London, 27th of October 2026

👋 Greetings, dear readers.

Last weekend the clocks went back, and I must admit I didn’t realise until someone told me the following day. That says a lot about my state of mind last week. The rain and the cold are definitely back in London, apparently here to stay. So many changes, so many transformations…

As an audience member, when I sit in front of a stage, transformation is something I want to see, to experience. A play can take us on a journey simply by transforming the space through ropes, pulleys, and set design that allows the world of the play to bend and change at will.

Translating that change to spontaneous art forms, like Playback Theatre or improv, doesn’t have to be that difficult. We don’t need technical spectacle nor opulence to present said transformation.

We usually have chairs (or anything that can serve as a seat) to change the layout of the stage. In the case of Playback Theatre, we also have fabrics that allow us to draw different settings on the floor. Whenever I think of that, Lars von Trier’s film Dogville pops into my head. It was shot on a semi-empty stage, and the spaces were delimited by lines on the floor, making it his most theatrical movie.

I encourage you to try and create different spaces with your troupe. The aim is to have, at the end, a different image from the beginning. There are already many playback theatre forms that encourage this transformation with our bodies anyway.

Of course we have to be aware, specially in the long story form, to not be literal in the spaces we create. Just because this story starts at a home, we don’t need to create a home.

While it’s nice to experience a spatial journey thanks to the work on stage, sometimes the journey, and the transformation, doesn’t need to be external. There are great plays that are one long mono-scene, and the transformation we witness is within the characters and the relationships between them.

Long-form improvisers are the most likely to find themselves in situations like this. It relies on the will of the improvisers to find the things that may change and propel the scene, taking us to a place where we don’t see the characters who started the scene in the same way.

Shy,safe acting will lead us nowhere. Bold choices and leaning into vulnerability it’s what will make the audience care about your characters. As an audience, we want to transform with you.

Next time you are on stage, about to do something, ask yourself: Is it worth doing it if I’m not transforming anything at all at any level?

🫶 Stay hydrated, love to you all.🎃

🎭 Theatre Bit

Festelõn, the Spanish theatre festival, took place last week. I’m ashamed to admit that I didn’t know the existence of this festival before, and it’s been going on for fourteen years already. While I couldn’t attend all days, I attended to one of them and I could see a play that tackles a very contemporary issue such as the housing market, evictions and corporate greed.

Archipiélago (Archipelago) is a play created by actress and playwright Begoña Caparrós, based in Madrid, inspired by one of the many cases of people taking their own lives to avoid eviction. Written in 2023, the play is sadly still relevant today.

After the suicide of a tenant, we witness the testimony of three neighbours (all played by Caparrós), offering a glimpse into their lives in a building targeted by a hedge fund. The play shifts into metaphorical territory when these characters are forced out of the building, ending up in a boat bound for a promised solution that never materialises.

With only the help of a few boxes and a few pairs of shoes, Caparrós is capable of taking us along on the journey of these characters, understandable when you have a show that needs to travel internationally without a big production team. It’s commendable what she can do with so little in this play to spark our imagination.

A good play, not only because of its important message, but also because of its execution.

📆 What is coming up

• 🇬🇧 13th of November - Acaprov at Shoreditch Balls (London, UK). With Halloween left behind, but on a Friday the 13th, the monthly Acaprov musical will be ready to serve thrills. Secure your tickets. 🎼

• 🇬🇧 20, 21, 22, 28 and 29th of November - Playback Theatre Core Training (London, UK). Are you finally considering getting into Playback Theatre? Join True Heart Theatre’s Level 1 core training to learn the basics of Playback and put them to the test with a showcase! Info and registration here.

• 🇬🇧 11th of December - Acaprov at Shoreditch Balls (London, UK). Last show of the year at Shoreditch Balls means… it’s the Christmas special! Come for an improvised cheesy musical where love blooms from the magic of the holidays. Gift some tickets to your loved ones.

📚 🎮 🎥 📺 The geeky dessert

👻 Spooky Season Edition 👻

Growing up, one of my favourite films was Fright Night. The film, from 1985, tells the story of Charlie, a teenager who witnesses the vampiric activities of his new neighbour, Jerry (the most vampire-like name on movie history). When no one believes him, he turns to the help of a washed-up vampire hunter from a horror TV show. What could go wrong?

Moved by nostalgia and, of course, the spooky vibes of the season, I decided to re-watch it, and it was a bittersweet experience. There are a few cringe-worthy moments and, overall, the film is quite cheesy. It still has some memorable scenes and genuinely funny moments, but the real highlight was the practical effects by Richard Edlund’s team, which were brilliant to watch (the same team that handled the effects for Ghostbusters, by the way).

The film had a remake in 2011 which wasn’t particularly memorable, despite having David Tennant in the cast.