Interview: Popping The Question To Cova

Covadonga Camblor on bringing Maybe I Do… ? to Camden Fringe

Spanish actress, writer and producer Covadonga Camblor is bringing her one-woman show, Maybe I Do….?  to the Camden Fringe this summer. Looking at love across language barriers, it promises a comical cultural crossover. She kindly took some time out of her schedule to tell us about it.

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First off, can you tell us a bit about the character of Carmen, whose story we hear?

Carmen is a very loveable character (I hope!) that doesn´t understand the concept of boundaries. She is wild, slightly naive and completely insane. When she falls in love she cannot see the red flags. When someone breaks her heart, she transforms herself into another different person! I guess like everybody, right? 

“Maybe I do…?” tells a story of a different kind of wedding… where the groom is in prison and the ceremony is made online with Carmen in her own house. However, she is madly in love… with another person…

As a Spaniard in the UK yourself, have you encountered similar confusions in communicating across languages to those in the play?

I have to confess that some of the stories that people will see during the play are based on real events! Obviously, I would not say which ones! Haha

It’s brilliant to see this is a totally one woman show, but is it a story just for women?

Not at all! Everybody can relate to Carmen. And if they do not, they will anyway enjoy her craziness!

Carmen and Steve’s relationship blossoms over Zoom. Is there some personal experience of Zoom dating behind this that we should know about?

As much as I think Zoom changed our lives and, in some cases, made them easier; I dońt have any experiences with Zoom dating.

In a play about confusing communication, are we Brits going to get your Spanish humour?

I hope so! I am a huge fan of British humour and I tried to incorporate some elements into my play. I also enjoy doing stand-up comedy so I really hope the Brits will enjoy it!

The show has been at Camden Fringe before. Can you tell us about how was it received last time, and if you have made many changes in revisiting it?

I performed the show last year but not for the Camden Fringe. It had really good reviews and I decided to make some changes in order to make it better (or I hope so!). This time I am exploring my physicality more, incorporating some clowning elements as well.

You’ve worked in film as well as on stage productions. Would telling this story be easier if you could just run subtitles? Why is it good for the theatre?

“Maybe I do…” is definitely a story to tell on a stage! It would be impossible to translate it into Spanish, as the jokes are made for an English audience. Plus, you would want to meet Carmen face to face!

Do you have any plans for Maybe I Do…? after Camden Fringe?

It is a show that I definitely want to keep exploring and perform. It is my first one woman show and it’s very special to me. Perhaps Edinburgh Fringe next year? I dońt know!

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Maybe I Do…? plays at Hen and Chickens Theatre 31 July and 1 August, and Rosemary Branch Theatre 4 and 5 August. Further information and bookings can be found here.