“We are fully prepared to be dwarfed by the sheer scale of Ed Fringe.”
WHO: Latonya Wigginton
WHAT: “Seven acrobats and thirty metres of rope… Long spools of white rope run through pulley sheaves and wrap around bodies, connecting the artists’ movements above and off the ground. By a Thread weaves virtuosic acrobatics and intricate choreography through moments of confusion, hilarity, romance, playfulness, fear and friendship, uncovering the threads of connection present in all relationships. Australian circus at its best, By a Thread is an exploration of tensions physical, emotional and relational. ‘An exquisitely choreographed human poem’ (InDaily.com.au). ‘An intricate and mesmerising piece of art’ (ArtsHub.com.au). ‘Intoxicating to witness’ (StageWhispers.com.au).”
WHERE: Central at Assembly Roxy (Venue 139)
WHEN: 15:50 (60 min)
MORE: Click Here!
Is this your first time to Edinburgh?
This is our first time performing at Edinburgh Fringe and our first time in Scotland full stop.
As an Australian company our stomping grounds have been the Adelaide Fringe Festival and Perth Fringe world, but of course as artists we are always aware that Adelaide is only the second biggest Fringe Festival in the world – and we are fully prepared to be dwarfed by the sheer scale of Ed Fringe.
As performers and producers the highlight of a fringe festival is always being able to connect with friends old and new – a time when us and our peers are all in the same place at the same time – like a Christmas family reunion but for carnies.
What are the big things you’ve learned since 2024 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?
In 2024 By a Thread undertook its first major international tour in Canada. Mostly we learnt that Air Canada has pretty uncomfortable economy seats, though there’s probably not much we can do about that with another long-haul flight on our horizon to get from Australia to the UK.
Pithy comments aside, mostly what was reinforced for us was the impact we could have building relationships with local artists and circus schools and those connections are something we are hoping to build this year in Edinburgh.
Tell us about your show.
By a Thread is directed and produced by Charice Rust and Jonathan Morgan, they also do a lot of the costuming, rigging and perform in the show too – so understandably they don’t always get the optimal amount of sleep during a fringe season.
The show was created by these two and a group of fellow students while studying at the National Institute of Circus Arts in Melbourne all the way back in 2016. The show was inspired by what could be achieved acrobatically with a 30 metre long white cotton rope, 2 industrial pulleys and a lot of imagination.
Since then there have been quite a few cast changes, I joined the group in 2018 and am the longest running performer in the show (excluding Charice and Jon who are valiantly leading us still). It’s a show about trust, connection and teamwork and those are the values the company works by, on and off stage.
After EdFringe you can catch us in New Zealand – just a short 20 hr flight away!
What should your audience see at the festivals after they’ve seen your show?
The shows that we are excited to see this year are, A Teen Odyssey by La Mecànica, Bolero by Kinetic Orchestra, In the Fields Project and Inspired by Eastern Wind by Flow Dance Crew. None of them are works we’ve seen before but they are all shows that approach circus/physical theatre with the same attitudes of innovation and creativity that By a Thread was built on. We couldn’t find twitter handles for any of these shows but you can find some of them on Instagram!
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