To(i)let, Etcetera theatre, Barons Court theatre
For Camden Fringe 2025 we are attempting to reach 100 interviews to highlight as many of the shows performing as we possibly can. Every day we will publish new interviews, so do keep coming back to see how close to our target we can get. You can find all our Camden Fringe interviews here.
Camden Fringe always features a wonderful mix of Native and non-native contributions. This year that includes Italian Sara Jane Voi, who will be bringing her show To(i)let to both Barons Court Theatre (2 and 3 August) and Etcetera Theatre (14 August). To(i)let tackles abusive relationships, placing it in the most intimate of locations, the bathroom.
Wanting to know more, we found time with Sara Jane when she wasn’t locked in the bathroom rehearsing to ask some questions.
What can audiences expect from the show?
Since the Roman period, the bath was a communal place where people would meet to talk or share practices; washing, saunas and so on. Nowadays, the bathroom is the place where flatmates prepare before going out together. One can say it is where some aspects of womanhood are cultivated. The bathroom is also where parents acclimatise their children to the feeling of water on their skin. The bathroom is an intimate place. It’s a place of refuge. A place where one can discover and rediscover.
To(i)let is a play about an abusive love story between Marika and Thomas. It takes place in only one location: the toilet. There is where Marika gets ready before going out, takes time to herself, takes her phone calls. It’s her safe space, or maybe it was…
Abusive patterns lead people to be uncommunicative between each other (i.e., there are miscommunications and arguments) and outside (i.e., social withdrawal). Marika will try different methods to cope with the strong emotions she experiences. Will she find a way to escape such strong brutality? Two actors. Five characters. Written by an Italian artist. Based on a true story.
Is Camden Fringe going to be the show’s first time on stage, or have you already performed elsewhere?
It’s the first time.
What was your inspiration behind the show?
Something that really happened.
How long have you been working on the play?
One year.
Is this version how you originally envisioned it or has it changed drastically since you first put pen to paper?
Something changed, but the idea is still the same.
What brought you all together?
We met each other little by little. The writer and director is the sister of the main character’s girlfriend. Then, after the first rehearsals, we felt the need to include also others people. We are a multicultural group coming from different countries and the love of art brought us together.
Being a fringe festival, we all know sets have to be bare minimum, how have you got around this with your set and props?
As the all play setting is a toilet, at the begging, we wanted to use just a real sink and a toilet. But then we realised that they could be too heavy to transport, so we rebuilt lighter models.
What has been the biggest challenge in realising the writer’s vision for the show?
The biggest challenge is to work with hard themes of violence and abuse. We use lots of psychological techniques to create a secure mental space for the actors, where they can come back when the character’s role is getting too hard to hold up.
How important is audience interaction to you?
We will break the fourth wall only in one scene. It’s the moment when the audience can decide to do something to save the victim. We are trying to represent the reality of facts. something that happens in abusive relationships. In most cases people for many reasons do nothing. What will the audience do?
Who would play you in the Hollywood adaptation of your future autobiography?
Sharon Stone for its versatility.
If you had to describe your show as a colour what would it be?
Purple. It is the colour associated with mystery and sacrifice. The dynamics of abusive relationships are still a mystery for many people. The sacrifice is a passage through which the victim must pass
What is the weirdest or most unconventional prop used in your show?
A toilet.
If budget or reality was not an issue, what’s the one piece of scenery/set you’d love to have in your show?
A real toilet and real sink.
Is there a question missing that you feel we should be asking you?
What is the message you want to convey with this play?
Our thanks to Sara Jane for taking the time to chat. If you want to know the answer to that final question, then you can catch To(i)let when plays at Barons Court Theatre on Saturday 2 and Sunday 3 August, and then Etcetera Theatre on Thursday 14 August.
