Tiger Dramaturgy: Manu Tiger @ Edfringe 2017

Tiger Circus

Venue: Underbelly, UdderBelly, George Square (Venue 61) 

Dates: 3-27 Aug (not 14, 21)

Time: 15.15 (60 mins)

https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/attached

ATTACHED trailer 2 leger from ay-roop on Vimeo.

What was the inspiration for Attached? 

My then performing partner and I wanted to talk about our relationship and how we related to each other. How connected we were and how dependent to each other we were within our performing lives. That’s where the name of the show came from. 

The more we worked on its creation the more extra layers appeared and the more we fed off each other.

Is performance still a good space for the public discussion of ideas? 

I think performance is the one place where both ideas and creation are possible. We can express ourself and deliver messages. Talking about what’s happening in the world or just make a show for the audience to relax and forget real life for a short while. 

I really like to talk to the audience after a show, to exchange views about what they felt during the show. It can be just as interesting to talk to people that disagree with me as those that do, often that’s where new ideas come from! 

How did you first become interested in making performance? 

To be honest it wasn’t my dream when I was kid or anything I thought I would do. I left school at 18 and went to live in London. There I met a friend who introduced me to juggling in the park. Eighteen months later I decided to try Circus School and see where that may lead. 

I ended doing 6 years, one in France, one in England, one in Spain and three in Sweden. I

enjoyed the physical part but felt threatened by the acting until I gradually learned to enjoy it. Now I love to be on stage, interacting with the audience, reacting with them. Just be able to do what I like, my passion and share it, it’s just a blessing. 

Is there any particular approach you took to the making of the show? 

When we decided to call the show Attached and talk about our relationship we decide to look at things that relate to the concept of being Attached. We use lots of Velcro (including suits made of it) as a literal manifestation of being attached to each other and the set.

After that we decide to use all the circus disciplines that are connect us both so we appear dependent on each other, to do things that are impossible to do alone. We created a new circus discipline for the show that we called the “banana shape”. It uses a huge aluminium half pipe where we do lots of acrobatics and use as for a human catapult.

We have always invited people onto the stage to help us perform certain tricks and for this there is a finale where we invite lots up to join us, where we all become connected (or indeed attached). For this show we really wanted to not just break but thoroughly smash the fourth wall and bring something of the feeling of an outdoor show indoors.

Does the show fit with the style of your other productions? 

For many years all our shows have been designed to be performed outdoors so this is a bit of a departure but some things retain a similarity. We’ve always invited audience members onstage  and humour is always very important to us, I love to hear the audience laugh! 

A lot of people have said that as performers in this show Massi (co-performer Massimilliano Rosetti) and I remind them of Laurel and Hardy – which I take as a huge compliment, to be compared with perhaps the best ever physical comedy double act means we have achieved what we set out to do.

What do you hope that the audience will experience? 

We have performed this show in 15 countries and every time I perform it I want the audience to laugh, have fun and leave any problems behind for its duration.

If they can take pleasure out of the world of comedy, circus, slapstick and playfulness we strive to create and leave with a big smile on their face then our work is done.