INTERVIEW: Discover the ultimate 'Elixir' with Head First Acrobats this Fringe season
Head First Acrobats are bringing their best-selling (and super sexy!) show Elixir to Fringe World Festival. As the smash hit of 2018 that won the Best Circus and Physical Theatre Award at Adelaide Fringe, Elixir is a vibrant crowd-pleaser that will set your heart thumping and your pulse racing. Come on a journey with the boys from Head First Acrobats to discover the ultimate body-enhancing human elixir:
A potent concoction of chemical balance and imbalance, new school death-defying acrobatics, old school slapstick comedy – this show is equal parts funny, sexy, charming and raucous. We snatched up the opportunity to interview Thomas Gorham, one of the Head First Acrobats. Here’s what he had to say:
How long have you been doing circus for?
I started circus training in 2008 when I attended the National Institute of Circus Arts in Melbourne. So 12 years.
We've seen the promo video for Elixir and it's pretty impressive! What kind of training was required to be a part of this?
Prior to doing a degree in Circus Arts at NICA, I trained breakdancing and recreational acrobatics for 6 years. So it's a lifetime of training.
Did you always know you wanted to pursue circus? If not, what made you realise?
Originally I wanted to become a video game developer. In fact during COVID-19 times, I made a video game based on Elixir. You can play it on Android here!
When I was in my last year of high school, I received a DVD of Cirque du Soleil's Varekai as a Christmas present. That DVD made me realise that circus could be an excellent career choice. And here we are.
Any highlights of your career so far?
The whole thing feels like a highlight. We are truly lucky to be able to do what we do for a living. Although if I have to pick one moment, it would be selling out Elixir at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival Spiegeltent.
If you could describe Elixir in 3 words or less, what would they be?
Stupid sexy skills (oooh alliteration).
What has been the best part about revisiting Perth this 2021 season?
Opening night. After 10 months off we were wondering how it would go, the crowd was roaring before we even did anything, nobody supports the arts like the Perth locals support their favourite Fringe acts. Thank you so much Perth!
With multiple 5-star reviews from the likes of The Outlier, The Clothesline, The Advertiser and British Theatre, this isn’t a show you’ll want to miss. Get ready to feel the heat and see the sweat in the Edith Spiegeltent in the Woodside Pleasure Garden from January 15 to February 14!
