The Gerbil and the Walrus

We’ve been travelling for a couple of weeks, on and off, through the hinterland of reality.

Today a walrus made its contribution to the character of Hamm. Proud, strong, with patchy skin, grey whiskers and, beached on a rock, he’s denied the freedom of simple and satisfying movement. Meanwhile the gerbil finds himself trapped in his hamster wheel. (Please excuse the mixed metaphor. It all made sense in rehearsal. I guess the gerbil is renting the hamster’s home… I’ve never heard of a gerbil wheel.)

The pauses too are making themselves real. “What is happening?” cries Hamm after he realises nothing seems to be happening. The answer: “Something is taking it’s course”.

We’re finding moments of deep affectionate connection between Hamm and Clov, alongside complete and impossible frustration. From the imaginative inside it feels strangely natural to be at once a loving companion and an individual with no affiliations or affections at all.

Exploring meaningful relationships on St Valentines’ day: “It’s we who are obliged to each other”