A rainy evening at the end on November saw crowds gathering in our foyer, for the onetime only performance of The Road. The performance, the result of the cabaret collective classes, saw circus professionals and community learners from the weekly circus classes working together to devise a performance under the guidance of Angela De Castro, acclaimed clown and director.
The show, made up of solo vignettes and ensemble pieces ranging from comically tragic pole dancers through vintage song and dance numbers to group trapeze work, was a celebration of the range of resident talent. The individual performances were tied together through the analogy of the well travelled road and the performers were merely passengers on it stopping to rest occasionally in front of the audience.
For many of the community performers it was their first public showcase, but under the skilful tutelage of De Castro managed to inhabit the stage with confidence and their own personal style.
The real highlight of the show for me was spotting one of the community performers young sons singing along to every word of his fathers song, showing the hours of rehearsals that must have gone onaround the breakfast table in the weeks running up to the show.
Showcases that bring together the professional performers and community learners has historically been a unique feature of NoFit State? s style of work and it was great to see this tradition evolve.
