Let It Stain, The Libra Theatre Cafe
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Through a nonlinear series of unfortunate events, Let It Stain depicts life as a tango between love and violence. Images of love, yearning, and aggression fill the stage, resulting in an epic dark comedy that aims to reveal our naked truth.
We wanted to know more, so grabbed some time with writer/ director/ producer Mafalda Garcia and actor Joao Braz to learn more about this show that will play at The Libra Theatre Cafe from 31 July to 2 August (tickets here).
What can audiences expect from the show?
JB: Let it Stain is an amalgamation of all we’ve learned and all we desire, condensed into an hour-long, dark comedic tale that follows a woman after she attempts to end her life. The audiences can expect emotional honesty and openness, as well as an idiosyncratic perspective on life and human connections. This piece is for everyone. Everyone who has loved, everyone who has cried, who has been hurt or hurt someone else. These are all common experiences that we share as we grow. For that reason, we invite everyone to share this moment with us.
Is Camden Fringe going to be the show’s first time on stage, or have you already performed elsewhere?
JB: Our show started in 2023 at the University of Portsmouth. For one of our final modules, we were required to create a theatre company and produce a show. InMotion was the result of it, which became an immediate success in that academic context, later being showcased at the Aspex Gallery. Subsequently, InMotion was offered to participate in a docu-series produced by the students of Film, Media and Sound of the University of Portsmouth, documenting the creation process of the show, titled Off-Stage. In 2025, InMotion decided to move forward and partake in the Camden Fringe Festival, developing the original concept of the play into a more mature, focused, and experienced show.
What was your inspiration behind the show?
JB: The show’s original version came to me as an answer to our frustrations as a theatre company of emerging artists in a foreign country where nothing is readily given to you. The play was devised from our own experiences, dreams, and doubts about the world we live in. This iteration of Let it Stain was more challenging for me, as I decided to approach the story in a more narrative-based way, including a lot of text, which is something I have been dreading doing for years. My writing inspirations stem from artists like Abbas Kiarostami and the works of Albert Camus. Their philosophy on mortality and human connections influenced me to work on bigger and more existential questions in the latest version of the show.
How challenging has this role been for you?
MG: This role has been challenging for me as a performer since this character is so different from what I am and the roles I usually play. As the main character of this story, and as we follow through her narrative, It has been such an interesting learning process to engage and understand this Woman, how stoic she is in her true heart, how she was affected by her past life, and how that influences her choices throughout this play. I hope you can all see traits of her in all of us, how raw and human she is.
What brought you all together?
MG: We met all at Uni and decided to start this company as an assessement for one our final modules of our 3rd year. As a multicultural and diverse group, consisting mostly of Portuguese and Spanish people, we decided to use our variety of cultural traditions and experiences to create a story that would mean something to all of us. We bonded over our experiences living in the UK, our favourite traditional songs, styles of music, and dances.
What has been the biggest challenge in realising the writer’s vision for the show?
JB: Speaking as the director who is also the playwright of the show, putting on a play that I wrote myself is really a double-edged sword. My writing style is mainly rooted in instincts, which allows me to have hours of free-flow writing, without any concerns about structure and reason. On the other hand, my director role consists of taking that miscellanea and shaping it into a fully realised idea. I also think that being both writer and director allows me to have a better understanding of the world we’re creating, which is also a disadvantage since I can be too stuck in my concept of the show.
If you had to describe your show as a colour what would it be?
JB: Let it Stain is a red stain on a big white wall. Red is the colour of love and aggression, the two main pillars of the show.
If you could perform this show anywhere in the world where would it be?
JB: Performing Let It Stain in our countries would bring a lot of joy to us, especially coming from such culturally rich places like Spain and Portugal.
If budget or reality was not an issue, what’s the one piece of scenery/set you’d love to have in your show?
JB: At one point in the play, there is a dream sequence, which Ienvisioned happening in a deserted place, where the only thing you can hear is the wind passing by. If budget wasn’t an issue, I imagine sand, rain, greenery, and other natural elements being incorporated into the show’s set design.
Thanks to Mafalda and Joao for their time. Let It Stain plays at The Libra Cafe Theatre from 31 July to 2 August.
