In our ongoing Edinburgh Fringe 2026 interview series, we are speaking to artists and creatives who are bringing their shows to the Scottish capital this summer.
In this interview, we speak with Bruna Longo to learn more about their show Whale Fall or Sing to Dance with My Death.
What can you tell me about your show?
Whale Fall or Song to Dance with My Death is a work I created after the death of my father, and it comes from my attempt to face death in a society that often doesn’t know how to deal with death anymore. The show mixes autobiography, philosophy and ethnographic research to ask what happens when we lose the symbolic spaces that once helped human beings process loss. And in the end, I think it’s not really a piece about death as much as it is about life, about our need to create meaning, ritual, connection, and community in the face of the one thing every human being shares.
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| Photo by Danilo Apoena. |
How would you describe the style of your show to anyone who has never seen you before?
That’s a really good question, because I usually describe it as physical theatre. The “physical theatre” label can actually be a little controversial in our case, because the work also contains a lot of text. So sometimes, in certain physical theatre festivals or contexts, people don’t consider it physical theatre because of that, which I personally think is a bit silly. It’s definitely devised theatre with a lot of physicality and a lot of singing, because of the ritualistic nature of the subject.
What was the lightbulb moment that led to the creation of this piece?
I could say that the first major spark, or maybe explosion, was the death of my father. It led me to think deeply about death, mourning, and grief in general. At first, I was just trying to process things through writing. But at a certain point, it became clear that I needed to share what I was learning, and my way of doing this is through theatre.
What makes 2026 the perfect year for this specific story or performance?
I feel that, at least in Brazil, there’s a clear shift happening in the zeitgeist. We’re talking about death much more openly now, about the right to a good death, assisted dying, palliative care. Probably because of the pandemic and our collective (unprocessed) grief. So it’s interesting, because this work came from a very personal place, the death of my father and my own need to process that experience, but it’s finding a lot of people needing to talk about the same things.
How will you mentally and physically prepare for a run at the Fringe?
The Fringe run will be super intense, since we’re doing 18 shows in a row. Normally, people get a day off in between, but we won’t, so it’s definitely going to require stamina. Right now I’m training quite a lot. I’m a kung fu practitioner, and I do yoga, and I also take contemporary dance classes. On top of that, I go to the gym every day for strength training and stretching. Mentally, though, I’m focusing a lot on staying calm and grounded, because the Fringe can be quite overwhelming. One of the main things I do for that is meditate.
If you couldn’t use a flyer to attract audiences, what ridiculous object would you hand out to people to get them into your show?
I don’t know about “ridiculous”, but I would LOVE to hand out small sugar skulls like the ones they make in Mexico for the Día de los Muertos, that would be awesome.
What is the one item in your Fringe Survival Kit that you can’t live without this month?
Resistance bands for stretching!
What would you deem as success at the end of the Fringe?
I know this might sound a little sentimental, but what I really hope is to connect with people through this show. I truly hope it touches people somewhere soft and vulnerable, and maybe helps them look at death with a little less fear and a little less taboo than they’re used to. (but I do want bums on seats! So come see the show!!!)
Other than your own show, are there any other shows you would recommend at the Fringe this year?
I would recommend the shows from São Paulo Showcase, of course! All of our shows are great! I'm not yet really on top of what I'm gonna watch when I get there. I wanna be surprised.
What is one Edinburgh spot that you would recommend people to visit when they're not watching performances?
Arthur’s Seat for a beautiful view of the city.
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| Photo by Danilo Apoena. |
Can you describe the show in 5 words?
Light, emotional, nerdy, humorous, and morbid.
12. What keeps you inspired?
Other artists, creative people, curious people in general. I always feel that the most interesting people are the ones who are genuinely interested in things, in the world, in other people.
What would you hope someone takes away from seeing the show?
The main thing that I learned from researching for this show is that the answer to almost anything, every problem, is community.
When and where can people see the show?
We’ll be in the Lindisfarne Room inside the beautiful St Cuthbert's Parish Church from August 10–27. Performances run Monday to Thursday at noon, and Friday to Sunday at 8 p.m. It’s a very intimate space, and I think it’s the perfect setting for this kind of experience.
Tickets are available from https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/whale-fall-or-song-to-dance-with-my-death
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