Part of the first-ever official Luxembourgish take-over of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, we were delighted to have a Question & Answer with Stark Bollock Naked's lead artist Larisa Faber.
After a hugely successful VAULT festival run, this visually enthralling, quirky, and candid absurdist performance is about motherhood, the reproductive shelf-life and what (not) to do with those (ageing) eggs. Produced with some gorgeous video mapping, comedically focused storytelling, and a live score orchestrated with gynaecological instruments (yup), this multimedia show experience with real naked bodies offers an honest conversation about reproduction, abortion and the biological clock.
It's Game Ovar-ies folks: and you're all invited to this satirical homage to the egg. Faber's Stark Bollock Naked can be found downstairs at our friends at the Assembly Roxy throughout the Festival.
Would you mind giving us a brief insight into what your show is?
Hi! I'm Larisa, I'm a Luxembourgish-Romanian writer/director & performer, trained at Drama Centre London. I make & self-produce my own shows and have toured Luxembourg, the UK and Lithuania. My show is a Luxembourgish-British labour of love, made by creatives from both shores: a multimedia tragicomedy about reproductive shelf life, the pressure of the biological clock and abortion stigma. Game ovaries?
Tell us about the creative team and process involved?
The show started as a WIP at Camden People's Theatre back in 2019. I wrote the text thanks to a commission from a Luxembourgish publishing house and knew I wanted to bring the words to life using video mapping on the body and a live score of gyno instruments. I contacted artists whose work I'd already come across and admired: composer Catherine Kontz & video designer Louise Rhoades-Brown. The show and the team grew from that: the concept worked, and I was able to get funding to develop it further. Since then, we've sold out venues and had a rerun in Luxembourg, getting nominated for an Artists Choice Award at VAULT. It's been my most fulfilling artistic experience so far. I've met truly wonderful people and I'm very grateful.
How does it feel to experience your first Fringe?
Scary. Thrilling. Terrifying. Exciting - all the feels!
There are over 3,000 shows at the Fringe. So, what sets your show apart?
We're part of the first-ever official Luxembourgish selection! If you're curious to see quirky & candid work from a tiny country, come along. I might be wrong, but I'd venture to say we're the only ones playing gyno instruments (scary speculums & co) and the way we use video mapping on the body is unusual. Hopefully, the themes will resonate with many, while the execution is quite particular!
Is there anything specific you're hoping for the audience to take away?
That tampons can also be used as pompoms and speculums as percussion. That brains can sing and dance and that - if you've got ovaries - your eggs have so much more potential, besides procreation.
Your ideal audience is in attendance, who's watching? Or more importantly – who isn't there…?
Who's there: people with whom our world resonates. Who isn't there: gawkers. Please don't come if you're there to gawk at naked people. This show isn't it and that kind of behaviour won't be tolerated.
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?
This is the tricky part. My toddler and partner will be there for most of it, so that'll make a big difference, I think. I'm hoping to see lots of shows from other national showcases, Liv Ello & Frankie Thompson's show, and Lilly Burton's show (both at Pleasance). Shows I've seen & can wholeheartedly recommend: High Steaks by Eloina, Choosh! by Julia Masli, and Rosa Garland's Trash Salad. They're nothing short of brilliant and innovative, get booking.
In your ideal world, how can we improve the world of the Fringe, of performance, and the industry?
More subsidies for freelance artists: money. It's the crux of everything. Without proper funding this career is impossible for many, risk-taking is difficult, proper wages are inexistent and all of that leads to, ultimately, an unsustainable environment. It's nice to talk about the love of art, but it doesn't pay the bills. Investing in the arts isn't a lofty endeavour, it's crucial for a democratic society.
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