dance/physical theatre feature

Doing the fringe from a different angle

ThreeWeeks meets the people behind award winning NoFit State circus

NoFit State have taken the wonder of the circus and transformed it into a whole new genre, and now you can experience it for yourself with their brand new show ‘Tabu’ at the Fringe. To warm you up, ThreeWeeks spoke to Creative Director Ali Williams about the making of the whole extravaganza.


TW: People probably have an idea of what a ‘circus’ is like from their childhood, how does the Nofit State experience differ?

AW: We are a contemporary circus, we use all the traditional skills but present them in a modern multimedia format. The audience enter the tent, which is an environment with no seats, and the performance happens above and around them. There are no sparkles, red noses or elephant poos, just ordinary people doing extraordinary things.


TW: Modern circuses will alway be compared to Cirque Du Soleil, how does your show differ?

AW: I believe that technically Cirque Du Soleil are amazing and the shows have massive budgets so are always slick and beautiful, but I always think there is something missing: the heart and soul of the show. I believe we are much more human and we share our humanity with our audiences. The tricks don’t need to be so good when it looks like a person is doing it rather than a machine; mind you we have some amazing skills in our show too.


TW: Obviously one big difference is the promenade format – how did that idea come about, and what do you think it offers to the show?

AW: It came about because we couldn’t afford seating! No seriously, we have been experimenting with promenade shows since 1995 when we started a series of large scale community projects in warehouses. We like the audience to be in the same space as the performers, taking away the normal barriers so they can interact on a personal level. When the audience is close to the performers they can feel the heat and be moved in a way that would not be possible in a seated space


TW: The show includes video and live music – what do these bring to the equation?

AW: The music is the driving force of the show, the band are amazing and the score is original, composed by our MD Peter Swaffer-Reynolds who has been with the company for thirteen years. We get loads of requests for CDs at the end of every show. The video is another layer of texture in the show, and we also use a lot of live camera so when people can’t see something they can watch it on the screen.


TW: A lot of the stuff looks really dangerous - how dangerous is it?

AW: The performers are hardcore and train really hard, they often carry injuries and mostly work through them. Last week at the Roundhouse there was a collision and one of our performers knocked her front tooth out in the show. We work hard to minimise risk and make sure accidents don’t happen, and sometimes people work with a lunge but there is always a chance of an accident or injury. We also have to make sure the public are safe at all times, but not too safe, because there is nothing like having someone fly close enough over you to make your hair blow.


TW: This year you’ve got a new show, what is the concept behind ‘Tabu’?

AW: ‘Tabu’ is about conquering Fear. Fear is the most widespread, undetected, un-acknowledged of taboos. It is only when a person with no fear appears in our life that we can go back to living. It’s not really narrative based, it’s a concept. As with all our work it’s about humanity, and living life to max, taking risks and creating opportunities.


TW: For those that saw your last show ‘Immortal’, how does compare?

AW: I think it’s a better show, the skills are different and some are technically higher, and there is some amazing new rigging in the tent including vertical trampolines. It is still very much an ensemble, but we’re really pleased with our second album, and the music has a very different feel. It’s much more rock than gypsy this year, but still totally eclectic.


TW: What attracted you to the Brighton Fringe?

AW: We came to Brighton last October and once the word was on the street about the show we did really well and sold out the end of the run. We were looking for a venue between London and Germany and Brighton is on the way and the Fringe was at the right time. With all that luck, and everyone in the company loving Brighton and the seaside, plus an invite from the Fringe to come and play, how could we not come here!


THREE WORD HARD SELL: “sexy, daring and wildy entertaining (sorry it’s five words!)”

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NOFIT LISTINGS
Tabu - My Fear And Yours, Spaceship Big Top, 1, 2, 5 – 9 May, 8 pm (10 pm), 2, 3, 9, 10 May, 3 pm (5 pm), £16 (£12), fpp 26.

More: http://www.nofitstate.org

published: May-2009

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