“The nudity is important because it strips everything back and acts as a symbol of our fundamental connectedness."
Where does the idea of “We are all going to die” come from?
I wanted to make a show that touched on the macro issues of life, rather than the micro, and I thought that the fact we are all going to die, would be a pretty good starting point. I also wanted to connect with some of the things that fuel my own anxiety, and existentialism is definitely one of the big hitters! But it’s not a show that’s just about death. There’s a lot of humour in it too and I don’t always deal with death in the show as a literal concept.
The show is a descent into the loneliness, pain and existential anxiety of our time. What does the show explore and what are the messages that you want to show with this performance?
Well the show explores exactly that. I like to create characters that are archetypal that an audience will immediately recognise. They’re sometimes more like tones of a personality or a feeling, that an audience will notice as having in themselves. I’m sure loneliness and pain is something we can all identify with. That all sounds very sad and boring though doesn’t it! The message of the show is ultimately one of compassion and joy and that all we’ve really got in life is each other. But maybe the only way to genuinely recognise this is to go through the shit to find the light?
The performance is entirely naked. How is nudity combined with vulnerability to spread the right message?
The nudity is important because it strips everything back and acts as a symbol of our fundamental connectedness. I hope by removing conceptual (and literal lol) layers that it works as a great leveller and reminds people that there is more that we have in common to each other than there is that’s different about us. Then the natural vulnerability of this as well as using vulnerability as a mindfulness practice, hopefully ties all of these elements together and softens the nudity as something relatable and intriguing for an audience. Our bodies are so odd and funny too – I try to shine a light on this as well!
"The message of the show is ultimately one of compassion and joy and that all we’ve really got in life is each other."
What is the audience going to experience?
The show is very surreal. It is an hour long dream.
What were the biggest challenges while preparing the show?
I fell off my bike a week ago and have broken both of my wrists! I’m going to do the show come hell or high water but I am a very physical performer so it can be frustrating to feel limited by my body.
How does it feel to be an award winner for a previous performance (“THIS IS NOT CULTURALLY SIGNIFICANT”)? Does it create more pressure?
Sometimes I feel that pressure and it usually results in me worrying that this this new show needs to be more like TINCS for audiences to enjoy it, but I’m getting better at just trusting this process and allowing it to be a new experience and very different show. Both for me and the audience.
What are your future plans with the show?
I hope to take it to the fringe (might have to win the lottery), then I have a run in Denmark, then hopefully back to London, a UK tour, and beyond!
YOU ARE GOING TO DIE is at a Vault Festival from Tuesday 14th March until Sunday 19th March 2023.
Book tickets to YOU ARE GOING TO DIE here.
Read the original interview with YASS Magazine here.
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