Storyteller Laura Sampson peels back layers of folktale to reveal a very modern take on identity - told in words, sounds and live-drawn visuals.
Mixing make-believe and memoir with colourful soundscapes (Sam Enthoven) and live illustration (Andrea Aste), HIDE is about skin and what lies beneath it.
An ancient East African legend says the power to shed one’s skin came to snakes by mistake: the gods meant it for us. Instead of being able to shuck off old layers - old identities - at will, our human skins layer up and harden into leather. A hide, to hide inside.
Inspired by fairytale, family history and Pure Imagination, HIDE speaks of the challenges Laura faces as a person of mixed heritage, disconnected from one side of her own identity.
Is the story of monster-prince Lindworm, tricked into shedding his hide to reveal the Truth, a way to understand the experiences Laura’s Trinidad-born grandparents left unspoken?
How did ‘where she’s really from’ get lost, and where might she find it?
What’s the cost of a thick skin?
Creative Team
Created + Performed by Laura Sampson
Live drawing + illustration by Andrea Aste
Live Sound by Sam Enthoven
HIDE: Sad Fairytale Queen. Copyright, Andrea Aste.
Praise for HIDE:
★★★★ ’deeply resonates' - Fringebiscuit
‘Lexically complex and poetically stunning, this is a great piece of storytelling’ - Binge Fringe Magazine
Reviews of previous work by Laura Sampson:
‘Unique soundscapes and perfectly told tales’ - Buxton Fringe Review (of Portents, with Sam Enthoven)
‘the audience is captivated: completely caught in the web weaved by the words’ - A Younger Theatre
Date: Tuesday 6th & Wednesday 7th June 2023
Time: 7.30pm
Duration: 1 hour per performance
Age Guidance: 10+
Specific Content: References to racial abuse; description of tube train 'jumper' incident.
Please e-mail us ahead of the day to ensure we are aware of and can facilitate any access needs