Theatre maker Natalie Bellingham brings her one woman show to Nottingham

What are the core things behind Look After Your Knees?

At its core, the show is about life—and life is messy, complex, and impossible to sum up neatly. But if I had to, I’d say it’s about change.

In early 2020, I lost my mum just before the pandemic, and my world completely shifted. When the immediate grief settled, I became acutely aware of just how much space she had filled in my life. The show explores that. How we learn to navigate a world that feels different when someone we love is gone. And, importantly, how complicated relationships don’t magically become simple after death.

I remember thinking, Wow, you took a lot of me with you. I had to figure out who I was without her at 35, while the whole world was in a pandemic turmoil. On top of that, I was beginning to become acquainted with midlife and all the stuff that comes with it. I felt like I was standing at the top of a hill, clock ticking, wondering how on earth I was going to get down. Much of this has made its way into the show.

Is this your first solo show? How are you finding it?

Yes, it’s my first time performing solo. I love being on stage with others, so I have no idea what possessed me to go it alone! But, honestly, I’m never really alone. My touring technician is brilliant, so I never feel lonely. And on stage, my co-writer and producer are always there with me in spirit.

Plus, Look After Your Knees is very audience-driven. There’s so much interaction that I never actually feel like I’m by myself up there.

You co-created the show with Jamie Wood. How has he shaped it?

Jamie gave the show the space it needed. I tend to be quite manic, wild and full-on, and if left to my own devices, the show would have matched that energy the entire way through. But Jamie encouraged me to slow down, to be with the audience more.
He also pushed me to write more than I ever have before. I didn’t do well in English at school, so I’ve always doubted my ability to write, but Jamie’s encouragement helped me realise how much I actually enjoy it. Going deeper made the show fuller, more intimate.

How do you hope the audience will feel?
I just want them to feel something. To walk away knowing I’ve touched on something that resonates. Like any artist, I can’t control how people will react. It’s subjective, shaped by their own lives, their mood that day, even the weather! But every element of this show has been crafted to create space for the audience to reflect on their own experiences.

The title, Look After Your Knees, comes from Baz Luhrmann’s Everybody’s Free (To Wear Sunscreen)—the line: Be kind to your knees; you’ll miss them when they’re gone. That sentiment hit me like a punch to the gut, and I hope something in this show lingers and stirs inside the audience in the same way.

Natalie Bellingham performs Look After Your Knees at Lakeside Arts on Thursday, 20 March 2025, at 7:30 PM.