House of Oz - Glass Child by The Farm Q&A
Glass Child is a raw, emotional documentary dance-theatre production co-created by the Australian contemporary company The Farm and presented globally by House of Oz. The performance stars real-life siblings Kayah Guenther, a dancer born with Down Syndrome, and his sister Maitreyah. The title refers to a "glass child" - a term for the sibling of a person with special needs who often becomes a family facilitator and feels "looked through”.
Please tell us about your show. What can audiences expect when they come to see it?
They can expect a slice of real life, a tale of love and anger told by two siblings who hold the rest of us to account for the way we view Down Syndrome
What inspired it?
A 13-year connection between our company and this family, getting to know them, dancing with them and speaking in a language beyond words. Kayah has trouble with his speech and is sometimes hard to understand yet when you dance with him you find a language that reaches deeper than words can ever go and he if incredibly fluent. This is the language we saw when we worked with both of them, a shared dialogue they have been engaged in their whole lives.
How does it feel to be performing at Edinburgh Festival Fringe?
This is Kayah and Maitreyah’s first international performance. So yeah, it feels pretty good amd they are stoked. It’s also out first time to Edinburgh so we are all looking forward to being part of something so massive and to share this beautiful work with others.
What does it mean to be part of House of Oz this year?
House of Oz have been an ideal partner for us and we have learnt a lot about what it means to come to the fringe. We feel really lucky and grateful to have them chaperone us. It makes it possible for us to come this far.
What does it mean to bring your work to UK audiences?
I think this work speaks volumes about what it means to be human, how we treat each other and what life looks like through someone else’s eyes. Bringing it to the UK seems like a perfect place to share their stories.
What would you like UK audiences to know about Antipodean arts and culture right now?
There is a lot of dialogue in Australia about audiences since Covid, how to engage people with the arts now there are so many financial constraints and distraction. In Australia there is a desire for new ways to tell stories, to engage and bring people to the theatre. For us that means placing the emphasis on “live”, so we can compete with Netflix and create unique human experiences that TV can never rival.
What kind of support do artists need most when bringing work overseas?
Money. Sorry to be reductive but Australia is a long way away and flights are getting more expensive. Generally we need support and information, because often the hardest thing is to reach presenters with your work and get them to engage with it when they only see a video. For this reason alone we are blessed with the relationship with House of Oz who have taken a punt with us.
What's next for you after Edinburgh?
We travel back to Australia to premiere our next major work,. “No One Gets Out Of Here Alive”, a show that deals with death and letting go. Sounds bleak but it’s done with our unique brand of humour and pathos. We’re talking about death because we feel it’s a taboo we need to face, but it doesn’t need to be a funeral.