Schedule of Loss

Created and performed by Claire Biddiscombe

Your house is burning down. What do you save? This immersive storytelling show, based on true events, examines the choices we make under pressure, and our attachment to the objects that populate our lives.

Genesis of the Show:

In February 2023, my apartment was destroyed by fire. In a matter of hours, I lost nearly everything I owned. Over the next four months, I undertook one of the hardest and strangest projects of my life, as I attempted to document the entire contents of my apartment for my insurance claim, using what is called a “Schedule of Loss”. The final product was a spreadsheet with over 400 entries, logging most of the material possessions that had filled my home and my life. As I was documenting items in a spreadsheet and assigning them monetary values, I was frequently struck by how cold and calculating the process was, and how inadequate it felt as a form of commemoration. I wanted to use this document as the basis of a piece of art that would honour the sentimental value these objects held.

Claire Biddiscombe

Claire Biddiscombe is an improviser, theatre-maker, and educator, who is fascinated by stories in all their varied forms. She is a co-founder of Wayward Improvised Theatre, the creator and director of Seeds Improv, and recently appeared in Filmed Before a Live Studio Audience (Ottawa Fringe Festival 2024). Current and past projects can be found online at https://linktr.ee/biddiscombe.improv. Originally from St. John’s, Newfoundland, Claire now lives in Ottawa with her partner Rob, and their cats.

Premiering October 23 - 26, 2024.

2024 festival artwork by Maggie Woods