Emma Clarendon chatted to the performer about being part of Splintered, performing as part of the Vaults Festival.
Hi Charlotte- could you tell me more about Splintered? ‘Splintered’ as in Splintered from society (chipped off, explosive) is a 3 person show, created from interviews with queer Caribbean women from Trinidad and Tobago. We have an MC to lead the audience through the piece and we’ll introduce you to a couple of characters along the way, you’ll hear some interviews, hear some of our research, see a touch of our playful/imaginative side and hopefully still come out dancing in the end!
How does it feel to be a part of bringing this show to the Vaults Festival? It feels amazing! After doing the show in Edinburgh it’s great to be able to bring it to London and to hopefully get more people through the door, and get them thinking. I always finish the show with so much energy buzzing through me and I hope others feel that too! I absolutely love the Vaults festival, they always have such a wide and diverse range of shows going on, so it’s all very exciting!
What was it that made you want to be part of this production? The fact that I’ve not heard of another show talking about these women, and as a queer woman of colour myself I want to be a voice for them. Also our director/writer welcomed a very playful rehearsal room and lots of space for discussion which I felt was very important for this piece in particular. I feel like this show could inspire others to write about similar topics and that’s what I want to see more of!
How have you found working on the show so far? It’s been a lot of fun – I think that’s the number one word to describe the whole process, we have fun in the rehearsal room and our aim is to make the audience have as much fun as we are. There is a constant stream of ideas in the rehearsal room and I can only imagine that this show can change so much in the future as those ideas creep in, it’s exciting to see!
What can we expect from the production? Dancing, laughter, a few serious moments, voices you may have not heard from before, but mainly a celebration of queer Caribbean women!
Why should people come along and see Splintered? To hear from voices that aren’t usually platformed in theatre, but also to be able to relate to those womxn and their stories. Maybe you’ll learn a few new things, or maybe it’s refreshing what you already know, but we want to give you an insight into a homophobic Trinidad and Tobago and invite everyone to join in our celebration!
By Emma Clarendon
Splintered will play as part of the Vaults Festival from the 12th to the 16th February.