Debuting at this year’s fringe, Bog Body is a one-woman show about desire, love, decay and death. Petra invites the audience to her wedding ceremony, and in the 30 minutes before she ties the knot, tells the story of how she came to love the Lindow Man, a preserved Iron-Age body found in a peat bog.
Bog Body explores and celebrates the snapshot of ancient life which bog bodies offer us, and the feelings of transcendence and interconnectedness they can elicit. The preservation of these bodies defies time, just as Petra’s attraction to the Lindow Man defies reality and custom.
The play is a surreal, genre-bending investigation into the human psyche, and our ability to hallucinate and experience the uncanny. Petra is accompanied by the voices of her late sister, psychiatrist and brother-in-law as she scrambles to discover what led to Lindow Man’s – and her twin sister’s – untimely death. Grief, love and delirium collide in a bizarre and unpredictable performance.
Bog Body is Itchy Feet Theatre’s first Edinburgh Fringe production. The queer-led company was established in 2023 and has produced multiple sell-out shows in London, performing at venues such as Riverside Studios, Barons Court Theatre and The Turbine. They won an OffComm award for The Nine-Day Queen and Best Writing: Runner Up at Riverside Studios’ Bitesize Festival for The Defamation. Itchy Feet Theatre is enthusiastic about placing women and queer people onstage, and has a particular interest in revisiting and interrogating stories of the past. We hope to continue producing original and genre-bending work with early-career artists and expand our company throughout the UK.
Ahead of being the first ever show to be performed at the Arches Lane Theatre in Battersea (previously the Turbine Theatre) and a run at Paradise Green as part of the 2025 Edinburgh Fringe, we sat down with writer, director and producer Jen Tucker and about Maddie White.
What can you tell me about Bog Body?
Jen: Bog Body is a one-woman show which documents the 30 minutes before a young woman's wedding. But this is no ordinary marriage. Petra is marrying the Lindow Man, a preserved bog body from the Iron Age. Consumed by grief after her sister's death, Petra goes searching for her body on the marshes, but instead finds something unexpected: she finds him. As she speaks to the audience, as well as the disembodied voices of her sister and her therapist, Petra tells the story of how she came to know and love the Lindow Man.
Jen: Bog Body is a one-woman show which documents the 30 minutes before a young woman's wedding. But this is no ordinary marriage. Petra is marrying the Lindow Man, a preserved bog body from the Iron Age. Consumed by grief after her sister's death, Petra goes searching for her body on the marshes, but instead finds something unexpected: she finds him. As she speaks to the audience, as well as the disembodied voices of her sister and her therapist, Petra tells the story of how she came to know and love the Lindow Man.
Jen: In primary school, we took a trip to the British Museum, which is the first time I saw the Lindow Man in person. I remember feeling overwhelmed with an emotion I couldn't put into words at the time, and still struggle to now. In the play, Petra describes his exhibition as all of history in one glass box, and he the sole torchbearer, and I suppose that's the best I can do to verbalise quite how ethereal and arresting the feeling of encountering him for the first time is. If you have yet to visit him, do! There's nothing quite like it. Bog bodies are a rare opportunity to literally stare into the face of the past, and their potential to connect us with snapshots of history in tangible ways has always been fascinating to me.
I was also inspired by Sarah Moss' Ghost Wall, quite possibly the best novel ever written, in which she presents bogs as liminal spaces where the dead are not truly dead, their ancient and mysterious contents continuing to haunt the living. This book stuck with me ever since I studied it at university, and has certainly shaped my own exploration of life, death and everything in-between in my playwriting.
Jen: As with most of my writing, I start from a single line that helps me find the character's voice. For Bog Body, this was one of Petra's opening lines: but like, he's a really goodlistener. From this I developed the piece, which actually beganas a comedy in which Petra light-heartedly and erratically welcomes us to her wedding, but this soon gave way to a darker, more emotionally diverse play about human nature and history. Of all the plays I've written, Bog Body has certainly had the most iterations and has changed fluidly since its inception eight months ago. We did a work-in-progress showing in December, gaining audience feedback which has changed the piece immensely and helped me to, as several audience members suggested, make it even weirder.
What can you tell me about the role of Petra and her journey with Bog Body?
Maddie: Petra is a very fun part to play, you never really know what she is going to do or say and I love that about her. We meet her on her wedding day as she is explaining how we are 30 minutes or so from the ceremony. She’s a troubled woman who definitely is having some interesting thoughts about a preserved bog man and throughout this
love she’s found she is trying to find out what happened to her beloved sister.
Without giving too much away I think Petra’s journey is about her finding some peace and understanding in what she’s doing, and despite the madness of it all she’s just like the rest of us trying to work it all out.
How have you approached finding your version of Petra?
Maddie: The way I describe her to people is a cross between Miss Havisham and Fleabag. I speak to the audience and really indulge in making them part of everything - and yes she is clearly a woman with some significant mental health issues going as stated by the doctor within the script. However, Jen and I always say we don’t want to play her as a ‘mad woman’, because as we see in the play she explains eloquently why her love for the Lindow man is just as special as anyone else’s. In
terms of approaching the role I’m one of those actors that doesn’t like to over do it too much in preparation, I like to just keep running the scenes, finding things that work and making some choices and rolling with it until I find things that stick. I’m a big believer in if the writing is strong the part will form well if you make some bold choices. Jen is so talented at writing heartfelt scenes and statements that I just keep testing ways to play the character till we find an interpretation we love.
What research did you have to do whilst writing the show?
Jen: An awful lot of scientific and historical research. I wanted to understand exactly how Lindow Man was discovered, preserved and presented, which involved extensive research into peat bogs and carbon dating that I won't pretend to fully comprehend! Petra spends a large portion of the play trying to decipher what led to the Lindow Man's untimely death; he was a 25-year-old nobleman, who many assume was sacrificed and thrown into the bogs. The exact circumstances of his death, however, have never been determined, though many have tried - it's like doing a murder investigation where all of the evidence and witnesses are over 2,000 years old. For a few months, my life mirrored Petra's as I obsessively researched the Lindow Man's death (leading to a very interesting google search history), and much of that research has made it into the play!
Jen: An awful lot of scientific and historical research. I wanted to understand exactly how Lindow Man was discovered, preserved and presented, which involved extensive research into peat bogs and carbon dating that I won't pretend to fully comprehend! Petra spends a large portion of the play trying to decipher what led to the Lindow Man's untimely death; he was a 25-year-old nobleman, who many assume was sacrificed and thrown into the bogs. The exact circumstances of his death, however, have never been determined, though many have tried - it's like doing a murder investigation where all of the evidence and witnesses are over 2,000 years old. For a few months, my life mirrored Petra's as I obsessively researched the Lindow Man's death (leading to a very interesting google search history), and much of that research has made it into the play!
Have you done much research to help you gain further understanding to the
role?
Maddie: Absolutely yes, we're still about 5 weeks off our London performances so I’m very much in the process of doing this. I’ve been looking into the Lindow Man and
information I can find about him, in fact this weekend I am planning to go to the British Museum to see him on display. There is a section of the play when I talk about observing him in his glass case so this definitely will be useful for the role.
One of the most helpful things I’ve been doing is having conversations with friends and family just about love and spirituality and just thinking about what it actually
means to be in love. The more empathy and human aspects to this that I can find just really helps me when playing a role such as this, because I would be lying if I said that I completely understand and agree with Petra’s feelings and actions all the time, so the more ways I can make her my own and relatable the better.
means to be in love. The more empathy and human aspects to this that I can find just really helps me when playing a role such as this, because I would be lying if I said that I completely understand and agree with Petra’s feelings and actions all the time, so the more ways I can make her my own and relatable the better.
Jen: I think Bog Body truly offers a unique experience to its audiences. The story and genre are up for interpretation, and each audience member will experience the show individually and personally. I think in our current social climate, it's more important than ever to encourage people to think for themselves about the media they consume, and I hope Bog Body encourages its audience to do just that, as the show offers very few answers to the questions it raises.
Jen: Bog Body was very difficult to commit to the page. It's an experimental piece about the transcendental connection between an ancient preserved body and a modern-day woman, so finding a language for Petra to express her feelings in an authentic, relatable way has been a great challenge! It has been both frustrating and creatively enriching to develop a piece with such an existential and absurdist story without alienating its audience.
How have you found working with writer and director Jen Tucker?
I only met Jen about a year ago and I feel like I’ve known her for years (in the best way!). We clicked instantly both creatively and as friends so it’s been nothing but a pleasure working with her over the projects we have done. I feel lucky to have someone like Jen that believes in me and trusts me with her work onstage, especially a one woman show! We work really hard and care about what we do but we don’t take each other too seriously which I think is the key.
What was the first piece of theatre that you saw which had a big impact on you?
Maddie: When I was in my early teens falling in love with theatre, it had to be ‘The Phantom of the Opera’
I was completely obsessed and constantly dreamt of playing Christine one day.
But what made me seriously decide to be an actor and had a massive impact on me was the Cheek by Jowl production of ‘The Winter’s Tale’.
I must have only been 15 or 16 and I remember being completely blown away by the performances. I thought to
myself if I can do that and do it well, then I really should.
Jen: Not the first, but the production that springs to mind is The Ocean at the End of the Lane, an adaptation of the Gaiman novel at the NT, for its use of magic and stagecraft to bring the fantasy story to life. It was the most engrossed I think I've ever been in a piece of theatre, and I wish I could experience it for the first time again.
What keeps you inspired?
Jen: I'm lucky in the sense that I find writing itself a constant source of inspiration. It's always been my way of expressing emotion, deciphering the world around me and exploring fascinating stories from the past. I write about people and events which intrigue me and deserve to be placed onstage.
Maddie: I try to watch as much theatre as I can, as much tv and film, and just make notes of the things I loved and would want to be a part of. I try to support new writing and my friends work too. I think it helps keep all of us feeling part of the industry and that we're heading in the right direction. I’ve recently started writing theatre reviews as well which has been amazing to really delve into what my thoughts are and to be able to watch as
much as possible has been amazing.
What would you hope an audience member takes away from seeing Bog Body?
Jen: I always say I want the audience to come in questioning Petra's sanity and leave questioning their own. Crafting Petra as a woman who experiences hallucinations and supernatural visions, without falling into a ‘madwoman’ trope or offensive stereotype, was both challenging and very exciting. I feel passionately about placing three-dimensional, nuanced women onstage, and have a particular interest in spotlighting the perspectives of those who experience reality differently. Petra is one such woman, and I hope audience members leave with a newfound interest in hallucinations, human history and the supernatural. I believe that theatre has a responsibility to expose its audiences to new perspectives; Petra could be deemed your typical 'madwoman', but she is so much more. Perhaps my favourite line of the play is 'Am I seeing things? Or am I just seeing?'. Is she losing her sanity or gaining a rare insight into the universe, tapping into a supra-natural interconnection that is lost on most mortals? These are the sorts of questions I want my audience to leave with, and the kind I hope my work will continue to confront throughout my career.
Jen: I always say I want the audience to come in questioning Petra's sanity and leave questioning their own. Crafting Petra as a woman who experiences hallucinations and supernatural visions, without falling into a ‘madwoman’ trope or offensive stereotype, was both challenging and very exciting. I feel passionately about placing three-dimensional, nuanced women onstage, and have a particular interest in spotlighting the perspectives of those who experience reality differently. Petra is one such woman, and I hope audience members leave with a newfound interest in hallucinations, human history and the supernatural. I believe that theatre has a responsibility to expose its audiences to new perspectives; Petra could be deemed your typical 'madwoman', but she is so much more. Perhaps my favourite line of the play is 'Am I seeing things? Or am I just seeing?'. Is she losing her sanity or gaining a rare insight into the universe, tapping into a supra-natural interconnection that is lost on most mortals? These are the sorts of questions I want my audience to leave with, and the kind I hope my work will continue to confront throughout my career.
Maddie: Jen and I always say that by the end of the play we want the audience to be on Petra’s side so I would love it if people felt like they were questioning whether to
judge her or not. I love that this play shines a light on the fact that just because someone's way of thinking or interpreting something is different to yours, doesn't
mean it’s necessarily wrong. We are all guilty of judging people and their actions, so if there is a way we can make the audience rethink this or why we do it, that would
feel like a win for me. I also hope people enjoy some new theatre, the support means everything.
Bog Body plays at Arches Lane Theatre in London on 29th and 30th May. Tickets are available from https://app.lineupnow.com/event/big-body-by-jennifer-tucker-wip
The show plays at Paradise Green at the Edinburgh Fringe from 18th - 24th May 2025. Tickets are available from https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/bog-body
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