Jake Mace
All-migrant theatre troupe Ensemble Not Found will arrive at Voila! Theatre Festival in London next week in an attempt to reach across time, culture and language to meet with Virginia Woolf. The piece, directed by Xiaonan Wang and performed in a number of languages utilising English surtitles, is described by the ensemble as a ‘playful protest’ that aims to ask – if translation can’t hold us together, could food or poetry? We caught up with Xiaonan for a pixelated pint to unpack how all of these themes link together.
You can catch Woo Woolf as part of Voila! Theatre Festival at The Cockpit on Tuesday November 4th at 9pm and again on Sunday November 9th at 7pm (60mins). Tickets are available through the Voila! Theatre Festival Online Box Office.
Jake: Hi Xiaonan! Your upcoming Voila! show is described as a playful protest that reaches across time, culture and language to meet none other than Virginia Woolf. What inspired the piece and what are you hoping to achieve?
Xiaonan: Hi Jake! Woo Woolf is inspired by Virginia Woolf’s works and philosophy, particularly her reflections on gender, war, and food. We want to bring her perspective on the invisible aspects of daily life into visibility. I believe that living well, cherishing the ordinary moments, is itself a quiet form of resistance against uncertainty. Her writing has a musical quality that fascinates us, and we were curious to explore how that rhythm and stream of consciousness could be embodied on stage. We’ve recently updated our show blurb, so you might find more interesting details there.
Beyond Woolf, the piece is also inspired by myself and the women around me. How our lives have shifted in recent years under larger social and political narratives. Authors like Ocean Vuong, who also write about war, tenderness, and identity, and photographer like Kelly O’Brien who had works focusing on domestic houseworks, have been other research sources of inspiration. (and many more)
We hope to create a playful performance where audiences can resonate with these characters that living beyond boundaries, and experience the humour, poetry, and contradictions within Woolf’s world.
Jake: Tell us a little about your creative process and devising the show, as well about the journey you’ve been on with the piece so far.
Xiaonan: Woo Woolf began its life in 2022 and had two rounds of WIP sharings in 2023. Back then, the characters were still quite abstract. The version we’re presenting at Voila Festival features a brand-new script and fresh movement material. If you’ve seen earlier sharings, you might be surprised at how the piece has evolved.
I’m a very visually driven person, so our rehearsals always begin with a short period of free dancing — it’s our ritual. It allows me to observe the performers’ spontaneous movements and unconscious stories, which often lead to new ideas for character and scene development. I find it interesting that shadows of past shows still appear, even though I never intentionally kept them. Re-reading Woolf’s works always brings new sparks and insights.
Through this project, I’ve built deep connections with collaborators, including our lighting designer Sanli, who came to see our very first sharing two years ago. I still keep a £5 note an audience member handed us after a pwyc show. It felt like a huge sign of encouragement.
Jake: What will be the first thing the audience sees, feels, and hears as they enter the space?
Xiaonan: They’ll see one performer dancing alone in the space, wearing earphones, almost like a silent disco. A female body, or perhaps simply a human body, moving freely in her own private space until the show begins.
Here’s a little secret: the music she’s listening to won’t be revealed to the audience. It includes two tracks we use in our rehearsal free-dance rituals, plus one song chosen personally by the performer.
Jake: What are you hoping the audience might take away from the experience, if anything?
Xiaonan: A willingness to follow whatever appears in front of them. To surrender to the flow of images, sounds, and bodies. And perhaps to leave with a bodily memory of that flow, along with a few echoing questions.
Jake: With Voila Festival 2025 just around the corner, what are you most excited for?
Xiaonan: For Woo Woolf to finally be seen! Our associate director Haiqing once described the show as a “cat cult”, though there are no cats this time (there used to be!). I’m curious to see how audiences respond to this strange, playful world we’ve built.
I’m also really looking forward to diving into the Voila! programme, as someone fascinated by languages (we use five in our show), it’s such a joy to see multilingual work celebrated. Our show opens early in the festival, so after that I’ll happily become a relaxed audience member myself!
Jake: Given the themes of Binge Fringe, if your show was a beverage of any kind (alcoholic, non-alcoholic – be as creative as you like!), what would it be and why?
Xiaonan: I consulted our dramaturg Kiki, who’s a drink lover. We think Woo Woolf would be a citrus and barley kombucha — a bit fresh, some bitterness, a bit plain but stays with you for long, all fermented and bubbling together. It’s a drink that feels both comforting and slightly unpredictable, carrying warmth, tang, and quiet transformation.
A reminder, you can catch Woo Woolf as part of Voila! Theatre Festival at The Cockpit on Tuesday November 4th at 9pm and again on Sunday November 9th at 7pm (60mins). Tickets are available through the Voila! Theatre Festival Online Box Office.
