Our 10 selected WINDOW companies for Brighton Fringe 2018 have now been announced! Over the coming weeks, we’ll be interviewing each of the companies. This week we introduce Luke Rollason and his show 'Luke Rollason's Planet Earth (Is a Work in Progress)'.
What is your event about?
Luke Rollason's Planet Earth is about one unpaid intern at the BBC trying to create the third series of David Attenborough's Planet Earth after an ecological catastrophe, armed only with obsolete office supplies and a surreal imagination.
Why did you decide to make it?
As a clown and physical comedian, I wanted to address environmental issues in a way that transformed a hopeless world with a little imagination - because I believe that what is leading us to potential disaster is as much a failure of our imagination as of our intellect. If we can imagine that an idiot wearing a lamp on his head is an anglerfish, we might be able to make the imaginative leap required to register our environmental impact.
Who should see your show?
Anyone who recognises the comforting gravelly tones of David Attenborough, or who lives on the planet. We hope to engage an audience who appreciates the high-concept appeal of a one-man nature documentary, but who would not necessarily come to see a clown show about the environment
What should audience members expect?
One idiot creating the entirety of the animal kingdom - including the birthing of thousands of paperclip seahorses, a hummingbird taking flight with the help of a pair of desk fans, and a spider weaving a sellotape web... It's a stupid cross between David Attenborough and clowning - but with the heart and invention of a Pixar film.
What are the technical requirements of the event?
Minimal! Planet Earth's ramshackle, improvised aesthetic makes it ideal for alternative and adapted spaces - we've performed in a council chamber, a shipping container and on a canal boat as well as in conventional spaces. The spontaneity and flexibility of the show means it can adapt to be performed anywhere - as long as there is a PA, microphones and a blackout.
What are your plans post-Brighton Fringe, with this or other work?
This year, Planet Earth will perform a full run at the Edinburgh Fringe with Heroes - a venue which we are really excited to work with for their commitment to prioritising their acts in an increasingly commercial festival. We are also in talks with the London Sea Life centre and Whale Fest in order to perform the show as part of these organisations' conservation awareness programme.
This year I am interested in exploring how clowning and physical comedy can cross into other forms, such as short form online film or gallery performance. We are working on a clown film addressing Ocean Plastic waste, and a series on the absurdity of our relationship to technology.
I will also be touring two new double act shows this year - Stepdads and Blue Planet III, a family-orientated development of Planet Earth which will perform at Brighton, Offbeat and Deer Shed Festival.
What does it mean to you to be selected for WINDOW?
It's brilliant! As an artist creating their first solo show, WINDOW is an invaluable opportunity to bring attention to my work, and a huge boost to its potential future beyond fringe festivals.
What do you hope to gain from inclusion in WINDOW?
To develop relationships with venues, producers and agents who are interested in bringing clowning and physical comedies to new venues and mediums, aiding my professional development as a comic performer.
