WINDOW: The Forecast

WINDOW is Brighton Fringe's Arts Industry showcase created to develop and encourage artists ready for the next step in their career. We spoke to Limbik, whose show The Forecast was selected as a WINDOW participant.

WINDOW: The Forecast

Could you first introduce yourself to the readers?

Hello. We are team Limbik. We create new theatre through collaboration, improvisation, movement, music, atmosphere and imagery. We also make nice meals.

Could you describe your act for us?

The Forecast posits a not-too-distant future in which the latest consumer craze, the must have home-and-garden product is... human garden ornaments. These are women, largely from developing countries, who have agreed to undergo an operation which attaches them to each other, through their brains, and suspends them in some lucky family's backyard.

The show follows four women from four corners of the globe, each of whom has agreed, for their own reasons, to take on the job. It was inspired by George Saunders' amazing short story, "The Semplica Girl Diaries," and developed in collaboration with the writer Bola Agbaje. While the original story is seen through the eyes of a father, we were intrigued by the spectral presence of the women themselves. In our version, their struggles are front and centre, while the audience occupies the space of the Western family. We wanted to explore what motivates someone to leave their home and family, to effectively become a modern day slave, hanging from a wire above the rhododendron. What happens when they are thrown together in this claustrophobic job. How will this four-way, global odd-couple cope? Between Brexit and Trump, we're seeing more outsiders stripped of their humanity. Is it so very far fetched to imagine a future where the western world offers those desperate enough this kind of opportunity, perhaps as the only way to cross its borders?

The simple set consists of four giant white dresses on raised platforms with wheels, which house the actors and give the sense they are floating in mid-air. These sculptural pieces come to life: they dance, and their skirts reveal small worlds within. The show features live music, close harmonies, and overall blends movement and imagery with bold characters and a resonant, relevant story.

Why did you want to perform at Brighton Fringe?

There was an urgency to this story and show that compelled us to get it up in front of an audience as quickly as possible, and the Brighton Fringe seemed like a great opportunity for the show to meet the broader public for the first time.

Why did you decide to apply for WINDOW?

As a regional company (we are based in Norwich), we have always struggled with getting our work in front of national and international programmers. The WINDOW seemed like a great opportunity to do just that.

How did you react to being told you'd been selected to be showcased?

We were thrilled. Absolutely thrilled.

How has it helped you so far?

We've been able to do interviews like this one.

What is the best part of your job?

Telling stories.

Conversely, what has been the most challenging?

It's always a race against time.

Do you have any pre-show rituals?

We breathe together.

What is the process you go through when looking to create a new show? Are you very disciplined or do you need to be strict with yourself?

We often speak about 'what' and 'how.' What is the story we are want to tell and how are we going to tell it. This process begins in a very open way, often by exploring a theme we are interested in from a few different angles. This show, for example, began as an exploration of "the future." Once we honed in on Saunders' story, the next step for us is to collaborate with actors in creating the characters whose journey we will follow. We try and find the stories nestled inside those characters, and work out how who they are will make them act in a set of given circumstances. How might different events reveal their character? At a certain point, we try and write down the overall story. Then we begin improvising and constructing the key components of that story, and blending them together. Alongside this, we are constantly exploring the style. What stylistic choices can we make that will inform how the story unfolds. In this show, we went bold: giant dresses on wheels.

What do you think has been the most dramatic change to the industry in the last five years?

Funding cuts making it harder to create work and get it out there.

If you could have any other job in the world, what would it be?

Journalist.

Imagine you possess the power to send one message back in time to 16-year-old you. What do you say?

It will be much harder that you think. But don't worry—the ride is worth it.

What advice would you give to young people who want to enter the industry?

If there is anything else in the world that you might be happy doing, do that. If you have an insatiable hunger to work in this strange outpost, if would never forgive yourself for not taking the immense risk that is being an artist, then stay in there, hang in there, even through the tough times. The rewards are immeasurable.

Where can people find you on the internet, and find out more about your show?

Author

Tom Inniss

Tom Inniss Voice Team

Tom is the Editor of Voice. He is a politics graduate and holds a masters in journalism, with particular interest in youth political engagement and technology. He is also a mentor to our Voice Contributors, and champions our festivals programme, including the reporter team at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

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