During the performance, KODISTA (Of Home, Homing) came alive in new and unexpected ways. It was beautiful to notice how the narrative arc came true as the trust in the room grew throughout the duration of the performance. At the entrance there was a tangible apprehensiveness in the room; the expectation of behaviour was broken by the layout of the room. People peered around the walls, trying to make sense of what was going to happen. However, as time went on there was a shift in how the audience eased into the room. They would sit down on the floor, read their own cards out loud and some truly took the time to reflect on the questions. This led to an environment of trust and vulnerability – I felt seen, and saw each audience member in a new, more authentic light and through that connection we built trust in each other. This was evident at the end of the performance when I began destroying the cards, the emotional charge was tangible in the room - I recall everyone with tears in their eyes.

For me this atmosphere allowed an inner peace during the performance – I could lean onto the preparative work I had done during the rehearsal period while gaining a new level of trust from the emotionally sensitive reception of the room.

Throughout the process, I have been questioning myself on why am I, as a Collaborative Theatre Maker, creating a solo performance. The performance itself became the answer to that question: we co-existed in the space in my and every single participant’s stories, memories and emotions. It was not a solo piece at all, we made it come alive together.

What working on KODISTA (Of Home, Homing) has taught me is gratefulness. Of home, and of my position of having been able to make all these precious memories that constitute the meaning of home to me. But it is also a gratefulness of the people in my life and the world we live in, and all the beauty it holds. I would like to share an excerpt from a conversation between Trevor Noah, Christiana Mbakwe Medina and Yuval Noah Harari (2024), which to me highlights exactly what this gratefulness is. Time stamp: 53.28 – 58.14.

Making Bureaucracies Sexier with Yuval Noah Harari [VIDEO]

In the future I am hoping to take this idea and apply it in different contexts – I acknowledge that the audience at Rose Bruford College is appreciative and consists of friends, but I would be keen to see what happens if the room is filled with total strangers. What kind of sensitivity could be achieved? Would people take the time to engage with the work? What does home mean to them, to you?