We chatted to Bellina about the international debut of her acclaimed solo show Confessions Of A Mulatto Love Child at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe.
Hi Bellina, how does it feel to be taking your show to the Edinburgh Fringe?
Hi! It feels wonderful. I’m honestly giddy with excitement. Taking a show to the Edinburgh Fringe has been on my bucket list for years, but it’s such a huge undertaking that I kept waiting for the right moment. This year everything finally aligned, and I still can’t believe it’s actually happening. I can’t wait to perform for audiences from all over the world, see a bunch of new work, and throw myself into all the madness. I’m sure it’ll be exhausting, and I’m also absolutely terrified – but in a good way!.
How did the idea for the show come about?
I’d already written and performed Conversations with a Mulatto Love Child ( the prequel to
Confessions Of A Mulatto Love Child ), so I honestly thought that chapter was finished. Three years after my mother passed away, I was doing another play and found myself keeping my cast mates entertained with stories about my mom after rehearsals. One night a fellow actor said, “You need to do your show again.” I told her I couldn’t because my life had changed too much – I had a husband, a daughter, I’d become my mother’s caregiver, and I’d lost her. She looked at me and said, “Then write the sequel.” Before I knew it, she’d signed me up for the Hollywood Fringe. I had two months to write Confessions Of A Mulatto Love Child, and I took the dare.
What was it that made you want to tell this story on stage?
Two components that I will forever love – my mother and the theatre. You know when you’re sitting with a friend swapping stories, making each other laugh, learning something new about each other, or revisiting something you both experienced together? One minute you’re laughing your asses off, and the next you’re unexpectedly moved. That’s the feeling I wanted to recreate on stage with the funny stories about the wonderfully complicated woman who was my mother. I love film, and these stories could absolutely live on screen, but theatre is my go-to. Nothing beats telling a story from beginning to end in a room full of living, breathing people and feeling that immediate connection as you experience it together.
How has it been for you watching this show develop?
It feels great. I learn something new every time I do a run of the show. The audience teaches me so much, but one of the unexpected surprises is what I discover when I’m alone rehearsing it. Without the nerves of being in front of an audience or the pressure of having to perform, I can just let there be silence around each line and really see the show—what’s working, what isn’t, what has new meaning, and how far it’s come. Then I take those discoveries into the next performance and hope for the best!
What can audiences expect from ‘Confessions of a Mulatto Love Child’?
I never really like telling audiences what to expect because, as an audience member myself, I much prefer discovering that for myself. Everyone brings something different into a theatre, so everyone takes something different away. What I can promise is this: it’s a fun show, it’s a bit of a wild ride, and for eighty minutes I’ll do my best to sweep you up into my wonderfully chaotic world. So come, lean in, meet my unforgettable mother…I’d love to see you there!
Confessions of a Mulatto Love Child will be performed at 10:10am at Zoo Southside from 7 th – 30 th August at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe: https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/confessions-of-a-mulatto-love-child