Angelina Voznesenskaia’s new show Chicken or Fish? is currently running at Camden Fringe.
“Getting stuck in an airport for 8 hours? Horrid. What about not being able to leave for 6 years?
This solo performance tells a dynamic and complex story of Vasya. Stranded in the airport for 6 years, they are trying to leave, but each attempt fails.
Experience the frustrations, hilarities, and sudden discoveries of an international student battling their internal and external challenges.”
Where: The SPID Theatre
When: to 22 Aug
Ticket link: https://camdenfringe.com/events/chicken-or-fish/
What’s your show about and what inspired it?
Chicken or Fish?‘ is a queer self-discovery play set within an immigration context.
It tells a story of Vasya, who appears to be stuck inside an airport for 6 years. They tried to leave numerous times but kept circling back to the same places.
The audience meets Vasya when they find themselves on a luggage conveyor belt, and they decide to tell a story of how they got there. The real mystery begins when they find two large eggs inside their suitcase.
It is inspired by my own immigration experiences, as I have been travelling in and out of the UK since 2019 when I was an international student.
It is written by my friend and an exceptionally talented writer, George Newman. He interviewed me and then created this play.
Initially, I was unsure whether it was a story that should be told, but then the UK government started pushing a very strong anti-immigrant rhetoric, and I decided that I would like to share what immigration means to me.
Why it’s not easy, what is good about it, why we come to the UK and why it’s worth going through the loops of bureaucracy and empty promises, when the whole world is pushing down on you.
Why should people come to see your show, and what might they expect?
Chicken or Fish? is for immigrants, for international students, for people who put their lives on pause because of the current state of the world and for their friends, who want to understand them better.
This play sheds light on numerous issues and questions that immigrants face when they move. Some of them come from their native countries, and some are being thrown at them by the country they move to.
Most importantly, it discusses how to find yourself in a world filled with dread and anxiety. This feeling is not exclusive to immigrants, but we know a few things about adapting, embracing, and moving forward.
UK citizens can expect to get an insight into the life of a ‘legal’ migrant, while my fellow international travellers can get the support and understanding they deserve.
How did you make a start in the business?
I formed Scroll Arc Theatre with my fellow graduates from Royal Holloway University not long after finishing the course.
We are working in slightly different theatrical styles and have our own job aspirations, but we all have the same sentiment towards our company.
We want to create a space for emerging artists like us, so they can try out their work, platform it and hopefully get more recognition.
We are especially interested in uplifting international voices, helping them spread their respective cultures, and sharing them within the community.
Do you have a favourite type of venue to work in?
I really enjoy an all-round or thrust formation both as a director and an audience member.
As a spectator, I feel a lot more intimate and focused, and as a director, I feel a lot more precision in staging and freedom at the same time.
However, my preferences tend to fluctuate depending on the text I am working with.
What’s next for the show?
Well, I am definitely not done perfecting the show, and I would love to work more on the text in collaboration with the writer George Newman and the actor Bee Edwards.
I also want to get more funding for some special effects, moving projection and props.
I have several projects with Scroll Arc Theatre company coming up, but we are already discussing sending Chicken or Fish? to the next Edinburgh Fringe.
So keep your eyes peeled to our Instagram @scrollarctheatre) cause we are not done!