How to Drown a Fish

Performed & Created by Grace Gibson

"thought-provoking...enables the pain of practice and the polish of performance to sit side by side" The Scotsman

Offstage a cassette is taken out of its box and put into the player. The music crackles and she bounds on to stage. With hairspray in her saliva, she dances on an uneven floor. The air is wet, her hair drips. She is drowning in a moment.

Unpacking personal experiences involving children’s dance competitions, How to Drown a Fish dissects the point when it all goes wrong. Inspired by a moment of failure, we watch a girl with a hairspray-fixed smile do her best to stay afloat. 

Developed as a part of Camden People’s Theatre’s Artist Development programme Starting Blocks and at The Campsite Retreat with support of Jerwood Charitable Foundation.

Supported by Arts Council England, The Pleasance Theatre, Camden People's Theatre, The Campsite, Creative Arts East and Somewhereto_.

Creative Team
Lighting Dadiow Lin Music and Sound Rosa Brook Dramaturgy Zach James Additional devising Isabel Taylor & Flora Marston

Past venues
Camden People’s Theatre
The Wardrobe Theatre, Bristol
The Boat Shed Theatre, Exeter
Zoo Venues, Edinburgh, 2017

Transferred to The Tank, New York City

★★★★ Broadway Baby

“A funny, singular, visually smart, impulsive, self-effacing piece of performance.” Audience member

“I must thank you for making joyful art out of what has previously brought shame at the memory of them.” Audience member