the Way of the Showman

I didn't think it would happen. Not this birtday ramble nor that I would be back in Las Vegas, nor that I would be here with Cirque du Soleil! But I am back on all those fronts and yet again I am humbled by my own lack of ability to accurately predict the unfolding events of my life. BUT I am beyond grateful that it all conspired to be this Way. Support the show ... After a long abscence our...

In this episode I talk about viewing the world through the lens of Showmanship. This is something I say at the beginning of each episode and it is what this podcast is all about. I talk about how to look and what the lens is. So, this episode has as its aim to allow you a clearer idea of what it means and to be able to look at the world in the same way, if you so choose. This is a topic which prep...

In this episode I lay how what Showmanship is, as I see it. If we are to work out what the origins of something is, particularly if the origins lay deep in prehistory, then chances are there has been a great deal of change to the thing. Sometimes so much that it is hard to recognice it. SO, to be able to know what the origins are we must know what the relevant and unchanging elements of the evolvi...

In this episode we start a whole new project. We revert back to the format of the first 60, or so, episodes where I share my own ideas with you. The subject for this 4th season will be Showmanship & Play. Or, how Showmanship is like Play and what we can learn from seeing it as such. links: Here is a link to the whole season of PBS series about evolution. Here is a link to the specific episode...

In this conversation we talk further about making choices and how learning to understand why we take the choices we do about what we do on stage we develop clarity of expression which is the foundation stone of a good artist. some of the things we talk about: -Why did you do that? I dont know is not a good enough answer. -Concretise your choices and intentions -We are after a statement of value in...

In this episode I ask Jay Gilligan to tell me about how he makes his ideas concrete to his students at the circus school in Stockholm. -How  this relates to performance abstract and concrete or narrative -Circus appears frivolous when seen in most cases, academic thought in universities might make contributions to unpacking how its not, but this academization of circus as a subject might impinge o...

In this episoe I try to get Ivar Hackscher and Jay Gilligan to help me further my understanding about the difference between concrete and abstract performance. The topic is complex and our routes into its terrain circuitous. Some of the topics touched on: -Necessity, freedom and play. Arthus Zajonc's book Meditation as contemplative inquiry -How does thoughts and words pop into our minds as r...

In this episode Jay Gilligan and I talk to the wonderful teacher and artist Ivar Hacksher in his house. We talk about many things, but the underlying flavour is about making choices in art and life. some of the things we talk about: - the importance of not knowing. -making things and ideas concrete too soon. -Olle and Sarah from the stockholm gallery "Den Fantastiska platsen" ( the fanta...

In this episode Ivar Hackscher, Jay Gilligan, Erik Åberg and myself talk about education and abouyt being constant learners. Some of the topics we touch on: -What would be a good education for jugglers -A school does not have enough time to be completely open ended. Only your education in life will have that time, and even that does not have unlimited time. - Students at circus school are now arri...

In this episode there are four of us talking. The audio is not quite what you have gotten used to on this high budget, high fidelity broadcasting operation, but the content is as golden as ever. It's a free flowing conversation around the topics of education, sharing our knowledge and how listening makes us better human beings. some of the topics we cover: -Claim expertice even if it is just:...

In this episode I continue my conversation with Mac King. We start out talking about Shows and performing but end up talking about books. SO, the last part of this episode is possibly the first episode of a spin off book club, where Mac and Frodo talks about books NOT relating to performing. Topics we touch on: -On performing almost exlusively in one venue -Frodo doing more long form Shows -Does M...

In this episode I get to have a conversation with an absolute legend of magic. He has had his own show in Las Vegas for more than 20 years! Just try and picture that. He reached out expressing his appreciation for the podcast and I hopped on the opportunity to ask him to join me for a stroll along the Way and this is part one of that. As you'll hear, he's the real deal. I really hope you...

This is the second part of my conversation with juggle, inventor and thinker Erik Åberg. We talk about a whole range of interesting topics and I marvel at the depth of thought Erik shares with me. we talk about: Archiving as artistic practice. Paul Cinquevalli. Juggling history is the past, juggling today can be observed, the possible future explored by Erik is his kinetic sculptures. How to ask e...

In this episode we bring you the first part of a conversation with Erik Åberg who at the time of recoring is writing his Ph. D about juggling. He is an extraorinary juggler with a wonderful way of thinking and finding real deep questions about juggling, writing, researching, archiving, and answering them in illuminating ways. We start out talking about how it is to write a ph.d about juggling. He...

The best version of a juggling show was the written verision, or the told version of the show. The reason he chose to speak in the show was to make it more relatable. Be direct. Deliberatly casual. Every spectator gets to choose their favorite colour from a tray. Human interest and a genuie meeting of people. Choosing music. the process of making the juggling. The feeling of seeing and throwing a...

How does juggling props get made from possibility to reality. Siteswap and juggling notation colour notation for pattern. Deepening the conversation about colour and Juggling. In painting, sculpture and design colour is SO well researced which makes the task of quesiotning juggling and colour quite intimidation. Placing juggling in art context. the response from the juggling community sparked imag...

This episode I get Jay Gilligan to tell me about the incredible process that led him to the realisation of his latest show Another Sunset. From having to make props and get special balls hand sewn and hand dyed in colours never seen before in a juggling context. We talked in previous episode in season 2 about a year long process we had making Jay's show REFLEX, which by the way will be tourin...

In this episode Mario and I talk about his upcoming season in Edinburgh, he's ordered 10.000 clown noses. We talk about play and bringing up kids on the road. We talk quite a bit about family. I try to pry secrets from his process of creating emotionally engaging and unusually deep acts by getting him to tell me about his Pixar looking lamp robot act. We talk about teachers, artist like Alexa...

Jay Gilligan and I begin our second kitchen conversation talking about the importance of documenting ones work and process and also our ongoing work in how to do this. We talk about the importance of listening back on conversations, youll be surprised at how much you missed. unpacking details you've read, or that emerge in a conversation, into a whole season of episodes, or a whole book. Firs...

In this episode Jay Gilligan and I converse in his kitchen. We start talking about how juan Tamariz, the massively influential Spanish magician, takes control of his whole environment to create the best possible conditions for creating a magic experience. From that we talk about about how to present your needs for light and sound etc to producers and technicians at gigs. We talk about making deman...

In this second part of the conversation with Gareth Bjaaland we talk about the spirit of circus. He sugests wonderfully that it might be the show must go on you can put anything in the ring and everyone is welcome. I loved this! we then talk about games, finite and infinite, we talk about serious play and serious games. This was a really fun conversation for me. Real deep and real organic and aliv...

This is the first part of a great flowing conversation I had with Garreth Bjaaland, whom regular followers of the Way will remember well from our conversations about the ingredients of comedy. In this conversation we go far and wide and surprisingly deep on matters related to comedy, we look at Gareths revisions and developments on this thinking about the Ingredients of Comedy, but we also ask and...

In this epidose comes the first part of a wonderful conversation I had with the knowledgable and deep thinker Tom Greder. He is a clown, a teacher and innovative creator. We talk about how to decide what to put in a Show. What does Audiences take away from your show, beyond whatever tricks or Material you present. About performing a Show and after 24 years of doing it, getting the experience that...

In this epidose comes the first part of a wonderful conversation I had with the knowledgable and deep thinker Tom Greder. He is a clown, a teacher and innovative creator. We talk about the pandemic and how we dealt with having no Shows. About forests real and metaphorical. We talk about choices. So much about what we do is to choose what to. include. in our show and what to leave out. About circus...

In this episode Jay Gilligan and I start talking about authenticity and pretty quick Jay steers the conversation into an area of my artistic process and indeed my approach to life, philosophy and art in general. I share, off the cuff my approach which I call active reading, or trasformative conersation with the environment. Support the show ... After a long abscence our Merch Shop is back ! Check...