It’s that time of year when we launch our annual series of Fringe preview Q & A’s. First up is Ellie Dubois of innovative circus production,No Show.
In one sentence tell us about your show.
No Show is a contemporary circus show performed by five extremely talented female circus performers exploring desperate attempts and heroic failures, glorious achievements and bruised bodies and egos.
What made you decide to bring a show this year?
When I saw shows at the Fringe last year I felt like a lot of the circus was quite commercial in huge spaces and I wanted to bring a show that was a bit more experimental and delicate. I felt like there was a space for this show at Summerhall which nurtures work that is more experimental. I also wanted to bring a slightly larger scale work to my show Ringside which came in 2015 which was for one audience member at a time so only seen by 300 people over the whole run and sold out before the festival had begun. So with No Show hopefully more people will get to see my work.
Any advice you’ve heard or can give to anyone coming to the Fringe for the first time?
Don’t expect to make any money and don’t try and do everything. If you can have a PR and a producer so that you don’t have to deal with everything and can focus on the show that is so great. Putting your work out on such a public platform can be hard even if you have sold out and are getting great press so sometimes you need someone to give you good vibes and love when it feels hard.
What makes your show stand out from all of the others on offer? (Don’t say that it’s because you’re in it!)
It is performed by five brilliant female circus performers which is great among so many other male dominated circus casts at the Fringe. There are amazing and impressive tricks in the show but it is also a really thoughtful, angry, experimental show exploring the performers place in the world that should leave you with lots of ideas to take away.
What show, other than your own, do you not want to miss?
I have an 18-month-old, so often end up only seeing shows for babies which is great. This year I am excited to see Snigel and Friends by Caroline Bowditch at Dancebase and BambinO, an opera for babies, by Improbable and Scottish Opera.
Finally, the boring but essential bit…
Name of the show: No Show
Venue: Summerhall (The Old Lab)
Dates: Wednesday 2 – Sunday 27 August 2017 (not 10 or 21)
Time: 16:15