Circus / circomedia
Circomedia alumni double bill: The Cycle & The Beauty of Being Herd
As part of Circomedia’s 30th anniversary celebration, they will be bringing a double bill of alumni shows to their St Paul’s venue on Friday October 4.
The Cycle by Liz Fairnell and The Beauty of Being Herd by Ruth Berkoff, appear starkly different on the surface, but within them a string of humanity runs through.
In The Cycle, Liz explores the struggles and joys of working in the care sector through a combination of text, physical theatre, circus and music.
is needed now More than ever
Drawing from lived experience, as a former palliative carer during the COVID-19 pandemic she discovered the strength of the people both receiving and giving care; the people often hidden behind closed doors.
The show’s first few incarnations were theory based due to the lockdowns, but once she got the chance to perform live, she says “The feedback was incredible.
“It’s something I’ve been previously passionate about because I’ve got grandparents, and my grandma recently went through Alzheimer’s and dementia and passed away.”
“And it seems like something that a lot of people can really resonate with and relate to and want to see more of. So, I just have spent the past like three years refining it and pursuing it further.”
The show maintains humours and lightness throughout, speaking on the delicate balancing act of themes, she says, “You’ve got to laugh. In all of this space, you know, it’s literally, like full of shit, and you’re just laughing like, it’s almost surreal in that way.”
In finding humour in the hard facts of life, she adds “In particular elderly care, I think is quite a scary thing, because it’s unavoidable, like we’re all gonna die, but that’s the fact, whether we die young and in an accident, or old and withered, and that’s scary.
“And so I think we avoid talking about it but by avoiding it. We’re making the problem worse.
“I think we’re going to see a massive shift in how healthcare works imminently. And so I think we need to start talking about it.
“And that’s kind of why, one of the reasons why the piece exists is because we need to start talking about it, so here we go open the conversation.”
Reflecting on the shows run, “I need to do this again. Like, that was so rewarding. It made my soul so happy. And so many members of the audience were like, I wanted more.” -photo: Harley Strong Media
Following on after the break, The Beauty of Being Herd by Ruth Berkoff. This is the story of Hannah, who overwhelmed by life, attempts to resign from it and step into the fantastical, frolicking existence of a sheep.
Inadvertently finding that despite her new form, she still has to reckon with those feelings.
The Beauty of Being Herd, is a show to make you ‘feel less alone’ according to its creator.
Inspired by her own survival of a brain haemorrhage in 2017 and the inability to find stories from other survivors, she wrote her own story.
When asked if playing in a form that isn’t her own, one that is in fact the furthest removed possible from it, whether that makes it easier to take on more sensitive subjects, she says, “It’s so weird that it, like, really lightens the mood.
“There’s loads of sheep facts, like real life sheep have facts, and there’s like, baaing and frolicking.”
But that often people who have been tearing up over the show, will approach her and say, “I’ve really been thinking about it since watching it.”
She continues, “I think you’ve got to have humour, like you know people always laugh like when someone dies, or at funerals, you’ve got to have laughter.
“You can’t have heavy mixed with heavy.”
For audiences hoping to sit back and let Ruth perform, will be in for a surprise as her show often involves an audience member.
Reflecting on her most recent performance, a man she picked out from the audience for the moment of participation “really didn’t want to do it” but after reassurance he did.
“He was gorgeous, and then he sat back down, and afterwards, he said I never do stuff like that. It was really, really out of my comfort zone.”
And following the show, she gleefully adds “He passed the feedback onto the organizer, like he was so grateful that he’d done it.”
The combination of Hannah and the sheep, was borne out of many monologues reinvented over the years – photo: Shay Rowan
Founded in 1984, Circomedia is a leading centre for contemporary circus and physical theatre training in the UK.
This year is Circomedia’s 30th Anniversary, as well as their 20th year in the St. Paul’s Church venue.
To celebrate, their Autumn 2024 programme is dedicated to their alumni.
Circomedia alumni double bill: The Cycle & The Beauty of Being Herd is at Circomedia on Friday October 4 at 7:30pm.
Visit www.circomedia.com for tickets.
Main photo: Circomedia
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