Guayabo (Venezuelan slang for “heartbreak”) is a grief party connecting people in England with Ania's family, who are immersed in the humanitarian crisis in Venezuela, through the long-distance exchange of rituals of celebration and grief.

Audiences first hear from Ania's family through a film recorded in Venezuela, and then begins an hour of live communication between the two countries; via WhatsApp messages, lights that turn on and off, acts of protest, singing, clapping and partying.
 

The show is a meeting point to recognize together the reality of migration and its hardship, the perseverance and richness of our common losses and the opportunities found in facing grief collectively.

Performed by: Ania Varez

Producer: Katherine Hall

Film recording and editing (Venezuela): Gabriel Suárez and Ania Varez.

Video editing (UK): Paul Samuel White

Lighting and technology consultant: Tom Richmond.

Mentoring and outside eye: Caroline Williams and Laura Dannequin.

Collaborators: Marisa Riccio, Rosanna Riccio, Angelo Riccio and Lidia Cammarota.

Premiered at the SPILL Festival of Performance, 2018.

Part of the SPILL OPEN, supported by the Jerwood Charitable Foundation.

This work was made with the support of Trinity Community Arts through the IGNiTE Residency Programme and Arts Council England.