Claudia Marciano: Tackling a sensitive subject by running 26.2 miles

Pregnancy loss is experienced by a great number of women. What the parents go through is rarely discussed and often considered taboo. It is part of the realm of the ‘unspoken’, or the ‘unvoiced’. It is buried.

I am a performer and collaborator with Theatre Re, and first joined their project BIRTH 6 months into its development. When I came on board, the company had been exploring the idea of secrets in families, unearthing the parallels between our own lives and the lives of our parents and grandparents. What we uncovered was that a common “unspoken secret” within our family trees was pregnancy loss. And so, the story of Sue, Katherine and Emily was born.

BIRTH is the story of three generations of women from the same family who are all linked together by an invisible web. It traces their journey of self-discovery, acceptance and hope. As we progressed, I began to feel a real responsibility to portray this story truthfully and sensitively.

When I came on board, the show had already established a relationship with the charity Aching Arms but during my own research I discovered the charity Tommy’s who also support bereaved mothers and fathers after the loss of a baby. I was really surprised and felt quite ignorant to the statistics surrounding miscarriage and stillbirth. I suddenly understood that it was something that everyone is touched by at some point in their life.

I love challenging my body and mind both as a performer and outside of my work, so I jumped at the opportunity to sign up for the Brighton Marathon and raise money for Tommy’s. Fundraising for the race allowed me to open-up a discussion about pregnancy loss to not only friends and family but also colleagues and friendly strangers buying cakes from my charity bake sales.

During our preview at the London Mime Festival, I remember feeling really fatigued as a result of my training, but in that moment I realised the urgency of the work we’re doing and how important it is that we tell this story effectively. Taking on this challenge really showed me the possibility of how we as theatre makers can elevate our work when it becomes personal and we try to find truth in what we’re doing.

Performance Dates

26^th February 2020 The Ffwrnes

Park St, Llanelli, United Kingdom, SA15 3YE

0345 2263510

theatrausirgar.co.uk

28^th February 2020 Richard Burton Theatre

The Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, Castle Grounds, Cathays Park, Cardiff, CF10 3ER

029 2039 139

rwcmd.ac.uk

14^th– 16^th May 2020 The MAC

10 Exchange St West, Belfast, BT1 2NJ

028 9023 5053