'Out There Festival' of Circus and Street art

'Out There festival' of Circus and Street Arts

20/09/15

This isn't so much a review of the entire 'Out There' festival, yet more of a happy comment on how much I enjoyed this annual festival once again. For those who don't know, this is a festival comprised of many international street performers, based in a seaside town in Norfolk, and has grown into a fully fledged weekend of fun. 

The reason I am featuring this on my blog, other than it being a recap of my recent theatrical goings on, is because it reminded me of exactly what can be achieved with very little. That may sound like a rather underwhelming statement, but when you can be completely captivated by the narrative of two very skilled acrobats, with a few simple props and no sound at all but music, you realise the true power of the actor. The whole experience was very grotowskian in the sense that there was no need for fancy lighting and costume; all that mattered was the two actors. Whilst writing this I realise I am referring to one act in-particular, and that was the work of Circus Katoen with their showing of 'Ex Aequo', a silent (but for music) circus act which told the story of a couple in conflict about where to put their furniture in their new house. When I say furniture, I really mean blocks of wood and potted plants, for that's almost all they used to bring this narrative to life. The two acrobats did all sorts of flips and cartwheels here there and everywhere, often balancing on makeshift piles of wood and wooden planks and often on each-other. It just really brought back to me how you honestly need very little to be able to engage an audience in this way (well apart from intense acrobatic skill of course), and provided for me a huge lesson in the art of clowning, and theatre in general. you don't need anything as long as you have a message, and I think that's a hugely important thing to remember in this industry.