The Remembering

In this 45-minute spoken poetry piece, we are carried through a trans and autistic reimagining of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein and tomato planting. This piece, which premiered at Ottawa Fringe, was Billie Nell's first foray into performing their poetry in a theatrical format, something they did very naturally. The Remembering is tender, it talks about the violence that is grieving who you were with a late autistic diagnosis, of discovering oneself through transitioning with the gore, the poetry and the softness of a gentle soul that looks at its journey up to here with grace and pride. Bones, seeds, and loneliness are explored through a physical and vocal score, seriously choreographed between Ludmylla and Billie, to carry every audience member through this unique perspective on coming of age. The show is most meaningful, however, to the queer, neurodivergent Gen Z crowd, who kept coming back to see it and be seen by it.

This piece won several awards at the Ottawa Fringe Festival as well as the Prix Rideau Awards, including Best New Work, Best Performance and Best Direction.