Podcast: Slavic Rusalkes and the Celtic Selkies

Not God Complex on their new play What Makes A Body Terrifying?

When we saw the press release for What Makes A Body Terrifying? it really caught our interest. All its talk of water and folk tales made this stand out to us. Equally as striking was their theatre company name, The Not God Complex, which in itself left us so many questions to ask.

So it was a delight to catch up with the company founders, Zoe Glen and Billie Grace, along with the play’s director, Bethan Barke, to find out more. We hear about the inspiration for the play, their love of old folk tales, and just what we can expect when the show plays at Camden Fringe later in August.

What Makes A Body Terrifying?

The Hope Theatre 15 – 19 August 2022

Bodies of water. Bodies in space. Bodies together. Bodies alone.

Who taught you to be scared of the sea? What stories did you hear? What powers of persuasion did they use?

What Makes A Body Terrifying is a queer exploration of two strikingly similar folk tales: the Slavic Rusalke and the Celtic Selkies. These two folk tales centre around mythical sea-people – said to shed their skins and become dangerous, beautiful human-forms, who seduce sailors and lure them to their deaths. This piece explores how they use narrative and rhetorical devices to create fear, and how these parallel with the ways fear is generated against queer bodies.

What Makes a Body Terrifying? is supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England

Tickets are just £15 (£13 concession) available here.