Breaking the boundaries and slamming expectations, 'Elixir' follows three acrobatic scientists on their quest to create the elixir of life.
Winner of Best Circus And Physical Theatre at this year's Adelaide Fringe, the show – by Head First Acrobats (HFA) – mixes acrobatics, impeccable comic timing and... Science! Performer Thomas Gorham tells us more.
Tell us a little bit about the premise of 'Elixir'.
'Elixir' follows three bumbling scientists who attempt to create the elixir of life, and they unwittingly create the Zombie apocalypse. The story follows the three in a lab as they test concoctions on themselves.
Science is quite a serious topic. How has it been to mix this with such a physical and theatrical art form as circus?
The way we deal with science is anything but serious... Haha. But the mystique around science and laboratory life is a great setting for a circus show, there is a lot of precision in scientific work, with mistakes having disastrous consequences in sci-fi in popular culture. Circus is also extremely precise work, and mistakes can mean injury or death. So I feel the marriage of the two is perfect, even though our show isn't "serious".
'Elixir' has had many performances. Is there anything you've found that is particularly hard to perfect and to get right throughout your show dates?
Staying well rested! We often do long runs at massive festivals, we have been to almost every major arts festival in Australia and the UK, and there is always so much fun to be had its hard to stay rested and in peak physical condition. Especially as 'Elixir' is a fun late-night show.
What kinds of major changes, if any, have you made to 'Elixir' since its birth?
'Elixir' has been through so many phases, the version of the show was only two performers, then we became three performers and toured solidly for two and half years. The biggest change came in 2017 when we got produced by Underbelly in the UK, they brought in an entire creative team including director, sound designer, lighting designer, costume and props team. It was an awesome change that really brought the production value of the show up.
You've had an education in circus and acrobatics. What draws you to this?
I started in break-dancing before moving to circus. I was initially drawn to circus because of the Bachelor program at NICA (National Institute of Circus Arts). I really enjoyed the training lifestyle and wanted to continue training and up-skilling and the Bachelor programme was the perfect place. You leave the course with a degree in Circus and a whole bunch of new skills.
There's a lot of action throughout 'Elixir'. Where did the inspiration for the show come from?
I made a Zombie piece for my showcase act when graduating NICA. When Cal (Harris) and I teamed up for the first version of the show we were initially thinking that magic and witches would be the cause of the undead, but Cal really liked the idea of a virus or medicine creating Zombies so we decided to be scientists.
How do you prepare before you head out on stage and use all that energy?
For me I mainly do a lot of stretching and mobility. My body type is that of a "tight and strong" person. It means I find strength based motions fairly simple to learn but I get a lot of stiffness and poor range of motion. So, the majority of my training is to try and address that with stretching and warm up.
Why do you think 'Elixir' will work as a show that is part of Brisbane's Wonderland Festival?
'Elixir' appeals to everybody. Because of the comic nature of the show absolutely everyone leaves having had a wonderful time. The Wonderland Festival is about showcasing unique and fun works from Australian companies. 'Elixir' is exactly that, a unique story that is adventurous and fun.
What are some of the things you've learned being a part of not only 'Elixir' but also Head First Acrobats?
We have all learnt so much as performers. The show can always get better, we never stopped working at making Elixir a better show even after our big development periods. There is always work to be done if you are passionate and the HFA team is always working hard at improving their art.
