Thomas Gorham Talks Fringe Show GODZ

Head First Acrobats new show GODZ will have its South Australian premiere at this years Adelaide Fringe. After previous successful shows Railed and Elixir, this years GODZ production promises the same award winning mix of circus, comedy and gravity defying acrobatic stunts with the theme of ancient Greek Gods. Playing at The Garden of Unearthly Delights in a specially designed venue The Vault, where every seat in the house has a clear view; no pesky poles or large obstacles! Running from February 18 until March 20 so Grab Ya Tix! Thomas Gorham chatted to the Hi Fi Way about the show.

The South Australian premiere of the show GODZ is here at the Adelaide Fringe. Can you tell us what the show is about?
The show follows four ancient Greek Gods and it’s a comedy acrobatic show that mixes elements from different genres. There’s circus, comedy, acrobatics and a little bit of stripping. It’s an R-18 show and a lot of fun!

How did you come up with the concept of the Gods and ancient Greece?
We had been flirting with the idea of a Greek based show for a long time ever since we made Elixir and we almost made it last time but we ended up settling on cowboys which became the show Railed. It had been in my mind for about five years and I thought the ancient Greek Gods would suit our comedy style and aesthetics.

You mentioned there was a bit of comedy, circus and other genres what is the show primarily focused on or is it a blend of everything?
It’s primarily an acrobatic show that’s very heavy on technical circus but presented in a very comedic way.

Is it challenging to come up with ways to express your story through these mediums or does come more naturally? Are the different genres a better way you want to tell a story?
The story can sometimes be very difficult to portray with circus. Narrative circus isn’t particularly very popular or heavily developed. We’ve been doing a lot of narrative circus since ever since we came out. There’re questions like “Why are they doing handstands?” “Why are they doing a backflip?” “Why are they doing death-defying stunts?” and dressing that and presenting that like Greek Gods gives a lot of excuses why these things can happen. That’s part of the secret to a good narrative circus show.

You’ve been to Adelaide Fringe a few times with previous shows Railed and Elixir. What keeps you coming back to our Fringe? What do you like about it?
Adelaide’s always been heavily supportive of us. We’ve picked up a few awards; Railed got 2020 Best Circus Weekly and Elixir was Overall Best Circus show. The critics and audiences have loved our shows. Adelaide has a unique vibe with beautiful gardens so I’m really looking forward to being in The Garden of Unearthly Delights.

How important is it for people to support the arts and the Adelaide Fringe at this time?
I think it’s important to support the arts at any time but right now it’s a little like ‘life or death’ in terms of keeping a business a float. There has never been a harder time to produce and present a touring performance. So, if people can get down there, go out and see as much as you can. Have a great time, enjoy the festival and enjoy yourself. It would benefit everyone greatly and it will help keep Australian arts alive because right now it’s very thin ice.

So how long have you been in this industry for?
I’ve been touring and working in this industry fulltime since 2012. I’ve been running my own company since 2014. It’s coming to ten years of touring work and it’s pretty much ever since I discovered circus I’ve worked towards that goal. I feel it’s paying off because I get to perform in front of awesome crowds.    

What do you love about it?
There’s nothing quite like the feeling that you get on stage and the conversations you have back and forth with the crowd with what you’re doing. It’s very challenging mentally and obviously the physical training is amazing and keeps you in great shape. It’s also very challenging to execute something that’s difficult in front of people. There’s a unique set of challenges and joy performing. It’s very unique.

Are you looking forward to performing your show in The Garden of Unearthly Delights?
I’m really looking forward to being in The Garden. During the pandemic we purchased and repurposed a venue. We bought our own tent and its actually at The Garden. The Garden’s taking it on and we’re doing all our shows in our own venue so I couldn’t be more stoked to be in The Garden and being a part of their team. They are the best in the business, they’ve been doing it the longest and I can’t wait to play there!

You said it’s a custom-made tent for your needs, how important is that to perform in a space where it’s designed for the way you want to do things?
Luckily there are so many great spaces in the Adelaide Fringe because a lot of great venues come down but to have a venue that has the capacity to do absolutely everything really makes a difference. We are going to have a large stage and perfect sight lines. When you go to a show in some tents you’re often behind a pole or a weird obstacle and you really see the stage that well. So, ours is a 20 metre geo-dome and there are absolutely no poor seats in the house. Every seat has a direct line of sight to the stage. There’s great rigging and a ten-metre-high roof so it’s perfectly customised for circus! I think the show will really shine in that venue.

That’s great to know! People hate buying tickets to a show and then get stuck with a pole in front of their view.
Yeah, it’s not fun to sit with a pole in front of you. The geo-dome is a unique solution and its going to be amazing!

How many people are performing in this show?
GODZ has four people performing but we also have a late-night cabaret show called Crème de la Crème on Fridays and Saturdays and that has a cast of eight. We are also doing a children’s show. Oh, don’t bring kids to GODZ or Crème de la Crème please (laughs). Bring the kids to Pre-Hysterical which is playing 4pms on Saturdays and Sundays and that’s a three person cave comedy!

What are three words to describe your show?
Ooooohhh! I would say Playful, Incredible and Hilarious!

Interview by Anastasia Lambis

Tickets and show information for GODZ at FringeTix. Grab Ya Tix!

Tickets and show information for Crème de la Crème at Fringe Tix. Grab Ya Tix!

Tickets and show information for Prehysterical at FringeTix. Grab Ya Tix!