Following the journey of one woman, The Mouth of a Shark is a dystopian take on post-brexit britain, which looks incredibly heartbreaking and poignant. We spoke to Larner who told us a little bit about it. What drove you to make The Mouth of a Shark? Dan Pick and Charlotte were linked together for a shorts night at The Arcola last summer. They met for the first time and talked about the work they both wanted to make - the Calais Jungle was constantly in the news, there were terrifying photos on a daily basis of displaced families arriving throughout Europe, with traumatic stories to match. But it's so hard to feel connected to every story. Social media displays horrifying articles right next to videos of puppies and we've become desensitised. Dan went away and built a familiar story around a character British audiences will identify more with. The short at The Arcola received an incredibly powerful response and Larner, Charlotte and Dan felt there was more room for the story to develop and thus The Mouth of a Shark was born. Who is The Mouth of a Shark for? Everyone. Our favourite theatre is storytelling from people we're not used to hearing from. We're interesting in making theatre that's accessible to anyone who sees it, no matter their background or political swayings. Why is theatre a good platform for discussion? Theatre is mouldable; it can be anything, tell any story. It strives to connect to its audience. It can create powerful responses and leave us with new perspectives about things we know or brand new ideas. What theatre ‘turn offs’ do you have? Audience phone screen and smart watch lights drive me crazy if I'm trying to watch a play. It's a chance to switch off from the world and change our focus. Screens are such a hinderance to that. What was the last show that moved you to action? The NT's Beginning. It's not politically fuelled drama, the emotional connection I felt to the characters ignited me. What shows at VAULT are you looking forward to? We're pretty excited about Follow Suit! We're desperate to get to Glitter Punch before it finishes and we think Foreign Body will also be something rather special. The Mouth of a Shark is part of the last week of the VAULT Festivals programme, and you can catch it on the 17-18th. Comments are closed.
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