indulging in my love for Greek mythology and assuaging my regret at not doing a Classics degree, was to create a fun and collaborative project to bring people together whilst we’re stuck at home. I wanted to gather an amazing cast and production team - and boy, did I find some great people - to contribute to the project and help bring this crazy idea to life. The flexibility of YouTube has allowed our imaginations to run wild and we’ll be bringing you game shows, slam poetry, unboxing videos, original music, epic drama, and dumb pranks. So even if the mythology all sounds like Greek to you, there will be something for everyone and I hope it’s as much fun to watch as it has been to make!

On the other side of the screen Museings is also meant to engage the audience and be really interactive. That’s why the Muses have started Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok accounts; follow them @museings9. If you’re feeling a bit lonely and want someone to chat to, ping a message to the Muses and they will endeavour to reply. Do you think Mel (Muse of Tragedy) has a soothing, if somewhat sad, tone in her ASMR? Comment your requests and maybe she’ll make another video! Fancy yourself a TikTok star? Send your dance challenges to Chore (Muse of Dance), she always wants to learn some new moves!

Seeing the characters come to life has truly been a joy to behold. From their creation at the dawn of time, to me writing some lines to make them into vloggers, to the cast being more insightful and deep than I could ever have imagined, you have never seen the Muses quite like this! As a partial control-freak it was surprisingly hard to let my brain-child go and felt almost as painful as Zeus’ brain-child, Athena, being cut from his head. But it was worth it to see all the amazing things the Museings team has come up with. From cast members asking if they can do Instagram takeovers, Study With Me videos, and a guide on How to Train Pegasus, to the gorgeous graphics designed by Vidya Divakaran, the show is much bigger and better than I first envisioned, and the collaborative effort of all these talented people is truly inspiring.

It has also been more of a Herculean task than I anticipated, and my family are rather confused as to why I’m constantly busy when I’m not actually at university, but it has definitely been worth it. Grace Beckett (who plays Chore, Muse of Dance) summed it up beautifully, saying “Museings has been a hugely enjoyable production to be a part of. Not only do you get to pretend to be a YouTuber (I mean who hasn’t fancied themselves as a vlogger, right?) but it’s also been so valuable to get to know some amazing women and non-binaries from across the university, who I wouldn’t have met otherwise. We’re all so different in our vibes and talents, appearances and interests, but the fact that we are all playing equally important Muses should remind us all that there is not just one type of cookie mould that women feel they should fit into, but rather we are all different and equal, and that is something we should rejoice in and embrace.”

What is this puny mortal saying? I am Zeus, King of the Gods and I do not tolerate interruptions! Anyway, where was I? Ah yes, you must watch Museings every day from the 17th to the 30th of May at 2pm on the ADC YouTube Channel. You will regret it if you don’t – not least because I shall incinerate you and send you to the deepest depths of Tartarus! Hahaha. No, but also because it will be a lot of fun. Rather like that time I killed my own father and defeated all the Titans in an epic war lasting for centuries. Ah yes, good times, good times. Zeus out!