The Intrusion: Examining Climate Crisis Through Comedy – Finding Hope In The Bleakness of Extinction
Bric à Brac Theatre and Told by an Idiot present The Intrusion, a dark comedy exploring climate crisis and survival after civilisation’s end. Premiering at Leeds Playhouse (March 1-8) before touring northern venues, the Kafkaesque play uses humour and original music to examine extinction. Developed with experts and community insights, the production features Kitty Devlin (Bridgerton), Alex Hinson, and Siobhan Cha Cha. Directed by Anna Marshall, it offers an “anarchic look” at a desperate situation, reflecting the world’s approach to climate catastrophe.
Ahead of the Liverpool date of the tour – Saturday 29 March at the Unity Theatre, Liverpool Noise caught up with The Intrusion Production Team (TIPT) to explore The Intrusion’s creation, influences, and impact. We discussed amongst other themes the collaborative writing, Kafkaesque themes, and portrayal of the climate crisis that is on the cusp of engulfing us all…
“We didn’t want to lecture the audience, so by setting the story at the end of the world, we invite them to consider: if we had the chance to start over, how could we do better?”
LN: What was the writing process of The Intrusion? Is it a singular work by one person or a collaborative group? The press release also mentions Kafka as an inspiration. How does Kafka’s work specifically influence the themes, style, or narrative of The Intrusion?
TIPT: We create work through a devised process, meaning it is 100% collaborative. Our director, Anna Marshall, comes up with the initial idea or vision for the show, then we normally have an R&D to play around with various ideas. Sometimes the R&D helps us to determine the mood or tone we’d like to set for the piece, sometimes it helps us formulate storylines, and occasionally we are able to figure out a scene or two we would like to include in the final show.
Once we’re in the rehearsal room, both on and offstage teams get involved in the devising. Then eventually we set the story and script from various improvisations…and then we continue to modify and edit the show all the way up until opening night! We were loosely inspired by Kafka’s ‘Metamorphosis’ – but to tell you how we were inspired would be giving too much away! We invite Kafka enthusiasts to come see the show and make comparisons for themselves.
Liverpool Noise: The play explores the aftermath of a climate catastrophe. Without giving away spoilers, what specific aspects of the climate crisis are addressed in the narrative, and how are they woven into the “playfully comic response”?
TIPT: We found much of our research on the climate crisis to be incredibly bleak. Fortunately, through Told by an Idiot, we connected with climate experts who gave us a sense of hope. Our show examines the impact of the climate emergency on Earth today – including the recent wildfires in LA – and imagines the political landscape that could emerge as a result. It explores how another community might repeat the same mistakes, and challenges us to reconsider our actions now. We didn’t want to lecture the audience, so by setting the story at the end of the world, we invite them to consider: if we had the chance to start over, how could we do better?
Liverpool Noise: The Intrusion uses “creative captioning.” Can you elaborate on what this entails and how it enhances the theatrical experience for both hearing and non-hearing audiences? Does it go beyond simply transcribing the dialogue?
TIPT: Making our work accessible is incredibly important to us. Our last show was also fully captioned at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2023, one of only 6 in the whole festival to have this everyday. The captions are built into the set, and describe the audio too. We have also worked with the brilliant Charlotte Arrowsmith to integrate some BSL into a moment in the show. The BSL is used in a specific moment to make a comment on the use of access in public announcements. It felt important to embed this in the show creatively and we will also be hosting two BSL interpreted shows across the tour.
“All our shows have a feminist tilt because it is very much the backbone of our politics and what we are passionate about as a company.”
Liverpool Noise: Original music is a key element of the production. What kind of musical style can audiences expect, and how does the music contribute to the storytelling and the overall atmosphere of the play?
TIPT: Music and sound has always played an important role in our productions. We love how an underscore can bring the world of a show to life. For this production, we wanted to go a step further by incorporating original songs alongside the underscore. The music was composed by our incredibly talented sound designer and composer, Ellie Isherwood, who worked collaboratively with us to shape the songs. We drew inspiration from artists such as Billie Eilish, Lorde, Carrie Underwood, and Florence and the Machine. The music supports the creation of the underground world you see onstage, and also allows us to create a contrast with the world above and what is left behind at the end of the world. The sound design aids the comic scenes too, adding either a contrast to the ridiculous or playing along with the clowning onstage.
Liverpool Noise: The play is described as a “darkly comic production” and an “anarchic look at extinction.” How do you balance the serious subject matter of climate catastrophe and extinction with the comedic elements of the performance?
TIPT: Attacking a subject like this from a comic angle helps to soften the edges and allows us to play with satire throughout the show. We believe that comedy is a powerful tool of expression, and so we have used comedy in all of our previous work to help us dive into issues that we feel most passionate about. At the heart of it, we really care about what we’re talking about onstage. If we can make people think while also laughing throughout the show, we have done our job right!
Liverpool Noise: Bric à Brac is a Lecoq-trained company. How does their training in physical theatre and clowning inform the performance style of The Intrusion, especially in portraying the “curious collective” of survivors?
TIPT: Our background in physical theatre and clowning has certainly had influence on the characters you will see in this show. The way we make the work is through improvisation, research and play in the room and this allows us to find all the fun in the theme and the characters. We worked on the physicality of these not-so- human characters (feel like we can’t give too much away!) so the physical storytelling is prominent throughout. Not all the cast trained at Lecoq but it is definitely in the heart of Bric à Brac’s devising style so by the end of a rehearsal period we all have a shared language onstage, and that is always a very fun process!
Liverpool Noise: Told by an Idiot has a history of “presenting the stories of characters who are often on the margins.” How does The Intrusion continue this tradition, and who are the “marginalised” characters in this post-apocalyptic setting?
TIPT: This story certainly revolves around marginalised characters – ones who might not have power but are trying to survive. We are interested in the balance of power, the politics and how these characters go through a journey in the show.
Liverpool Noise: The play was developed in partnership with “expert voices” and local communities. Can you discuss the nature of these partnerships and how they shaped the play’s content and themes?
TIPT: We had a great discussion with climate expert and comedian Matt Winning who managed to give us hope about the situation and had some really useful information to share. We ran workshops with local communities in all the venues before the tour. It was great to hear their opinions on the climate emergency; the things they worry about, the things they’re doing and the things they want to change. It was really interesting working with a range of ages too to see the different approaches and also realise that for most it is about feeling a part of something bigger. This relies so much on our local councils and the government across the UK and we need to be looking to them and seeing commitment to helping tackle the issues at present. The main takeaway was that everyone cared about the subject and were enthusiastic about what we can do to help the future of the earth.
“Attacking a subject like this from a comic angle helps to soften the edges and allows us to play with satire throughout the show.”
Liverpool Noise: Bric à Brac champions feminist theatre. How are feminist perspectives and themes incorporated into The Intrusion, particularly in the context of a post-apocalyptic world?
TIPT: We are a fully female-led theatre company. We have found that all our shows have a feminist tilt because it is very much the backbone of our politics and what we are passionate about as a company. In this show we are an all female- identifying cast, and the conversations while in the researching section of rehearsals involved a lot of discussion on how we relate to the themes as women in the world. The characters in the show centre female-experience; we have a leader of a new world who is a woman in charge (however flawed she may be) and the final human on earth is a pregnant woman. It’s been great to explore the balance between these two opposing characters. The show explores manipulation of power and we don’t shy away from showing women in these roles too, but also challenge the patriarchal structures of big business and corporate greed.
Liverpool Noise: What do you hope audiences will take away from The Intrusion? What kind of conversations or reflections do you hope the play will spark?
TIFT: We hope that audiences engage in conversations about the climate crisis. We hope it inspires them to do more research and take any sort of action, no matter how small. We hope that audiences come and remember that even in the scary times we must be silly and find fun, as laughter and human connection is what can help us get through it together. In a moment in the show we ask the audience what they would do at the end of the world, and at this point it is often that people have said similar things. People want to be with loved ones, to laugh, to dance, to connect to the things they care most about in the world, and that is a beautiful thing to realise together in the theatre.
Liverpool Noise: The Intrusion will be touring to various locations. How do you adapt the performance or engage with the specific communities in each location to make the play resonate more deeply with local audiences?
TIFT: For each location we have to adapt slightly depending on the technical capabilities of the venue, but also for the communities they serve. In Smethwick and Lowestoft we have BSL shows with an interpreter. We are also taking the show to a secondary school and are looking forward to hearing the response from a group of 15- and 16-year olds who will be the future guardians of the Earth! Working with communities before the tour in the workshops has also helped us to connect with the local audiences and gain a better insight into what kind of experience they will want in the show. Running a workshop with theatre makers in Liverpool in February 2025 showed us that the audiences are up for challenging topics told in new ways, and we are so excited to end our tour at The Unity Theatre after our 3-night run at Chester Storyhouse for those closer to there!
The Intrusion
Saturday 29 March
Unity Theatre
Tickets
The Intrusion Production Team were in conversation with Steve Kinrade.
