Backstage opens Sunday 18th October at the Phoenix Arts Club, exploring a magical immersive story full of twists. We’ve previously watched this show at the Camden Fringe (find link here) and we are so excited to see it continue to develop. Learn more about what you can expect:
1. What inspired you to create Backstage?
Backstage grew out of an interest in scams and psychological manipulation, particularly how people’s desire for opportunity, trust and belonging can gradually draw them into someone else’s carefully constructed situation. What interested us was that danger does not always appear threatening at first. It can begin with a warm welcome or an appealing promise. The contrast between the glamour of a cruise ship cabaret and the secrets backstage gave us a compelling setting to explore that.
The Chinese production was directed by Yilin Yan. Haoming Li, our Producer and Assistant Director, and I initiated the UK production, with me working as Creative Producer and Visual Lead. Through this cross-cultural collaboration, we wanted to explore how the story could connect with audiences from different backgrounds.
From a creative and visual perspective, I was particularly interested in making a space feel both inviting and subtly unsettling. We want audiences to be drawn into this world and then gradually begin questioning what they see. Once they accept the invitation backstage, the question becomes personal: at what point would I realise something was wrong?
2. The narrative delves into someone’s place in the world. What are you trying to convey with this theme?
For me, this theme is closely connected to the desire to be seen and accepted. We all want to find our place, but when someone offers exactly the recognition we have been looking for, can we still trust our judgement?
Through the shifting relationships between the characters, we explore the tension between finding belonging and maintaining a sense of self. When someone begins relying on others to define their worth, they can gradually lose touch with their own feelings and boundaries.
Creatively and visually, I want to work with the team to convey the distance between the glamorous surface and the reality of the characters’ circumstances. We hope audiences leave asking themselves: is the place I am trying to occupy truly one I want? And as I try to fit in, do I still have the freedom to question, refuse and choose?
3. How was audience reception throughout the tour?
The response has been very encouraging. From China to London and Edinburgh, we have encountered audiences from different cultural backgrounds and seen different interpretations of the same story. Our Camden Fringe performances sold out, and feedback in Edinburgh, including a four-star review, gave the whole team a real boost.
As Creative Producer and Visual Lead, I pay particular attention to how audiences experience the world we have created: which details catch their eye, when they begin to feel uneasy, and how they recognise the danger beneath its surface appeal. Haoming and our director also observe their responses from the perspectives of production, performance and pacing, and we bring those observations together in our discussions.
One of the pleasures of immersive theatre is that audiences bring something new to the performance. Their responses vary from show to show, helping us discover further possibilities within the work.
4. What has, if anything, been added or removed from the original production?
Many of the changes have come from adapting the production to different spaces. For the Chinese performances at Ma Family Courtyard in Kunming, we used an in-the-round layout, with the action unfolding around the audience. The space itself became part of the storytelling: where spectators sat, where performers appeared, and how close they were to one another all shaped their experience.
When we brought the production to the UK, we reconsidered that design for each venue. At The Libra Theatre Cafe during Camden Fringe, we adapted the performers’ movement, audience sightlines and the placement of interactions to suit the space. For Edinburgh, we developed a 45-minute version, making careful cuts while preserving the central relationships, suspense and audience involvement.
Our performances at Phoenix Arts Club in London’s West End on 18 October and in Brighton on 25 October continue that process. Each new space prompts us to ask what it can bring to the story, and which designs and details need to change.
For me, that means working with Haoming, our director and the wider team to find solutions that serve both the creative vision and the practical conditions. We want to preserve the heart of the production while allowing each venue to shape its own version of the experience.
5. Where would you like the show to go next?
We would love to explore further international touring opportunities, including Avignon and Hollywood Fringe, alongside festivals in China such as Wuzhen and Aranya. We are curious about how the same story might be understood and experienced in different cultural settings.
We would also love to find a longer-term home for Backstage in London. For an immersive production, a consistent space would allow us to develop the relationships between the environment, visual design, performance and audience in greater depth. It would also give us time to keep refining the details and build an audience.
As Creative Producer, I hope to work with Haoming and the team to create opportunities for that continued development, allowing the production to learn from each performance and grow into a richer, more fully realised world.
6. What has been the most enjoyable part about creating Backstage?
The most enjoyable part has been working with Producer and Assistant Director Haoming Li and director Beatrice Paolucci to turn our different ideas into a theatrical world that audiences can step inside.
We each approach the work from a different perspective. I focus on its creative and visual identity and how audiences experience that world. Haoming works across the practical demands of production and the details of rehearsal, helping turn ideas into something achievable. Beatrice brings the story, characters and performances together through her direction. Our conversations often take an initial idea somewhere unexpected.
There is a very immediate sense of achievement when we work through a difficult scene together, or when an audience responds to a detail we have spent time refining. The trust and understanding built through that process are equally valuable to me. Bringing Backstage to different cities with people who are willing to invest in the work and solve problems together has been the most rewarding part.
Backstage opens Sunday 18th October at the Phoenix Arts Club. Many thanks to Jiaorong Yu for answering our questions. Book your tickets here!
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