Would you mind giving us an insight into what your show/event/performance is?
Have you ever cried so much you thought you could flood a house? Or what if grief isn’t just crying in a dark room, but jam multiplying on every shelf; a Komodo dragon that won’t leave; holes in the roof that refuse to stay fixed? That’s the world of Deluge, built from over 40 interviews I did with strangers about what they’re actually grieving – including the quiet stuff, with no clean ending.
The idea itself came from something I said to a friend after a break-up: “If I could count all my thoughts in litres and add everything I’d cried, I could flood a house”. I said it and thought: that’s my next show. It’s magic realism, it’s a comedy; told through physical theatre, live music, projection and a bit more. It is about loss and the strange ways we cope when life falls apart.
Tell us about the creative team and the process involved?
I came to Andrea Maciel (director) with material – writing, interviews, concepts, half-formed ideas – and we improvise around it in the studio until images and more metaphors start showing up. Then I’d go home, write more drafts, come back and rewrite through more improvisation. It’s co-creation, really: the show grows by playing with the material rather than forcing a shape too early. Maddie Maycock’s been involved for the last year or so as associate director, co-creating bits too.
An Arts Council England-funded R&D phase early on let me build a proper team, get some rehearsal time, and bring other people on board at the start of the project – to name a couple of the great artists involved: Lily Rae on sound design and Anouk Van der Zee on costume
How does it feel coming to (back to) the Fringe?
The show has evolved so much that looking back almost feels like looking at a different piece, so it’s genuinely great to be back with it. Even people who’ve seen it before should get a different experience this time round.
With shows from all over the world at the Fringe, what sets yours apart?
Maybe it’s the mix of things that it is. DELUGE is a comedy, but it doesn’t stay in one lane. It’s physical theatre, it has dance, music and storytelling all woven together. I like that mix where you laugh, then catch yourself: wait, can I laugh at this? Why not.
On that, is there anything in the production or production team’s backgrounds which influences the way the show is performed or told?
I keep making shows inspirec by interviews with strangers; this is the second one built this way, and the third will be too. I suspect my mum being a psychoanalyst has something to do with it.
I also love magical realism as a form because it allows inner experiences to take a physical shape. It creates a bridge between what we experience internally and the world around us. It stretches reality rather than leaving it behind, creating a space where the real and the surreal can exist together. For me, that’s what makes it so relatable, it has one foot in reality and one foot in the surreal. And Andrea and I found a shared language through the metaphorical worlds we each brought into the process.
Is there anything specific you’re hoping the audience will take away?
That grief holds contradictions – one moment you’re laughing, the next you’re on the floor, the next you’re laughing at yourself for being there. I’d like people to leave with that mix intact, without it resolving into one feeling.
Your Ideal audience is in attendance, who’s watching? Or more importantly – who isn’t…?
Watching: anyone curious enough to sit with a Komodo dragon and a leaking ceiling with no idea where the story’s headed, and anyone who has a habit of laughing at the wrong moment.
Not watching: anyone who wants to know how they’ll feel before they feel it, or anyone allergic to jam.
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?
Not everything is as urgent as you think it is… that’s good to remember. Watching other artists do strange, brave things onstage tends to be exactly what recharges me, so I’ll be doing plenty of that.
Deluge from Gabi Flares and Andrea Maciel will perform at Venue 61, Big Belly at Underbelly, Cowgate.
Runs: August 5th – August 30th at 3:30pm
Photo credit – Bennie Curnow
Interested in being featured on our Have a Gander page? With many previews and Q&As lined up, we’re always happy to chat about including your show in future articles. Please do get in touch through the contact page to feature in an upcoming ‘Have A Gander’