Nalini Sharma
Until Death is a solo theatre and clown show with a touch of circus, set in a hospital where time collapses and humans panic in moments of death and existence.
Inspired by NALINI SHARMA’s childhood, during which she survived more than one motorcycle accident, the stories are an amalgamation of the real people (and animals) she encountered and her imagination that kept her from dying of boredom during her hospital stays. Through them she explores the tenacity of human (and animal) spirits that are fighting for their lives and discovering who they are.
Where does UNTIL DEATH come from? Is there a personal experience that inspired you to create the show?
Until Death comes from my personal experiences as a child. This show is very personal to me. I spent quite a bit of time in hospitals when I was young and I wanted to explore for myself how that shaped me. To explore things that happened to you as a child is tough sometimes because you rely so much on memories. And memories can be fickle. Sometimes they're someone else's memory of you. Sometimes, with time, they lose or change detail. But what remains the same are the feelings. Or the physical embodiment of those feelings. Like how often a wound was itchy. Or how much you screamed in pain. Not necessarily feeling the depth of that pain but remembering how long you screamed. And then there were the others in the hospitals that I met. They were either on the brink of death themselves or dealing with a loved one's health. Because I spent so much time alone on that bed, I got to know them because all I could do was listen. People are special. My experience and theirs are the ones that inspired me to create this show. The show is a self portrait of myself through the voices of theirs.
I saw a Fringe review for UNTIL DEATH that read, "confusingly sexy and absolutely batty". Could you describe the show start-to-finish? What are we in for, and where do we go with you?
I think the best way to describe my show is that it's an experience. Strap your seatbelt, and let go. Yes there is a bat involved. Because in one of my hospital stays, a bat had actually flown inside once. So I took that and weaved it into the vignettes. It's medical, it's chaotic, it's magical. Like a roller coaster inside a hospital but also one where you meet and play with the characters along the way.
How did you and your director Sophia Cleary develop the show? Did you learn anything new about yourself in the process?
Sophia is an incredible director. She has a workshop in LA called Rehearsal where you can build your show. She asks all the right questions to help you hone in on what you want the show to be, what it means to you and what you're trying to achieve, artistically. I brought in all the pieces that I wanted to explore and then we started to put it all together in this wonderful, bit by bit, non-linear way. We both come from theater, comedy and clown backgrounds so our collaboration felt easy. Something I learned about myself is that creating my own work gives me the most joy. It's hard, sometimes terrifying work. But this show is my voice. And when others respond to it, I feel seen. And that is such a beautiful feeling.
What do you hope to do next with UNTIL DEATH? And what do you think you will work on next?
I have some fun ideas I've gotten with this fringe run that I want to implement in the next version of the show! And I'd love to take it to London and New York, maybe Berlin too!
Can you tell us about some other female-driven shows you've seen at Fringe this year that you would recommend checking out?
Well, you have to see my director, Sophia Cleary's show "It Gets Worse". My LA clown troupe, FLWLS, are a team of gorgeous, funny as hell female clowns and some of them also have their shows here you have to see: Brianna Ahlmark's Dillis, Reshma Meister's Seeking Representation. I saw The Beatles Were A Boy Band the other day and loved it.