Intervu Dreambomb
“Dreambomb” Poster
I sat down with Ruby K to chat to them about their show Dreambomb
“You’ll exorcise some demons. It's got some bite. It will make you uncomfortable at times. I’m one of those sick weirdos who likes to seek that stuff out.”
Dreambomb is a surreal clowning show created by Ruby and their sister that had its premiere 7 years ago. Now for Grimfest 2025, they have brought it back.
I ask them about the process behind the show:
Ruby tells me that initially their “sister had the skeleton of the script” and that she introduced them “to the devising process” Dreambomb itself “was born out of playing around in our living room.” It was a very different period of their lives, Ruby tells me that their “sister decided to go study clowning at Lecoq as I was just finishing my A-Levels.” Post the initial run of the show, Ruby and their sister went on and did different things, “Once I graduated I pivoted more into music and poetry” and “my sister as well, she went into circus art and movement. We’ve both done this weird roundabout of learning other techniques and coming back to this show” This show holds a special place for both of them, “This was the first thing we did together.”
Now 7 years later, Ruby says that they“realised when looking back at the writing that I was writing when I was like 18 years old and how much was underneath that.” They go on to say, “I feel like there was a lot of anger when I first made it and now a lot more tenderness and vulnerability and that’s really interesting to look at now 7 years on and after stepping out the proverbial closet.” They tell me that they realise just how much they and their sister have grown over time. Cheekily, they also add, “It's been a process of trying to remember what we did” They say happily, “It’s made it a hell of a lot weirder” and that in doing so “it’s allowed the weightier moments to land much more weighty.”
After a moment, candidly, Ruby asks aloud, “How do we introduce ourselves back to it?”
They go on to tell me about the thesis of Dreambomb, “I think because when we initially wrote this play it was very specifically about sisters and that feminine experience, in a bit of a fucked up way because we’re quite fucked up characters. But since then I’ve come out as gender queer and gay and I think that really brought this subtext to the forefront and we had to have a negotiation on the fact that this is now about siblings rather than specific sisters.” They keep going, telling me that “Its still looking at feminization in a certain way but it's looking at how icky gender as a whole can be, and when you feel like you do not fit in a stringent box and what that feels like to negotiate with someone who has been by your side your whole life. And there’s annoying things with language that we’ve had to look at like pronouns, but then there’s also stuff like I can kind of see the frustration that I had at that period of time when we were first making it that I didn't have the language to express that so I was expressing it through the art that I made.”
“Dreambomb”
Ruby tells me more about where they were at 7 years ago, “When we first put this on I was pre-drama school and I was very much like ‘theatre is what I want to do’” And then, “I did my studies and burnt myself out.” Vulnerably, Ruby reveals, “I didn’t know who I was and I was like: I think I need some time to figure out me”
They explain to me, “It was a three year break where I was singing more and not really doing theatre. I was with my music collective and seeing their art and that allowed me to see myself and fix a lot of the stuff with me that allowed me to step back into theatre and be like I feel more armored now and I have a strength with knowing what I do want to do and what I don’t want to do, the kind of work I’m interested in and what I’m not interested in.”
Again, candidly, they say, “And I’m still kind of taking baby steps into that. It feels right that a show like this is the thing I come back into the theatre world with and it's also with the backing of my sister and someone I can be completely vulnerable and myself with.”
“Dreambomb”
I ask them why people should come and see Dreambomb:
With vigor, they tell me that “They should come and see it because you’ll exorcize some demons. Its got some bite. It will make you uncomfortable at times. I’m one of those sick weirdos who likes to seek that stuff out.” They go on to add that, “I’m a big horror fan, psychological thriller fan. I like to seek things out that make me feel strange. It feels good to be doing that to other people.”
With regards to the show they say that “It’s got a lot of heart. It’s so personal to us. It’s basically based on us as people and siblings and basically, if you have a sibling you should come see this show because there will be some things that only siblings will get.”
I ask them what they want people to walk away from the show with:
“I would really love for people to feel like they’ve lost themselves a little bit in it.” Ruby goes on,
“I want them to take away a feeling like they’ve been in a fever dream. We’re really influenced by people like Philip Ridley and David Lynch.” Dreambomb “feels like our world but there’s something kind of off and ethereal and off-kilter.”
And when the audience leaves, Ruby wants people to reflect “on the sense of what makes you who you are and your relationship with yourself and other people.”
Within the show there is a “general overarching theme: this repetitive cycle, and as people, we can feel like we just keep coming back to this - and I think the realisation that you are coming back to this thing is the first step of shattering it and breaking it.”
I ask them if there is anything he is looking forward to see at the moment:
Terrified, they reply“I feel like every time I get asked a question like this my brain immediately deletes everything!” Before going on to say, “I’m excited to go and see things once this has died down, especially art that is more fringier art. I’ve been going to a few drag shows and a few smaller venue things and that is really key for wanting to see stuff that is different or makes you think or feels out of the ordinary, that is where you’re going to find it.”
I ask them if they have any advice for other creatives or anyone else in their position:
Honestly they say, “It’s never too late to give something a go” Then half jokingly add,“Especially for someone over the hill of 25”
They take a moment and then Ruby says, “Something that comes up a lot for me as a creative person is that certain things take time. Things will need to cook for a little bit. There may seem like people where things happen overnight for them, but people won’t have seen the simmering in the background. The groundwork has been laid, the dominoes have been set up for that specific moment and you’ll never know when your specific moment will be. That might be putting on your first ever show, your first ever hit show, your first time of ever getting up in front of someone.”
They finish off by saying that, “just recognise that it's okay if things feel like they need to cook a little bit longer. You can do what we did and sit on it for 7 years if you like! There are people who completely change track and that is your right as a human being: to change your mind and just do something.”
Finally, I ask them what’s next?
Gleefully they answer, “We’re going to have some rest!” Ruby tells me, “My sister is going to do a masters and I’m going to really knuckle down on some writing I’ve left in the locker for a little bit. Excitingly they say that, “I’ve got an EP that will hopefully come out next year. I released a song last month and I’m working on a video for that as well. I’ve got a few pots simmering.” Finally and with wisdom Ruby says, “But I’m here for a year of discovery but not putting too much expectations on myself and seeing what unfolds.”
The ticket link for Dreambomb is: https://app.lineupnow.com/event/dreambomb
The link to Ruby K’s bandcamp is: https://rubyk.bandcamp.com/track/duds and the link to their latest song Duds, is: https://ditto.fm/duds
The link to Ruby K’s other creative projects is: https://linktr.ee/rubyk_
“Dreambomb”
