Adam Scott-Rowley tells us about YOU ARE GOING TO DIE
Not a lot of our interviews start with “I’m sorry, I didn’t recognise you together with your garments on!”, however at present we’re speaking with the wonderful Adam Scott-Rowley about his extraordinary manufacturing YOU ARE GOING TO DIE, which bought a full 5 stars from us on the Edinburgh Fringe final 12 months, and can shortly be coming to the Southwark Playhouse.
Adam, thanks for taking the time to talk. Are you able to clarify a bit about what YOU ARE GOING TO DIE is about?
YOU ARE GOING TO DIE delves into themes of mortality, vulnerability, and the human situation in a means that’s uncooked and unfiltered. It’s a present that breaks free from conventional narrative constructions, as a substitute celebrating surrealism, the grotesque, bodily theatre, and efficiency artwork. The present invitations viewers to confront their very own fears and preconceptions about dying, life, and every little thing in between, providing an area for reflection, catharsis, and many humour too!
Let’s reduce to the chase. You carry out on stage utterly starkers? Why?
The selection to carry out nude serves as a metaphor for the final word vulnerability all of us share within the face of mortality. It’s about stripping away societal masks and confronting the uncooked essence of our existence. This selection challenges the viewers to interact with the efficiency on a extra visceral degree, encouraging a deeper, extra empathetic understanding of the existential themes being explored.
How do you assume this unorthodox technique of efficiency influences your relationship with the viewers?
Performing in such a weak state inevitably alters the dynamic between performer and viewers. It creates a way of intimacy and belief that’s uncommon in additional typical theatrical settings. This unorthodox technique invitations the viewers to decrease their very own defences, and interact with the efficiency in a extra open and private means, creating a novel communal expertise centred round a shared vulnerability.
There are a selection of various characters on this present which you convey to life utilizing your bodily efficiency abilities. What are the challenges on this for you?
One of many most important challenges is guaranteeing every character is distinctly realised and resonant, regardless of the shortage of costume. The characters weave out and in, typically in a short time, and this could typically really feel a bit nauseating! However in the end it’s good enjoyable. I assume one of many most important challenges is taking care of myself, guaranteeing the present is repeatable eight instances every week!
Are you able to speak a bit in regards to the staging and tech for the efficiency and what they add to the story?
The staging and technical features of YOU ARE GOING TO DIE are meticulously crafted by Matt Cater. Minimalistic but evocative, the set (only a bathroom) and complicated lighting design work collectively to create an environment that’s intimate, dreamlike, and otherworldly – drawing the viewers deeper into the thematic explorations of the present. Sound and music are additionally key elements, used not simply to set the temper however to underscore the physicality of the efficiency, accentuating moments of stress, launch, and the heavy dread of existentialism.
What do you hope your audiences take away from this present?
My hope is that audiences go away YOU ARE GOING TO DIE with a renewed perspective on life, dying, and the connections that bind us. I need them to really feel that they’ve not simply witnessed a efficiency, however have been a part of a shared expertise that transcends the extraordinary boundaries of theatre. It’s about sparking conversations, inspiring reflections, and maybe providing a measure of consolation within the shared acknowledgment of our mortality. In the end, I hope it serves as a reminder to embrace the wonder and impermanence of life with openness, braveness and JOY!
Thanks very a lot to Adam for taking the time to inform us about this extraordinary present. YOU ARE GOING TO DIE runs from 18 April to 4 Could 2024 at Southwark Playhouse Borough. Additional info and tickets out there right here.
