Chaos, Cabaret and Clowning Around: Arielle Lauzon on The Ruckus – hit circus show at this years Brighton Fringe Festival

In The Ruckus – the incredible new circus show at Brighton Fringe this year, glamour meets grit, and chaos is a creative superpower. At the heart of this raucous circus cabaret is Nancy, a fabulously chaotic host with incredible costumes, matriarchal flair, and a whole lot of heart. Arielle Lauzon, who plays Nancy controls the chaos of The Ruckus; a riot of trampolines, sequins, sisterhood and subversion. With an all-female and non-binary cast and a punk spirit pulsing through every act, this Brighton Fringe hit redefines what it means to be both spectacular and sincere. Arielle tells Hinton Magazine how the show came together, why imperfection is powerful, and how Nancy was born from a camping trip and a BBQ.

Can you give us an elevator pitch for the show?

The Ruckus is a charming, chaotic and groovy circus cabaret with surprising new acts that make your heart stop as performers flirt with the edges of the stage and bounce off trampolines. For an hour, this tight-knit group of audacious and funny acrobats come together to put on a joyous show that will make you feel closer to home and want to get up and dance.

The Ruckus has been described as “punk-spirited” and “delightfully exuberant.” How do you channel that energy into a live circus show?

Performing on a small stage creates certain restrictions to artists. Often, those restrictions become a new challenge to play with without neglecting freedom. It keeps us on our toes every day which builds up an effervescent and contagious energy. Furthermore, being so close to the audience really breaks the 4th wall without much effort, naturally giving a sense a freedom, play and reciprocity. We also can’t forget about the soundtrack of the show, that really sets the mood for the show!

Nancy sounds like a fabulously chaotic character. Where did the idea for her come from?

Nancy came to life in 2018 while I was working on a show in Canada. My clown teacher Genevieve Kerouac wanted me to impersonate Sophia Loren coming out of a caravan set on a camping site I grew up in. I immediately pictured a woman still in fluffy high heels getting the BBQ ready that is full of incredible stories.  She was inspired by iconic women who are glamorous no matter the weather or circumstances. However, its not a glamour fed by wealth, but rather by strength of character: the matriarchs in all their flaws and fabulousness.

There’s a mix of circus disciplines in the show. How did you curate such a diverse set of skills and performers? 

We all have different backgrounds of training, but it all links together through circus school and previous Revel Puck shows.  We are very lucky to get to work with cast members we’ve worked with before who have an encyclopaedia of talents and various skill sets. For this edition of The Ruckus, we wanted to see a side of them that we don’t get to see in the other Revel Puck shows. Every performer is up for a new challenge and it’s quite exciting as an artist to get to adapt and play different scenarios.

The show embraces imperfection – was that a conscious decision?

Absolutely. It’s exhausting trying to be perfect all the time and quite honestly a bit bland. I personally love organised chaos and it’s been refreshing and relatable to see more people on stage allowed to be imperfect, especially women.  Celebrating imperfections makes us a bit more human and opens the gate to more genuine connections with an audience. Not being afraid of ridicule is so freeing and creates incredible creative surprises we never could’ve discovered if the goal was to stay in a cookie-cutting frame.

Having an all-female and non-binary cast is a really powerful decision – what was the creative thought process in doing that?

The thought process was very simple: who do we want to work with? There is no lack in world class women and non-binary performers, and we want to make sure we are representing the communities we play for.

Is there an overarching message you would hope people take from the show?

Don’t shy away from having fun and maybe looking ridiculous. Glamour and comedy aren’t mutually exclusive 😉

The Ruckus is at Revel Puck’s Circus Yard as part of the Brighton Fringe Festival from 16th May – 1st June. For tickets and more information, visit: https://www.brightonfringe.org/events/ruckus/