INFORMAL: INTERVIEW WITH KAI ANDERSON

INFORMAL - AN INTERVIEW SERIES

KAI ANDERSON

Kai Anderson is from the US state of Massachusetts and has been in the UK for for 4 years. They studied on the BA Programme at LIPA in Liverpool, and has now been in London for 6 months.

On the back of their degree they have been a part of creating En Limbo Theatre Company and are making their professional debut this week in the one person play Here Lies Henry.

Last week I sat down with Kai to learn more about them, En Limbo, and the play.

I wondered how they were finding life in London: "I'm really glad I'm here. I've wanted to be here since I visited when I was fifteen, and I literally live around the corner from where I stayed when I visited, so it's kind of full circle. I think I'd forgotten how much I wanted to be here until I got here! It feels like the right place for me to be at this point of my life."

The acting side of performance seems to be important to Kai: "I had gone to a performing arts high school in Michigan, and was an acting major there when I was fourteen, so I've been in that world for so long. Coming over here there seemed to be a higher emphasis and respect for the training, and as an actor I feel it's been good for me to get over here and out of my comfort zone."

I wanted to know about En Limbo, and how that came about: "It was born out of a desire for me to revisit this play. I had done it at university, and I knew Emilia and Elena, and really wanted to work with them. We created En Limbo to put this show on, but I hope we continue afterwards. I don't know where it goes or how it grows, but it was formed specifically to do this."

What is it about this show that made Kai want to return to it: "Firstly, I think it's a really good script. I kind of stumbled across the script in my house after my dad had randomly bought it when we visited London, and I've been obsessed with it since. After doing it at university I wanted to go out and find a space to perform it, and build upon what we did the first time. I feel it's a play worth doing, and people should see it. I just think it's fun and weird, everything I love about theatre."

"It hit a nerve with me. It's not a reflection of my own life, but I can find the parts of my life that align with the characters experience, and what he feels about himself, but it's an opportunity for me to really find out who he is."

I can really see Kai's passion as they talk about the piece, and I was interested to learn what it's about: "I knew you were going to ask me that and I've been trying to figure out how to answer, because it's actually difficult to say! In it's simplest form, a man named Henry enters a room with a task to tell the audience something they don't already know, and in the process of completing that task we get to explore what it means to be alive, and how the experiences of our lives shape who we are."

"Daniel MacIvor (the writer) says that the show is "experiencial", which I think is a fair thing to say. In theatre it's not just the text, the lighting, the sound - it's everything that happens, and each audience member's experience of the show is entirely individual. Not just because we're all different and have our own opinions, but because the show is open to interpretation, and we've tried to put the pieces of the text together so that we know what's going on, but I don't think that's the most relevant part of the show. So, that makes it hard to say what the show is about, because it's all over the place!"

I'd noticed that there was quite a few content warnings that come with the play: "It's a bit of an existential crisis on stage! But that's part of the exploration of life. A lot of really messed up things happen and we have to keep going."

I'm assuming that this play is direct address: "The whole thing, I'm looking down the barrel, right into the heart and soul of whoever is there. I think this show is cool because it can be done physically anywhere. I can do it in a theatre as easily as I could do it in a closet, because the grounding and simplicity of it is a fun challenge to do well."

I was interested to know how much of themself Kai brings to the role: "That's the dangerous bit. When it is just you there working I think being able to separate yourself from the character is important, otherwise they can infect your life which is not healthy. It has to come from somewhere, and there are overlaps, but there has to be a degree of separation and space between us."

The show is playing at Camden's Etcetera Theatre: "I'm positive that the show will work well in the space. It's intimate enough that I know I'll be able to see whoever is there. In the search to find the right space to do the play, this one felt right. It's a pretty solid place to start."

And what's next for En Limbo after this project?: "I'm not sure. I hope it's not the end for this piece, but I'm interested to explore what's next. The world of one person shows is really cool and interesting, and I'm curious to see what else we have in us. Maybe switching the roles, and getting Elena and Emilia on stage, and sharing the load in creating and facilitating."

"We're currently in a place of in between, finding where we go next."

So why should audiences come and see Here Lies Henry, and what can they expect?: "They can expect to get preposterous. Expect to get a little existential. You might learn something you don't already know, and it's just a fun show."

"If you want to be challenged, and question your preconceived notions about what makes a show and what it means to be alive, then you should come and see Here Lies Henry."

HERE LIES HENRY

Etcetera Theatre

Tuesday 26th - Sunday 31st May

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Interview conducted by Neill Kovacic-Clarke for Pink Prince Theatre on 22/05/26

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