Tell It To The Bees explores interlinked stories inspired by bees and folklore. What inspired you to create this show?

The show was originally created in response to my Mam's death. It was the act of telling the bees which led me to begin my journey and the way in which, in folklore, they are messengers between the living and the dead.
Although the show has morphed and changed so that now we offer a special version for Dying Matters Week events, it is still part of the way me Mam travels on with me. She is there in the abundance of nature imagery - I can see her council estate garden built on rubble with cuttings and rootings, alive in the summer with the hum and buzz of bees.

And of course, once I began to explore a bee's-eye-view of the world, I was entirely hooked and began to notice and spend time with these fabulous "bee-ings"!

World Wildlife Day celebrates the beauty and importance of nature. How does Tell It To The Bees reflect or amplify the message of protecting wildlife and the natural world?

The show explores the more-than-human world of Bees and how they see and communicate. It celebrates just what incredible creatures they are.

The story of the Bee Charmer celebrates the abundance of nature and the passing of seasons, while the Queen of The Bumble Bees explores the power of these small beings and The Travelling Companion briefly
explores a world where the bees have left, a world in crisis and grief. It draws on charms and a different way of thinking in order to restore the land.

The show blends magic, nature imagery and soundscapes beautifully. Could you share more about how you approached combining these elements to create such an immersive experience?

The show is inspired by a mix of folk and wonder tales with some real-life experiences thrown in. It draws heavily on the experiences of a range of people because I workshopped the stories with eco therapy and library groups (mainly during lockdown) and then worked with Kate Luxmoore (musician) and Titania Krimpas (director) in an open way, collaborating on the development.

And then of course there were the bees! I read everything I
could find and I looked - really looked at bees for the first time! And the longer I have been sharing these stories the more I find myself in a relationship with bees.

Is there a particular folk tale or bee-related myth that resonates with you or plays a pivotal role in the show?

I don’t think that there is one in particular! There are a few Bee-related tales that haven’t yet made it into the set (it would be far too long!) But one of the later additions to the repertoire is 'The Queen of The Bumble Bees' - which can be found in Katharine Briggs and Dictionary of Folk Tales - it is a short tale but a big story and it is almost entirely from a Bee's-Eye-View. I’m still chatting with it - perhaps more than the others now as I am fairly sure it has more to reveal!

What was the most surprising or rewarding moment for you during the creation or performance of Tell It To The Bees?

The people who connect with it! And all the small moments with bees.
The beekeepers who come along and enjoy the folklore, knowing some of the charms and sayings already; holding a lavender flower and watching a Bumble Bee sip from it.

It is also a set of tales that I constantly find new angles on, particularly when the unexpected happens. We’ve performed in lots of different spaces including a rooftop garden in Canary Wharf as part of Festival 14 where a great pigeon decided to get in on the show just as the shape-shifting section had begun.

Rural Touring has included some of my favourite gigs for this show with our most recent one having a beekeeper in full outfit as the person directing the parking and then ushering in the audience.

What’s next for you and your creative journey? Are there other projects or stories you’re excited to share?

I have just developed two new pieces (Wild Woods Brew and Midsummer Brew) under the Story-Tea heading working with medical herbalist and visual artist Arlene Burnett and musicians Kate Luxmoore and Marc Reck. It’s an extension of exploring the more than human gaze and weaving together story and folklore. And this time it offers an even more immersive experience as the audience is invited to sip herbal blends either from the woods or the Summer Countryside. We’ve had a really positive response from our first audiences and can’t wait to share the work with a wider audience.