A year ago Larisa Faber was getting ready for the first Luxembourg performance of Stark Bollock Naked. She had been using her time as the artist in residence at Neimënster to give her provocative and moving monologue, first published by Black Fountain Press and already performed in Camden, London, a fresh and intriguing makeover. The live show features intricate body mapping and live music by Catherine Konz using gynaecological instruments. The text is a dramatic comedy about of the ticking of the so-called biological clock and society's expectations of women, and also explores perceptions of the female body in art.
Duncan Roberts: Where did the germ of the idea for Stark Bollock Naked come from? I mean, you've got this play about women's portrayal in art and you’ve hung on to it this theme of the biological clock, or was it the other way around?
Larisa Faber: It was the other way around. I wanted to write something about the pressures of the biological clock, the story of one person and where that pressure might come from and the impact on mental health. But I didn't quite know what the structure or the form might be, until I was approached by Black Fountain Press to contribute a text for their anthology [High Five, published in May 2020]. And, and once that offer came, and the deadline was there--they let us choose the theme, and the form, the genre and style--from that moment onwards I started writing it in one go. And when I started writing this idea with the nudity and the projections and the mapping, it suddenly seemed the obvious way, for me at least, to tackle the subject.
And then how did how did the show at Camden People's Theatre come about?
After it was accepted by Black Fountain I knew that I wanted to bring it to the stage. And at that time, I was still in London. I had moved back to London for precisely that, because there are so many theatres dedicated to new writing…more experimental storytelling forms. Camden People's Theatre had a call out for projects. They have this regular event called Big Bang, where you have a roughly 20- to 30-minute slot to share a work in progress. And they offer the space and technical equipment, marketing support, and so on.
I thought at one point, why are you doing this to yourself? Just put your clothes back on and get out of here.
What was the reception from the audience in Camden?
I was extremely nervous. And I thought at one point, why are you doing this to yourself? Just put your clothes back on and get out of here. I didn't know anyone in the audience, except for my mum and my boyfriend. And the auditorium was full. But by sheer luck, they were the kind of the people that I'd written it for--mid-20s to early and mid-30s, a very diverse crowd of people. I wanted to test whether the humour works and whether the concept works with the video mapping. Thankfully, the reception was very good. They did laugh, which was a huge relief when I stood there naked and taped up.
You mentioned the humour. How important was the comedic element in writing the script? And is that a way of reaching the audience and making them more engaged?
Maybe this is my personal taste, but I really connect with odd humour in dark situations. Maybe this is something also, perhaps, from my [Romanian] heritage. Many of the stories my mum and my gran told me under Communism…I mean, most of them included jokes. It was their way of kind of coping with the pressure and the pain that was associated with life there. So, I've always sort of thought that they were very, very close. And my aim was to make it comedic, in part at least. And now in the residency, we've developed that even more. Towards the end, there's a kind of pastiche of the 1950s musical. I love weird music. I haven't seen tons of musicals, actually, but I love the potential that they bring for humour and weirdness and irony.
Let’s talk about the collaboration with [composer] Catherine Kontz. Did you give her free rein for the score? Or did you collaborate quite closely together?
It was a stroke of luck, honestly. We hadn't worked together before. I asked for recommendations. Actually, I asked [chief advisor at the ministry of culture] Jo Kox whether he could recommend people, because I wanted to work with someone who might also have some sort of link with London. It happened quite naturally. We got along very well, and she really embraced the concept when I said I'd like to have this sort of orchestra of gynaecological instruments, performed on stage. Now Catherine’s as much a performer as she is the musician and composer. She did say she draws the line at being naked, but otherwise she’s game for everything else. It's no longer a one woman show at all. I mean, there are two characters on stage.
I do think all art is political. But at the same time, it's still about storytelling.
Do you think Luxembourg audiences will react differently from Camden? What do you hope they will get from the show?
When the text was published, in Luxembourg, there were a string of reviews…and what I found most interesting, most of them didn't even mention abortion. So, I thought, I'm not sure Luxembourg is right for this. But then I did a reading at Kulturfabrik, with three or four different authors, and this was a lesson because the audience, they were nothing like the audience at Camden. I thought, they're going to hate it, but afterwards I sold all my books. So, I thought why not go out of your comfort zone and maybe not just preach to the converted?
In a way I've written it for this age, particular age group, who might be struggling with this [biological clock]. In London the feedback I got from women, all of them said that they felt empowered, or they felt heard, they felt that it resonated with them. But then it would also be lovely, if…don't know, change someone's mind is maybe too big of an ask, but if they have a laugh, and if it sort of gives them comfort.
Do you think some people might see it as a political text, then, even though you've said it comes from a very personal space?
Maybe. I do think all art is political. But at the same time, it's still about storytelling. So, for me, they have to go hand in hand. I still go to the theatre or to the cinema to basically be told the story. You know, you can have a political play and have a good laugh as well. I mean, I'm not saying that this is the play, but hopefully, something along those lines.
Stark Bollock Naked is on at Neimënster from 8 to 12 March at 8pm.