Show: Rouge: Circus For Grown Ups
Venue: Assembly Main Hall
Time: 10:20pm
Dates: 4th - 21st August (not 10th, 17th)
Tell me about your 2022 Edinburgh Festival Fringe show.
Rouge is probably the only show where audiences can get a fix of the holy trinity of performance: Live music, scantily clad acrobats, and unicorns. As opposed to traditional line up cabarets, in Rouge we find our strength lies in the huge amount of ensemble work throughout the show, even in the more solo acts. As a cast we’ve definitely found the sweet spot of high octane, high skill spectacle performance couples with work that has something to say or someone to speak to. We pride ourselves on always striving to represent diversity and inclusivity.
Tell me about your previous Edinburgh experiences.
This is our second time to Edinburgh as a show. The cast is slightly different but the Rouge vibe remains, the festival was larger and busier than any we had experienced before but that was what we really fed off. The huge density of people is both daunting and delicious, the thought of being able to fly across the globe to showcase our work to so many people with post-pandemic performance hunger is awesome. It’s also enriching as a performer to be around a myriad of other artists from all different disciplines. The shared creativity and energy is palpable at the Fringe and I am so goddam excited to get a few hits of that this year.
Who inspires you?
There’s a cracking podcast called All Killa No Filla. The comedians on that (Kiri and Rachel) are both inspiring in their performances (win the podcast and their own stand up), relatable in their conversations and down to earth in a way that makes you go “these guys are funny, talented, and humble. I bet they’d be bloody good fun to have a pint with”. Them and Ricky Gervais. Would have a pint with all three.
How hard was it to get back on stage after the pandemic lockdown?
Mainly the difficult came from the constant snap lockdowns and cancellations even if a gig was booked. Personally, I think the only difficulty was physically getting “back into it”. Gin, UberEATS and a compendium of streaming services isn’t my usual go to training regime.
But as I love the work I do, I was just bloody relieved to be back doing it. I think post- pandemic performance really highlighted for a lot of people the importance of live performance. The performer-audience connection I feel has shifted and matured to have a deeper mutual appreciation of the symbiosis that you can’t get from Netflix.
Finally, ask and answer a question of your own.
How much are you going to spend at Primark and Superdry in Edinburgh?
The limit does not exist
Tickets: Rouge: Circus For Grown Ups
