FESTIVAL FEATURES | All Genius All Idiot
among them a shopping trolley, a mask, rope, a bowl of water, Tom’s bass guitar, high heels, an antler crown and a good handful of glitter. It’s a delightfully weird party that often threatens to veer off course but is held together by the strong bond between these four talented performers.
‘It’s us describing a certain view on the philosophy of life that we all share,’ says Simon, nodding to the contradiction of the show’s title. And it’s an apt one too: for all the show’s raucous, animalistic energy, it’s balanced out by moments of slow, thoughtful movement and exhibitions of great skill. All of which is a testament to how hard this foursome work. ‘People don’t think about how much work we have to put in to be in the physical state to not injure ourselves during these shows,’ Tom says. ‘People don’t think about that we’ve gone through education for i ve years to be able to do this.’
And he’s approaching Edinburgh with caution: ‘I’m excited and I’m curious but I’m expecting it to be hard work. I’m not expecting it to be a pleasant month at all. I’d rather go in there with a bit of pessimism, rather than think it’s going to be i ne. We’ve done Adelaide but it’s way easier than Edinburgh I think, from what I’ve heard.’ But despite the inevitable fears, Svalbard are approaching the month with the passion and dedication that makes All Genius All Idiot such an intriguing addition to the world of circus.
‘I want the people in Edinburgh to talk about us every single day,’ says Santi, ‘and that every single day the house is full. It’s not because I’m a proud person, it’s because we are hard workers. But I want the work to pay off. It’s that simple.’
Assembly Roxy, 4–27 Aug (not 9, 14, 21), 7.30pm, £13–£15 (£11.50–£13.50). Previews 2 & 3 Aug, £9.
32 THE LIST FESTIVAL 3–10 Aug 2017
P H O T O :
K A T E P A R D E Y