GEORGINA Miller’s Freefalling is an extraordinary true story, brought to life in an incredible way. This high flying tale returns to the stage here in Limerick playing Lime Tree Theatre on Thursday September 26 and Friday September 27.
The Lime Tree Theatre | Belltable Artist-in-Residence debuted Freefalling at Belltable in June 2023. Explaining the project, Georgina says Freefalling is a, “new theatre and aerial fusion show, based on my own real life experiences, which were quite dramatic and called for a very dramatic telling, and that’s why we landed on the aerial elements (of the play) and worked that into the script because it lends itself really well to what we’re trying to say narratively, and also gives a real sort of wow factor and a whole other element to the show.”
The story tells how while travelling, she contracted a condition that none of the medical people abroad could tell what was happening but it was an ascending paralysis from her feet that was moving up through her body.
She found herself racing against the clock to get to where she could get the medical help needed before the paralysis reached her lungs, but there were many more twists to this compelling story.
“As the script developed, I approached Rough Magic Theatre Company, thinking it was a pie in the sky notion because they’re one of the best companies in the country. And their artistic director Lynn Parker really got behind the writing and the story itself.”
To tell the story of Freefalling the actress is using aerial acrobatics thanks to Fidget Feet Aerial Dance Company, finding a new way to bring the narrative to life. It is a theatre show with aerial elements in it.
“The aerial harness allows us to play around with two different ideas.
“One is the freedom of the movement, the liberation and the flying and the joy of that, which features in the story.
“And also then, the restriction, and the lack of agency because you’re almost being puppeteered by somebody else, by this other force outside of you.
“So we’re hoping that this will be a sort of a new experience for audiences because we’re merging a theatrical narrative form with the aerial elements to feed into that narrative form and to bring Freefalling to a whole new height.”
Georgina is back in the harness this week in rehearsals for the two night run at Lime Tree before bringing Freefalling to Dublin Theatre Festival at Draíocht, Blanchardstown on October 9-12.
“The show is as people would remember from Belltable, but there’s definitely just a little bit of tightening up that we’ve done between the script and the performance side of it,” Georgina tells Limerick Post.
“I was so, so lucky to have collaborated with Fidget Feet, who, you know, this is their bread and butter. This is their day to day business. And so I come in full of curiosity and wonder at how they do this. And of course, this is slightly different to what they do as well, because I speak throughout the entire piece.”
“The challenge going into it the second time around is going okay, we know that this works, but we have to deliver that again with the same level of excitement and wonder.”
When Freefalling debuted last year, the reviews and reactions were very positive and Georgina and Director Lynne Parker delivered a compelling story of the joy of living life to the full on a tropical island until your body stops working, and no one knows why.
“What was really gratifying the last time we did it was that it did have such an impact on the audience. I had one girl in tears because she felt she hadn’t taken enough risks in her life and somebody else saying they had bought the top tier of travel insurance for their child who just gone off to Australia.”
Georgina was adamant that this piece should not feel like a self indulgent thing.
“In order for theatre to be effective, it should resonate with an audience.”
Freefalling is loaded with inbuilt drama and our high flying star hopes to tell the story with the kind of a levity that makes it enjoyable experience.
There are many themes that pop up throughout the play, the fragility of life, of taking risks in how you live your life and what it is like to be an outsider in another culture.
“Particularly, when you’re lying on the beach drinking a cocktail and then things go wrong, and it pulls everything into focus.
“My vision of how I was going to spend my time on this beautiful tropical island was the complete opposite of what actually ended up happening.”
Freefalling plays at Lime Tree Theatre on Thursday September 26 and Friday September 27.
