Actor, writer and theatre maker Ruth Berkoff is touring the UK this Spring with her one woman show ‘The Beauty of Being Herd’. This tour will see Ruth head to the Brighton Fringe for four performances and ahead of the performer’s time at the festival, I had the opportunity to hear more about the play and how Ruth got into theatre. Described as ‘a show for anyone who’s ever felt like an outsider’, I was particularly intrigued by the concept, with the main character Hannah choosing to give up her current life and live as a sheep instead.
With a background in contemporary circus, theatre and clowning, what inspired you to
take up a career in the arts?
I always loved acting as a kid but after GCSEs I lost my performing mojo and I stopped acting altogether, pursuing work as a gardener, a cycle instructor, a project worker and later a massage therapist, but acting was always there on my to do list. Somewhere at the bottom. As in, I’ll get round to it ONE DAY, but one day never came because there were always more pressing things on the to do list. Then one of my best friends died suddenly and it was a huge wake up call that we don’t know when it will all end. And ‘one day’ might never come if I don’t make it happen. So I went to a local acting class and I started messing about with partner acrobatics and the next thing I knew I was studying circus full time and it was the theatre side of things that I fell in love with. (Although, I did love partner acrobatics too.)
I’ve been performing ever since.
You’ve been a pantomime dame four times. What is it about panto as a genre that has
seen you return year after year?
I LOVE panto! You know where you are with it. It’s funny, it’s silly, it’s larger than life, the baddies are bad and the goodies are good. There’s something about knowing how it’s going to go, like, something bad will happen, the baddy will be horrible, the funny characters will do their funny bits. The audience knows what to shout and when to boo and it’s always alright in the end. It’s an escape from life. We need that!
As a performer, I love giving it EVERYTHING, having a direct relationship with the audience and just bringing joy to the people. In my first panto where I played The Child Catcher, I realised I was doing so many of the things I’d learnt with Philippe Gaulier [clown and pedagogue] when we did our Vaudeville module, so that was fun.
Your one person play ‘The Beauty of Being Herd’ is going on tour this Spring, visiting
London, Glasgow, Brighton and Cardiff. What can you tell me about this new piece of writing?
The Beauty of Being Herd is a funny, heartfelt, quirky one-woman show, exploring the search for human connection. It’s got comedy, original songs, and a rave. It’s got frolics, sheep facts and awkward moments at parties! It’s about Hannah, who’s decided to live as a sheep.
Some people have described it as part stand up comedy, others have called it clown. All I know is that some of it is very funny and on the other hand, some of it might possibly make you cry. A bold claim I know. But all I’m saying is that it’s possible…
It’s a one woman 60 minute show that covers neurodiversity, social anxiety and consent in a gentle playful way. It’s about the universal search for human connection.
Oh, it’s also got an awesome soundtrack thanks to Isolde Freeth-Hale, who created a sheep synth for the iconic song, ‘The Thing About Sheep’.
As an ex-Samaritan, you ‘care strongly about people feeling understood’. To what extent have you drawn on these values in the writing of the play?
I suppose in a way, I’ve put the audience in the role of the Listener, which is what I did at Samaritans, and they have the opportunity to hear from someone who struggles with fitting in. Lots of people have said afterwards that it’s made them want to be kinder and more thoughtful with other people.
The central character Hannah ‘waves goodbye to life as she knows it to live instead as a sheep’. What inspired you to write this story from the perspective of a sheep?
I love getting out in nature, walking and swimming. Yorkshire is full of sheep so I had this idea of a woman who struggles with leadership and then she went off and spent time with sheep and developed leadership skills. I also had this character Hannah who was super enthusiastic, but underneath it she was super lonely. In the devising period when I worked with my dramaturg, Georgia Murphy, we ended up bringing the two ideas together, except it wasn’t about leadership any more with the sheep, it was more about what Hannah could learn from them.
What are you most looking forward to with performing at Brighton Fringe this year?
I can’t wait to be part of one of the biggest fringe festivals in the UK. I’m going to watch lots of theatre, hopefully meet some great new people, swim in the sea and just generally soak up the Brighton vibes.
I had an awesome time in Brighton doing Bryony Kimmings’ ‘Making Autobiographical Theatre’ course back in 2022. It was my favourite week of the year – lovely people, theatre and writing all day, swimming in the sea, so here’s hoping May becomes my favourite month of 2025.
Supporting Ruth at the Brighton Fringe
A huge thank you to Ruth for taking the time to share some insights into the show. I love the idea that the work has made audience members want to be kinder. I hope she has a brilliant time performing at the festival! You can catch ‘The Beauty of Being Herd’ at Half A Camel – Presuming Ed’s venue on 2nd, 3rd, 24th and 25th May, with tickets available via the festival’s website. This year’s Brighton Fringe runs from 2nd May to 1st June.
Thanks for reading my blog today.
Love Kat xxxx
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