The Awkward Art of Flying
Academy at King Edward (8525 – 101 street) August 14, 15, 18, 19, 21, 23, 24
An interview with Lucia Rich.
The Awkward Art of Flying at Edmonton Fringe. Photo credit: Marcus Lucas
Describe your show in five words.
Awkward, Absurd, Comedy, Flight, Feminine
Okay, now that we’re intrigued… what’s the longer description?
Equal parts physical poetry and comedy, The Awkward Art of Flying follows the journey of two cave-women as they learn how to fly. Fumbling down the path to freedom and flight, the cavewomen find themselves pinned down by the rules and restriction of traditional femininity with hilarious and touching results. Downtown Abbey with a splash of Carol Burnett, pantomime and vaudeville flirt with absurdist comedy, traversing genres, personifying objects and historical heroines in a string of unexpectedly human vignettes about freedom and risk.
Why did you choose for your central characters in the show to be cave women?
We didn’t so much choose the cavewomen, as they chose us. These characters arrived about mid-way through our creation process, and it became obvious that the journey was happening to them. They represent a sense of evolution. From simple to sophisticated, and ultimately back to our instinctive wild nature.
How did you first start performing physical theatre shows and what draws you to the genre?
Claire and I are both trained in Lecoq-based physical theatre, Claire in Italy, and myself in London. We share the physical theatre vocabulary, from clown to commedia dell’arte, and have been creating shows together for 7 years. I have a background in both dance and theatre, and have always been attracted to physical theatre as a way to combine the best of both worlds, physicality and movement plus story and character.
Anything else you want audiences to know about the show?
The Awkward Art of Flying is very unique. It was created with a sense of play and innocence, trusting the stories that arrived to be told. It is fun, flirty, and fabulous!
Bonus question: Any names you want to drop who have been involved in your show (Edmonton arts people or otherwise)?
Claire Patton has directed two other shows that are being presented in Edmonton this year: Dancing with Demons, by Shana Cordon, and Me and My Monkey, by Bradley Spann. She is a triple threat!
The 33rd Edmonton International Fringe is August 14 – 24. Get your tickets at tickets.fringetheatre.ca.