Following a highly-acclaimed run at Edinburgh Fringe 2017, Tumble Tuck, written by Sarah Milton and presented by BackHere! Theatre, now transfers to London to headline the Who Runs the World? season at the King’s Head Theatre. This exciting season showcases work by female playwrights in direct response to the under-representation of female voices on stage.
We spoke to writer and performer, Sara Milton to find out more.
Tumble Tuck is coming to The King’s Head Theatre, what can you tell us about it?
Tumble Tuck is a fast-paced one-woman show about a young woman attempting to cope with her mental health, confidence and ability to accept herself, through swimming. It also includes a lot of references to cheese and KitKats, so if you like arguably excessive food references and speedos this is the show for you.
What inspired you to write it?
I was inspired to write Tumble Tuck right after I’d just moved back home with my Mum, in attempt to help get a hold of my financial situation and a panic disorder. I started swimming at the local pool, hoping the exercise would improve my anxiety and the idea for the play came when a group of pros came to the pool and made me feel unfit in comparison – right when I started to feel like I was getting good at swimming.
Tumble Tuck was very popular at Edinburgh Fringe last year, have you made any changes for this new run?
The feedback we received from Edinburgh was that they wanted more, so we decided to make it longer! It was a wonderful position to be in, having that encouragement to explore the characters journeys and drama in more depth. The show is now roughly an hour long. We’re also now performing it on a traverse, thrust stage – so I’m addressing audiences from every angle.
What have you found most challenging or enjoyable about performing something you’ve written?
Performing your own work gives you more license to experiment with the script and new ideas. Any changes or tweaks to dialogue, that either I or the director Tom Wright have, can be made. It’s that simple. Rehearsals are just the two of us, allowing us to play off each other’s thoughts and create something that we’re really proud of, without too many people getting involved.
It’s also been great to be such an integral part of the show – as both writer and performer – from the very beginning as well.
How does it feel to be headlining the Who Run’s The World season at The King’s Head?
It feels incredible to be the headliner show of this all-female playwright festival. I’m so humbled that Fiona and Louisa (Executive Director and Senior Producer at The King’s Head) felt so connected to Tumble Tuck and to Daisy’s story in Edinburgh. I’m just thrilled by their belief that it would translate so well to their stage in London. I can’t wait.
Where would you like to see Tumble Tuck go next?
I’d love the play to be published, so other young women have access to the work that they can use in auditions and such. There’s still such a lack of material for young women to choose from.
In a dream world, Adelaide Fringe would be an incredible next step for the show and I’d love to see how they take to Tumble Tuck down under!
Tumble Tuck is at The King’s Head Theatre 24th April – 12th May 2018.
Sarah Milton Headshot by Daniel Sutka
