An Interview with Tom Richmond of Apocalyptic Circus, creator of Push Me, Pull You!

Apocalyptic Circus are the next in our series of Ferment Fortnight interviews, here we talk to Tom Richmond about their new work-in-progress, Push Me, Pull You!.

Briefly describe (for us) what your show is about?
A spectacular circus piece, in which you get to see the magic of the backstage, on-stage. By undressing conventions it reveals the collaborations and conflicts between the performer and the technician in a new light. Linn Brodén, circus artist specializing in slack rope and acrobatics, and Tom Richmond, technician and lighting designer, explore the potential in their space, their equipment and themselves.

Now describe it in 3 words.
Performer. Technician. Show.

Is it similar to what you’ve done previously or are you trying something new?
Apocalyptic Circus is a new company, formed during the conception of this show. It is a very personal piece, and we are of course drawing on our own experience of what we have done previously, but what you will see in Push Me, Pull You! is all new.

How will it make people feel? / What will it make people think about?
Push Me, Pull You! is both calming, and exciting. It is intimate, slow and beautiful, but at the same time intense, wrought with conflict and passion, and thematically thought provoking.

What stage will it be at in its development when we see it in January?
We spent five weeks researching and developing this piece last year, what you will see in January is a 35 minute performance which we presented to festival audiences at the end of this period. It is a show in the sense that it has a beginning and a middle and an end, but it is very much an unfinished work in progress.

What elements in particular are you looking forward to testing it out on Ferment audiences?
We are interested in the individual journeys the two characters take through the piece, and what the audience make of them. We are keen to know if all of the games and communications that take place on stage are visible from the audience. We want to know how people rate the variety of circus skills involved. And we want to make the piece longer, so are interested to know what people would like to see more of.

What are your personal highlights of the line-up for January’s Ferment Fortnight?
Baba Yaga, by the Wrong Crowd, with the quote: "I only eat the ones who deserve to be eaten", has got to be good! Incidents by Ed Rapley looks really fun, and Conversations Not Fit For The American Dining Table by TongueTied Theatre is going to be really interesting!

Apocalyptic Circus will be performing Push Me, Pull You! on Fri 25 Jan at Circomedia. Find out more here. Apocalyptic Circus is also supported by Circomedia and Arts Council England, and you can follow Apocalpytic Circus on Facebook here.