We chatted to Charlie about bringing Birth Stories to the Camden Fringe Festival.
Hi Charlie, How did the idea for ‘Birth Stories’ come about?
Myself and my co producer Jessica were discussing our own birth stories one day a few years ago and I looked at her and said – this would make a great play! It was put on hold throughout the pandemic but shortly after we started looking for and collating real stories that we could dramatise and were blown away by the generosity of others with their incredible experiences.
How have you found the experience of putting the show together?
Gathering stories, be it written descriptions, interviews or video diaries has been so powerful to hear and then writing the monologues based on such truth and intimacy has been wonderfully rewarding. Our cast are all highly experienced actors who bring these true stories to life. Witnessing the laughter, tender moments and engagement from the audience has been such an incredible experience for us all. Writing and presenting a show about such an important theme, that is often not discussed openly, with such raw honesty and truth has been enlightening for us as producers and for the actors and audience.
How does it feel to be presenting ‘Birth Stories’ as part of the Camden Fringe?
The Camden Fringe is such a buzz of excitement and artistic freedom! It is such a joy to be part of the festival. Our venue, The Courtyard Theatre is the perfect space for our show and we are thrilled to be bringing Birth Stories to a wider audience.
It deals with plenty of sensitive topics, how did you go about ensuring that these topics and stories are accurately portrayed?
Each story is based on real, true experiences and you cannot get more accurate than something that has come from a lived experience. As mothers, myself and my co producer Jessica are acutely aware of the sensitivity of all the facets of birth as we discuss in the show and our actors all hold these stories with such grace. We were also keen to make sure our stories came from different points of view, such as the fathers, birth partners, surrogates and donors.
What do you hope that audiences will take away from ‘Birth Stories’?
We have heard from our audience members that they leave the show inspired and with a renewed sense of the strength of parents and the compassion for what all women go through in childbirth. Also, that birth and families come in many different forms and all you need is love to wish to become a family. We have heard groups of women discussing their own stories with renewed admiration for themselves. The midwives, doulas and other birth practitioners that see the show have been so touched by the journey we take the audience on.
To book tickets visit: https://camdenfringe.com/events/birth-stories/