Q and A with Natalie Ibu

Protest is now open at Northern Stage and has been lauded by audiences and critics, with The Stage calling it an ““An uplifting ode to the power of hope and community activism”. Natalie Ibu, Artistic Director of Northern Stage and director of Protest, discusses her own experiences of youth activism, working with writer Hannah Lavery, touring across Scotland and producing theatre for families and young people.

The play follows three young girls taking a stand for what they believe in. When do you first remember taking a stand on something?

When I was 7, pretty much out of nowhere, I decided I wanted to be a vegetarian. I can’t remember why or what for but it’s a really clear memory of taking a stand against the mainstream, of standing up for myself and advocating for myself against the school dinners of 1990. I lasted six months which was long enough to surprise my mum and inspire her to buy vegetarian cook books to support me. As I’ve grown older, I’ve realised that just being me – a Black mixed heritage queer woman living in a plus size body, working in the arts, in Britain – is read as political, as taking a stand.

What do you think is the biggest thing we should all be taking a stand on right now?

I’m overwhelmed by the complexities of life right now – by all the injustices and crises – the cost of living crisis, the inhumane treatment of those seeking sanctuary, violence against women and girls, the climate emergency, unfair distribution of wealth, racism, abolishment of trans rights, the slow progress of disability awareness and inclusion, I could go on. But, what I think is at the heart of all these individual issues is a lack of empathy, compassion and kindness. Like the girls in Protest, I think we should be standing up for kindness first, a better world will follow.

Protest’s written by acclaimed playwright and poet Hannah Lavery. How did you get to be involved in the show and what do you admire about Hannah’s work?

The commissioners, Imaginate, got in touch to ask me if I’d be interested in directing it and whether the venue I run, Northern Stage, would be interested in co-producing the work. I love the poetry of Hannah’s storytelling – it is both unapologetic and gentle. I love how she has managed to give words to those coming of age moments where you don’t have the words. I’ve always felt like good theatre gives you words for things you didn’t think could ever be expressed.

Protest is for audiences aged 8+. Have you found directing for a younger audience a challenge?

Making work for younger audiences is a lot of fun – it’s given us permission to both focus on the storytelling but also find moments of surprise and reveal. Every rehearsal, I’ve ended with a list of challenges – what would need to be true to mean that feathers float from the sky or a napkin appears around her neck or or or…. The team making this work are all adults – of course – but we had two primary school classes come and watch the work and share what they liked, what they’d like more of and what we should focus on making more of – we loved having them collaborate with us. During previews, we’ll be listening really carefully to what our audiences are responding to and using that feedback to keep making the show better.

You were born in Edinburgh. How important is it for you to direct a play based in Scotland, coming to the Edinburgh International Children’s Festival and touring elsewhere in Scotland?

It’s a thrill to be working with fellow Scots – Hannah’s Scottish but so are our Sound Designers, Production Manager, Technical Stage Manager and one of our actors, Kirsty MacLaren – and exciting to be making work for Scottish audiences. I left Scotland for university at 17 and then came back to work at the Traverse, National Museums Scotland, Citizens Theatre Glasgow and the Lyceum before having to move to London for work. It’s really important to me to be making work for the people and places who made me who I am.

Protest premieres as part of Northern Stage’s This Is Family Season. How does the play fit in? What else are you excited about in the season?

THIS IS FAMILY is the third in our trilogy of ‘This is…’ seasons. It is a year of work that explores and celebrates the different meanings and shapes that families can take; it’s about the ways we gather for support and for good times, for better or worse. This is Family is doing life together. I see cultural venues as important community spaces, where we make and meet stories that help us to understand the world we share. Protest speaks so beautifully to this with its meditation on how it takes a village to raise our children, about the intergenerational influence and legacy of feminism, about community and friendship.

What’s next for you and Northern Stage after Protest?

Back to the other parts of my role as Artistic Director of Northern Stage, planning 2025 and beyond and supporting artists to tell the stories they need to tell and supporting stories to reach audiences. I’m really excited about our summer activity at Northern Stage, working with the team to cast Cinderella – our Christmas show (it’s never too early to think about Christmas) and our co-production of the world premiere of I, Daniel Blake by Dave Johns who played Daniel in Ken Loach’s award-winning film which goes into rehearsal whilst we start sharing Protest with audiences.