This innovative mash-up of circus act, projected animation, video and console gaming levels up this Brighton Fringe ‘youth performance’. Performed by young circus artists aged between 14 and 19 who are themselves ‘digital natives’, the 40-minute theatrics weaves very real-world physical acrobatics, against a tapestry of virtual imagery familiar to everyone in modern life who can’t help but be touched by the technological wizardry inherent in our society.
Status updates from the ubiquity of social networks such as Facebook are the narrative trapdoor into young people’s attractions and anxieties – it is far from a paean to the wonders of silicon, but rather reflects both the ups and downs of a world of clicks and taps. Performances on trapezes and ropes aim to skirt a balancing act between these things. While performers transform into videogame sprites, The Circus Project shows us that traditional theatre and circus performance doesn’t have to be stuck in a two-dimensional past.
Sadly, if you didn’t see it yourself this year, it was a one-off, but certainly worth keeping an eye out for possible events during the year or in next year’s Fringe.
Rolling on the Floor Laughing is by The Circus Project / Brighton & Hove Youth Circus Company
Review by Leonie Taylor, for Child Friendly Brighton & Hove
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