Intervu Tuck!
“Tuck!” Poster
I sat down with Lou Bristow-Bell to talk to him about Tuck!
“As a queer person, I am really interested in the topic of gender, heteronormativity and what we consider normal, no matter how small and mundane and how ingrained they are.”
Tuck! Is “A queer, horror, experimental show.” that explores gender, body dysmorphia and the relationship that we have to heteronormativity.
I ask them about the process behind the show:
Lou tells me that the piece started from a series of interviews that they undertook with trans and non-binary artists based in London back in April of 2025.“I conducted these interviews, talking to them about their art and how that is in connection to their gender and their bodies and then we took all their words back, with their permission, into a cast.” Lou considers the show to be “like a research project,” emphasising just how much he learned during the interview process.
After the interview period concluded, he and the team devised the show for around six weeks. During this time, although they kept the core team the same, they were “bringing in a different person every time. Often the people I interviewed try to get their notes and perspectives.”He emphasises that he is “the director / facilitator” and that the “show was written by the ensemble performing in it”, which he loves because inside the show “everyone has a piece of them.” He adds, “I think it makes the show far more interesting.”
“Tuck!”
I ask him what the goals of the show are:
He tells me Tuck! is a show that tries to build “empathy between cisgender and transgender people” and build “roots of connection.” He went on to say, “It’s very queer but it also has something that is bigger than that, that talks to something about humanity and being human”
He then tells me something that I find deeply interesting about the creation process of Tuck!.“We had a show that existed but…” He pauses and laughs, “To me, to do the same show again is boring so let’s do something different, let's change it, let's adapt off how we felt about it, how the audience felt about it, let’s take in their feedback.” In weekly sessions, they went back to devising and now “the show is very different from the first version.”
He sums it up rather nicely: “I’m really interested in theatre that is fluid, both in what it looks like and how it is created.” He adds further that “I love theatre that will never be ‘finished’ to me that is so much more interesting”
I ask him why they use such a process:
Casually, he tells me that they live “in a world of devised theatre. It’s the theatre I grew up with.” He explains that "It's the first show that I have been at the helm of in directing and producing and first debut into the London scene after graduating drama school.” Furthermore for him, “This show just feels special - although that is such a blah statement - but it is close to my heart. Compared to my other work, this show really feels like something I have poured myself into.”
“Tuck!”
Now, I give him the tough question of why should people come and see the show:
“I think people should come and see it because it's weird! It is weird and strange! But it is exciting! It is trying to do something new! It is trying to push boundaries! It is trying to walk the line of what is theatre, what is performance, what is drag.” I watch him get even more excited. “It is entertaining as hell! At some points a club night, at some points a thriller! At some points a weird uncanny David Lynch first date scene!”
I ask him if there is anything he is looking forward to see at the moment:
“All the shows at Grimfest look incredible!” He says before explaining that there is a show not involved with the festival that has caught his eye. “At Playhouse East there is a show called ‘A Very Clownless Show’ and I bring it up because it speaks to me in terms of pushing boundaries, it is a weird, immersive, horror, strange, uncanny theatre.” For him, it is something he is very much looking forward to.
On that note, I ask him how much clowning there is in Tuck!:
Coyly he says back: “There’s weird clowning. Everything we do, there is clowning in everything.”
I ask him if he has any advice for any creatives in his position or anyone looking to put on their own show:
“It’s not easy and it might get stressful, it might get taxing.” They sigh. “The Fringe theatre scene in London at the moment is hard” He goes on, “it is so important to centre your show in something that is joyful and beautiful and close to you. That is what will push you through it, that passion you have.” Then honestly he says, “I would also say to always be ambitious.” adding, “I’m always far more interested in the ambition of a project rather than if its in its perfect state.” With passion, they declare, “Keep changing things, keep on growing. That’s how we grow as artists and communities.”
Finally, I ask him what’s next?
“Tuck! Will go on a small hiatus to undergo further changes.” But he goes on to tell me, “Novem Ensemble have two more shows at the Space Theatre in Canary Wharf. ‘Madame, you have a guest?’ And ‘Tale From the Ticker’”
Tuck! will perform at Grimfest at the Barons Court Theatre on the 17th and 18th of October at 8:30pm. Tickets can be found here: https://app.lineupnow.com/event/king-of-the-scouts
Tickets to the other shows by the Novem Ensemble can be found here: https://space.org.uk/event/madame-you-have-a-guest-a-tale-from-the-ticker-double-bill/#tabs-booking
The Social media handle for Tuck! can be found here: https://www.instagram.com/tuck.play/ And the the social media handle for the Novem Ensemble can be found here: https://www.instagram.com/novemensemble/
“Tuck!”
