The face she looks upon is one she recognises. This is the face and body, of a man who raped her eleven months ago. Now, it’s her job to prepare the body for the family’s final goodbye.
This striking play is about one women’s choice to confront her trauma and her story, on her terms. When We Died highlights the pivotal (and persistent) theme of male violence against women and the lasting impact in Alexandra Donnachie’s raw and profound one-woman show.
Despite this prominence in the public consciousness, and even with the driven efforts of various charities and organisations to better educate men and boys on how to act out and speak up to discourage inciting violence, the signs of slowing are few and far between.
Would you mind giving us a brief insight into what your show is?
I’m Alexandra ‘Alex’ Donnachie and my show is WHEN WE DIED.
WHEN WE DIED is the story of what happens when The Embalmer is unexpectedly called into work one day to embalm the body of the man who assaulted her one year previously.
Tell us about the creative team and process involved?
It’s been a long process! The first draft was completed in 2016 but not staged until 2020 when we were lucky to squeeze a VAULT Festival run in… right before the first national lockdown took place.
The core creative team has remained the same since the beginning (and I wouldn’t have it any other way). WHEN WE DIED is produced by Courtenay Johnson of Carbon Theatre and directed by Andy Routledge. Our movement director and intimacy co-ordinator is Christina Fulcher and our sound design is by Curtis Arnold-Harmer with set and lighting design by Froud (who is also designing another show in the same venue as WWD this year!) The brilliant Leo Nicholson joined the team as Stage Manager earlier this year for our UK Tour and I’m thrilled she’ll be up in Edinburgh for the duration of the festival with me too.
How does it feel to be returning to the Fringe?
Well, last year, I said ‘never again’. This year will be my 11th Fringe (4th as a performer, I’ve either been working at a box office or been a punter for the other 6!).
Make of that what you will.
There are over 3,000 shows at the Fringe. So, what sets your show apart?
WHEN WE DIED deals with a universal and widely relatable theme through one individual’s story. It doesn’t try to solve or even advise on how to best tackle the issues raised in the play which I think many (very brilliant) plays have a tendency to do. WHEN WE DIED offers one perspective, one person’s decision and some people won’t necessarily agree with what that decision ends up being. I quite like that. To have audiences continue talking about The Embalmer’s story when they leave the theatre – to debate it even – would be awesome!
Throughout the show, The Embalmer is embalming a body and we go into quite a bit of technical details about that process. The exciting thing about our Ed Fringe performances is that we are in the Anatomy Lecture Theatre at Summerhall – a space designed for anatomical education and dissections. It’s going to be such an interesting space to perform in which we hope can add so much atmosphere to the show just through its history and design.
Is there anything specific you’re hoping for the audience to take away?
Aside from hoping people love it, I quite like that the decision The Embalmer makes at the end might not sit well with everybody and I’d be happy if this caused a bit of debate, or at least meant conversation around the play continued beyond the theatre.
Your ideal audience is in attendance, who’s watching? Or more importantly – who isn’t there…?
Off the top of my head, I’d like anyone and everyone there. There’s quite a lot happening in the play so I hope there will be something for everyone in it, whether you’re coming from a regular theatregoer POV or a science-y/interested in embalming one. I’d like it if Caitlin Doughty happened to be in Edinburgh. Caitlin is an American funeral director and her YouTube channel and book, Smoke Gets in your Eyes, was – aside from being very entertaining – crucial to my research for the play.
It’s an intense month, so where you’re able, how do you plan to relax, and are there any other shows you intend to see or want to recommend?
I’ll be getting out of Edinburgh on my day(s) off! Maybe to the beach? Maybe just to the sofa. I’m no spring chicken anymore so I’ll aim to drink a little less alcohol and a little more water than I may have in previous years too. The show I’m most looking forward to seeing – and which I’ve already heard brilliant things about – is Kit Sinclair’s 30 and Out. And I’ll be making full use of my venue pass!
In your ideal world, how can we improve the world of the Fringe, of performance, and the industry?
Gahhhhh….. I don’t have any hot takes but it of course all needs to be more accessible and transparent and generally more open to new voices, faces and stories.
We’re able to take WHEN WE DIED to the Fringe purely because we’ve been given an extremely generous deal on our accommodation. And we’re a company made up largely of people who have been working in this industry and going to the Fringe for the best part of a decade. How people can even consider doing it now for the first time is beyond me.
Unfortunately, I think we’re a long way off from any major improvements across the industry. Despite lots of lovely promises being made over the pandemic to build back better, working in theatre feels quite scary and impossible right now. I must still have hope because otherwise, I wouldn’t keep dedicating my life to it. I would love nothing more than to be proven wrong, but it’s tiring.
