All By Myself

All By Myself is a movement-led solo show about a social media influencer at the end of the world. Survival and identity are pitted against each other as a slow-burning apocalypse collides with the influencer's lifestyle and worldview.

 

All By Myself unfolds almost entirely through movement. Everything we learn about the character comes through the tasks she completes around her flat and there is no live dialogue. The audience is oriented to the character's worldview through a vlog they watch her editing at the beginning of the show, which is captioned at every performance, and after that there is no further dialogue. This project grew out of my interest in the way online life shapes our bodies and movements. I developed the concept and direction for All By Myself from an outline I wrote in 2019 and an R+D in 2020 that explored storytelling through routine gestures and bodily responses to technology. This work culminated in a live-streamed performance, recorded in a three-camera studio set-up as part of Applecart Arts' 2020 Dazed New World Festival.

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The project was then re-developed for live audiences and presented by Part of the Main at ZOO Venues in Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2022 and VAULT Festival 2023.

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“This subtle physical theatre is brilliantly original.” ★★★★★ FRINGEBISCUIT

“The character, played intelligently by Blandford, busies herself making a self-care video, when really, she isn’t doing all that great. It is impressive that the character’s relatability is so strong when there is hardly any dialogue.” ★★★★ NORTH WEST END

"The whole concept of All by Myself makes for uncomfortable, voyeuristic viewing. The silence is completely claustrophobic, but at the same time there’s a definite relatability." ★★★★ THE UPCOMING

“Watching her strange, intricate work, pretty much in real time, is a reminder of the way that life slowed down during the lockdown and small-scale achievements in the home became dramatic events...there’s a sense of achievement through perseverance that’s very relatable, in spite of the surreal setting.” THE SCOTSMAN

“Charlotte Blandford and Jessica Bickel-Barlow (who directs) have created an intriguing piece that shows that Part of the Main continue to explore the boundaries which drive fringe theatre.” A LouReviews VAULT 2023 Pick, LOUREVIEWS