We sadly live in a world where, the discourse of weight, body acceptance, body shaming and everything above and in between, is slowly getting better. Yet, there is always the other side of the coin, diet culture, a sense that to be able to be sporty or fit or active, you must be a certain weight or have a certain look and this is also on the rise.

I first saw Katie Greenall a few years back at the once fantastic Vault Festival. What I found appealing about her and her art is that she wasn’t afraid to be metaphorically bare on stage, to be bold, and be open, on a topic and in a space where there could be criticism and the potential to have her vulnerability challenged.

There is nothing different between that show and BLUBBER in that approach. She is open, honest, and direct with us. She notes she didn’t want to make another play about her body, and yet it becomes what drove her creation. BLUBBER originally meant to look at a plus size group of synchronised swimmers that inspired Greenall to take up the sport but, while it starts this way, she takes us through the journey she had in making the production, where it makes her reflect on her own body and her relationship with it.

Water is a huge theme – her sense of ease within it, how it removes physical pressures and feeling, how it lifts her spirit and makes her feel at home. And so she uses this throughout, visually and also in an invitation to interact with her. It is beautiful, and calming and heart breaking all in one.

As someone who has struggled up and down in her weight herself, the very candid thoughts and feelings she has is hugely resonating. They are things you think and never say out loud or divulge to anyone else. And so for her to tell, essentially, a group of strangers brings a very special element to this production; a space to emote and feel and be real and ultimately, be intimate with her.

Greenall refers to her body often as another entity and this separation feels not only as a coping mechanism she has created but another figure in the production; one that is scolded and hated but wants to love and be loved. Using physical theatre and movement, she attempts to combine the two characters and it is moving and heart wrenching all in one. The production has its moments of comedy, but it mostly has a calm feeling, such like water, and a sense of talking with a friend. It doesn’t need any grand crescendos or surprises to take us on a journey and tug at our emotions.

BLUBBER is a fantastic piece of theatre, addressing body culture from a personal viewpoint. It most importantly doesn’t have the approach of acceptance and putting a finger up to society, but the reality of the actual struggles and pain that is felt in bodies, which is relatable, beautiful and deeply resonating.