risingdamp

On a stormy night in the depths of a raging housing crisis, a merman hears the distant voice of an estate agent and falls desperately in love. Abandoning everything he’s ever known, he follows his heart, leaving the sea for a new life on Swansea High Street.

Fast forward 10 years and things haven’t quite played out the way the merman had hoped. He has doubts about whether the estate agent, who is subletting him a damp room at the back of the Volcano Theatre, is truly in love with him.

To be honest, what’s happening is the merman’s home is on the market. You, the audience, are prospective buyers. The merman watches as his home, an attractively priced and conveniently located character property, is sold by the woman he loves. Swansea is on the up. Is this your moment to make the investment of a lifetime?

This immersive performance is a re-telling of Hans Christian Anderson’s ‘The Little Mermaid’ in the context of the housing crisis.

Immersive performance
Written & directed by Marianne Tuckman
Performance & artstic collaboration: Paul Davies
Outside eye: Paul Davies (of Volcano Theatre)
Production: Claudine Conway
Photos: Claudine Conway

The Rising Damp & other Tails - Research & Development 2 & 3- 2025

Set on a stormy night in the depths of a raging housing crisis, this
immersive, site-specific performance retells Hans Christian Anderson’s
The Little Mermaid as an exploitative love story between a merman and an
estate agent.

TEAM:
Marianne Tuckman, Marco Gonzales, Francisco Petrucci and Nicolás San Martín, Megan Haines, Paul Davies, João Maio, Belisa Branças, Luke Wilson, Georgie Buchanan, Ailleen Klein, Zoe Parker, Fernanda Prata, Marta Maluva

Featuring songs performed and written by members of Meeting Point, Solace Nordoff & Robbins and Shelter Cymru

R & D 1:
Supported by Leeds City Council’s Leeds Cultural Investment Programmes and Volcano Theatre.
R & D 2: Supported by Arts Council Wales and Volcano Theatre