Solo show debut

When we were 22, there was a group of ten of us. Friends since year 10, very close. But when we were 22, or almost there, one of our group ended his life.

He was an absolute joy - a huge influence to me and to many others. He was very ill.

He had spoke to me about it a lot before it happened. When he sent me a 'goodbye' message I contacted his parents who were already in conversation with the Police, and an international search began. He had been travelling, country hopping for several months and none of us knew his current location. As a group and with the help of Interpol, we managed to locate him and eventually bring him home.

Heartbreakingly, it seemed he couldn't bear the torture in his mind for any longer, and he took his life.

I was living in Barcelona at the time - working for a touring theatre company. I adored my life in Barcelona, but when it came time for contract renewal, I knew that it was time for me to move home.

After a few months at home, I started writing a couple of monologues to try to process my experience of what had happened. I shared them at open mic nights locally, and was encouraged to write more. There was really no other reason than the fact that I found it helpful to write down my experience, and that people seemed to find the sharings moving and interesting.

I was encouraged by a local producer to develop the monologues into a show for the Morecambe Fringe Festival. Sharing the show 'Salsa Brava' with a full audience, including friends and family of my dear friend was terrifying. However, it seemed to go down well. At the Fringe, Salsa Brava received 5 stars and won the award for 'Best Local Play'. Here is the full review from the Lancashire Evening Post:

Maggie Wignall’s 1st solo show Salsa Brava starts with an old woman pleading Longfellow’s advice to ‘Stay at home my heart and rest’, but few young people listen to their nan, or indeed Longfellow, so the journey begins.

Mime, voice, sound-effects and an engaging narrative create two believable and distinct characters who set off to find the world and their place in it, They navigate a world of political rallies, wild dancing, helpful (but naked) strangers and finally a place of acceptance in the wilderness of grief.

In the intimate Alt-Space venue, with a minimal setting Maggie Wignall created powerful, emotive theatre. The audience were lead deftly through humour, suspense and sadness. At the denouement there was a real sense of stillness and sorrow. Go and see Maggie Wignall. At the very least you will find a new approach to scrambling eggs. Five stars.

From there the show was picked up to be shown at suicide prevention conferences, and suicide and self harm charity meetings in Cumbria. It was absolutely incredible to share the story with a room full of various agencies: doctors, mental health professionals, police, charities, local councillors, teachers and youth workers. They would watch the show and use it as a starting point for discussion on how to improve their collaboration with an aim to reducing the figures for suicides and self harm in the area.

I'm proud of Salsa Brava, and hopeful for it's impact on the communities that saw it.

There did come a point where I made the decision not to continue pursuing opportunities for the show. After the Morecambe Fringe, it became a fully solo project; rehearsing alone, turning up to venues alone, winding down from very tragic memories alone. I wasn't equipped. So I left it there.

I'm proud of Salsa Brava. I'm so proud of my friend.