ABOUT THIS EPISODE
Bog Witch: Storytelling as climate action with Bryony Kimmings and Will Duke
What if the stories we tell could be one of the most powerful forms of climate action? Join me to explore storytelling as climate action in this episode.
In my latest Sense-Making in a Changing World podcast (55 mins), I spoke with acclaimed artist Bryony Kimmings and designer Will Duke about their new work Bog Witch – a show that weaves humour, grief, witches, and ecology into a deeply personal and universal tale.
Commissioned for the launch season at Soho Theatre Walthamstow, Bog Witch is Bryony’s first solo work in over five years. Known for her fearless, hilarious, and deeply moving autobiographical creations, Bryony has been called “an artist of exceptional integrity, imagination, compassion and guts” by The Guardian. Her work spans theatre, film, and television, including projects with the BBC, Channel 4, and the National Theatre.
Will is a leading projection designer whose practice spans opera, theatre, and dance. His acclaimed visual designs have appeared on international stages from the Royal Opera House to the National Theatre. Will is also a student of the Permaculture Education Institute, weaving ecological design principles into both his creative work and daily life.
Together, they open up about how storytelling itself can be a form of climate action — using humour, vulnerability, and imagination to re-enchant culture and invite us back into the web of life.
-
Bryony’s journey from consumer culture to ecological reconnection.
-
Why Bog Witch is storytelling as a tool for transformation.
-
Will’s permaculture lens and how visual art creates emotional connection.
-
The radical power of vulnerability and humour in climate narratives.
-
How personal stories (miscarriage, grief, healing) open universal conversations.
-
How storytelling across theatre, film, and TV can shift culture in ways data and activism often cannot.
Bog Witch reminds us that we are part of the web of life, and that through storytelling we can reconnect, reimagine, and take action. Get tickets for the show
“I was living hand to mouth, searching for happiness in alcohol and consumer culture — but it didn’t fill the hole in my soul. Nature did.
~ Bryony Kimmings
Theatre can hold your hand, make you laugh, make you cry, and before you know it, you’re willing to take a step you didn’t think possible.
~ Bryony Kimmings
Storytelling is climate action. It opens hearts where facts alone can’t.
~ Will Duke
You don’t have to do everything. Trust that others will take care of their piece of the puzzle. Together we hold the whole.
~ Bryony Kimmings
MY GUESTS: Bryony Kimmings and Will Duke
Bryony Kimmings is an internationally acclaimed actor and playwright celebrated for her bold, hilarious, and moving autobiographical theatre. Described by The Guardian as “an artist of exceptional integrity, imagination and guts,” her work blends raw honesty with humour to explore grief, resilience, and cultural change. Bog Witch marks her much-anticipated return to solo performance.
Will Duke is an award-winning projection designer whose work spans theatre, opera, and dance. Known for his evocative visual storytelling, he is also a member of the Permaculture Education Institute, weaving ecological themes into his creative practice. Together, Bryony and Will craft powerful, transformative stories for our times.
Tune in on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Youtube or any of your preferred podcast platforms.
Subscribe, share, comment and leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review if you enjoy and keep this podcast myceliating!
ABOUT THE PODCAST
The Sense-Making in a Changing World podcast is an initiative of the Permaculture Education Institute hosted by Morag Gamble. It is broadcast from a solar powered studio in the midst of a permaculture ecovillage food forest on beautiful Gubbi Gubbi country.
We explore ‘what now’ – what thinking do we need to navigate a positive and regenerative way forward; what does a thriving one-planet way of life look like; and where should we putting our energy.
ABOUT THE PERMACULTURE EDUCATION INSTITUTE
Morag Gamble, founder of the Permaculture Education Institute, is an award-winning permaculture teacher, humanitarian, writer, film-maker and designer who has led programs for 3 decades in over 22 countries. She is an international leader of the permaculture movement for change.
The Permaculture Education Institute works with people on six continents, teaching permaculture design and skills. how to be a permaculture teacher and community leader, and how to create a regenerative permaculture livelihood. You can start our courses today.
Visit our website to find out more.
Abridged Transcript: Bog Witch – Storytelling as Climate Action
Sense-Making in a Changing World Podcast with Morag Gamble
Foreword:
This is a transcript of the Sense-Making in a Changing World podcast with host Morag Gamble in conversation with acclaimed artist Bryony Kimmings and projection designer Will Duke. In this episode, they explore Bryony’s new show *Bog Witch*, storytelling as climate action, and how grief, humour, vulnerability, and ecology weave together to invite cultural transformation. The transcript has been deeply edited for clarity and readability.
Morag Gamble:
Welcome Bryony and Will, it’s an honour to have you both on the show. You’re coming from the world of theatre and storytelling, and I feel this is exactly where the energy of culture shift needs to go.
Bryony Kimmings:
Thank you. I’m so excited to be here. Our new show, Bog Witch, is my first solo work in over five years. At first we thought of calling it Soil and Water, but Bog Witch stuck because it’s bold, memorable, and a bit irreverent.
Morag Gamble:
The name instantly takes me back to something ancient and powerful. Why a bog, and why a witch?
Bryony Kimmings:
The bog became a symbol for me – a place of decay and renewal, a future self, an elder. And the witch? She’s the figure who carries wisdom and resilience. Plus, there’s that meme about turning fifty and going full bog witch – living in the bog, not talking to anyone – and honestly, it resonated.
Morag Gamble:
In the show you describe unplugging from consumer culture and distraction, and instead ‘plugging back in’ to nature. What drew you to that shift?
Bryony Kimmings:
At the time I was a single mum with a disabled son, struggling with my mental health, living hand-to-mouth and searching for happiness in alcohol and consumer culture. None of it worked. Meeting Will changed that – he believed in nature and ecology. I didn’t think it would change me, but it did. Profoundly.
Will Duke:
When you’re passionate about ecological ideas, you can overwhelm people if you come in too strong. I had to learn to communicate gently, without turning Bryony off. That’s the lesson for all of us – invite, don’t overwhelm.
Bryony Kimmings:
Exactly. If you push too hard, people shut down. With theatre, I try to hold the audience’s hand – make them laugh, make them cry, and gently invite them to consider change. It’s about willingness, not preaching.
Morag Gamble:
Your work is incredibly vulnerable. You share about grief, miscarriage, and the personal struggles you’ve faced. How do you find the courage to bring that to the stage?
Bryony Kimmings:
For me, it’s about honesty. Miscarriage is rarely spoken of, but it’s deeply human. When I shared it, so many people came forward with their own stories. I realised my role as an artist is to talk about what others can’t. By being specific and vulnerable, the story becomes universal.
Will Duke:
Humour and emotion are powerful tools. By making people laugh, relax, and feel, we can open their hearts. And once hearts are open, they’re more willing to face difficult truths about the planet.
Morag Gamble:
You describe yourself as a green witch. Can you tell me more about that?
Bryony Kimmings:
When I moved to the countryside, I needed rituals that didn’t revolve around consumerism. Witchcraft gave me a way to honour the seasons, to see the cycles of nature. I don’t conjure magic – I believe nature itself is magic. Rituals help me feel grounded, sane, and connected.
Morag Gamble:
And the show ends with a Council of All Beings?
Bryony Kimmings:
Yes, audience members come on stage as mountains, frogs, owls. It’s a rewilding moment, a reminder that we are part of the web of life. That’s the invitation: to step back into relationship with the more-than-human world.
Will Duke:
In my design work, visuals create an emotional container. With Bog Witch, nature is always present on stage, often as shadows. At the end, colour finally arrives. It symbolises the reconnection we long for.
Bryony Kimmings:
I see witches, grief, humour – all as tools for cultural repair. Storytelling is climate action. It helps us move from overwhelm to willingness, from helplessness to empowerment.
Morag Gamble:
Thank you both for this conversation and for your extraordinary work. It’s been a joy to share these ideas with you.
Bryony Kimmings:
Thank you, Morag.
Will Duke:
Thanks so much.
Afterword:
This conversation with Bryony Kimmings and Will Duke reminds us that storytelling is not just entertainment – it is a powerful form of climate action. Through humour, grief, ritual, and imagination, stories invite us to reconnect with the web of life and to act with courage and creativity. Learn more about Bog Witch at Soho Theatre, and explore courses at the Permaculture Education Institute to continue this journey of reconnection.
0 Comments