Tanieth Kerr’s play LIV: Sapphic Shakespeare comes to Brighton Fringe this month.
“Liv loves Rio (who is really Vi) who works for a duke who pursues Liv for political gain as Vi realises her feelings for Liv…
Lady Liv mourns the death of her brother while navigating the pressures of succession amidst the relentless pursuit of a cruel Duke who sends endless messengers to her.
Rio mourns for their own losses and is the latest in a long line of these couriers.
In the graveyard, our two heroes grow closer…”
Where: Fishing Museum Loft
When: 13-15 May
Ticket link: https://www.brightonfringe.org/events/liv-sapphic-shakespeare/
Tanieth tells us about this lively comedy of errors.
Can you tell us a bit about your new show?
LIV: Sapphic Shakespeare is a retelling of Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare- a reimagining where the two heroines Olivia and Viola fall in love with each other. Written in the style of Shakespeare (with a few of his good lines thrown in!), the play tackles loss and dealing with grief while having to live a public life, love and coming to understand and accept your queerness.
Directed by Katy Livsey, I get the immense pleasure of performing with Beth Birss as well as having written the play. We all met at university and it is such a treat to be able to work with them at my local fringe!
It’s a big anniversary for Brighton Fringe this year – what do you like most about it?
I have done Brighton Fringe twice; this year will be my third and every year I just love the atmosphere! The whole city comes alive with artists and creatives- it’s a great big melting pot of talent and ideas. It’s hard to come away from the Fringe and not be inspired!
Your show takes another look at Twelfth Night from an LGBTQ angle – where did the idea come from?
Twelfth Night has been one of my favourite Shakespeare plays since I did it in college. Last year, I went to see a production of Twelfth Night at the RSC and I realised that the ending didn’t entertain me as it once had because, due to some classic Shakespearean mistaken identity, Olivia ends up marrying a man she doesn’t actually know and the person she wanted to marry turns out to be his twin sister.
I thought about what would the ending better and started asking myself what if: what if Orsino’s pursuit wasn’t honourable, what if Olivia was set to inherit a high position in the public eye and what would happen then if Viola fell for Olivia and Olivia loved her back? And that thought process turned into LIV.
What else is in the pipeline after these shows?
After we debut LIV at the Brighton Fringe, we are taking it on a festival tour! We are so excited get to do this show at Buxton, Camden and Guildford Fringe with a few more dates to be confirmed!
Sell us your show in three words!
Twelfth Night Fanfiction!