Performer: Bibi June

Everything I write, all the horror and all the joy, is to imagine a better world for myself, my peers and anyone else who struggles.
Posted on: Last updated on: Written by:
This is the back of an artist announcement card for Bibi June. The design is styled on an American baseball card. The card has a thin white border. At the top of the card, there is a thick black band with the artist name, Bibi June, and a description of their role in CRIPtic, as Lead Artist. Below this, there is a black and white portrait photograph of Bibi June, a mixed race non-binary person. Bibi is Dutch-Indonesian, with short red curly hair. They wear thin gold-framed glasses and they are looking up into the distance while they rest their head in one hand. A shaft of golden light falls across their eyes. They are wearing a white t-shirt. Below the photo, there is a large black and white logo which reads CRIPtic.

Bibi June

What made you want to be an artist / performer?

I’m an artist because it brings me joy: to make art, to be creative, and to share that art with others. I love stories and storytelling, and that’s why I started out doing performance poetry. Over time, that love for stories has developed into finding new, interesting and silly ways of telling stories to people. Through theatre, games, interactive performances, writing, visual art: whatever suits the piece best. I’m especially interested in how form can be a part of the narrative, and how we can make complex topics into engaging, accessible experiences that we can share and reflect on together.

What/who inspires your craft?

I am continuously and amazingly inspired by my friends, many of whom are also artists, all of whom do their very best to survive in a terrifying world. Everything I write, all the horror and all the joy, is to imagine a better world for myself, my peers and anyone else who struggles. We’re at a very important point in time in regards to our earth and climate justice, and the natural world around me is a big inspiration in my work, as is the possibility of a different, better future.

What’s your vision for the future of theatre and where do you see yourself going after CRIPtic?

I’m feeling pretty pessimistic about the future of theatre at the moment, or at least of my place in it. The more space I manage to carve out for myself, the less interested I am in taking up that particular space. I would much rather build something new, something different, with less history and a better legacy, that we can all enjoy rather than only a select few. After CRIPtic, I want to continue developing this show, and hopefully get back to touring once that is safe again. I’ve really been enjoying creating stories for an online space, and I’m excited to work on pieces that cross the boundary between online and physical, between art forms, and between audiences.  Most importantly, I want to keep working in ways that allow me to thrive, and continuously reinvent what that means to me.