It’s about nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing. For tonight, here, together, we are free – we promise. From the creators of 2023’s cult-hit CREEPY BOYS, join us for a technocolour acid trip where you’ll meet puppet Joni Mitchell, a two-person horse and every body part we have. A techno-punk concert, a play, a clown show, a basement puppet nightmare all rolled into one, SLUGS is about trying to have a good time while the world burns.
Would you mind giving us a brief insight into what your show/event/performance is?
SLUGS is about nothing – a perfect nothing for a time of incredible and inescapable somethings. A perfect nothing-show made by two clowns who’ve spent the last month hand-painting cardboard in a moldy basement with little ventilation and BRAT stuck on repeat. All told via electropunk comedy songs, live animation with dozens of tiny paper puppets, and of course, our special brand of demented comedy/clown.
Tell us about the creative team and the process involved?
SLUGS has been on our minds for going on 6 years! It’s such a joy to get to finally have it all come together. Unlike the show we brought to Edinburgh last time (Creepy Boys), which we made pretty much on our own (with the exception of some late-night Zoom calls with Butt Kapinski’s Deanna Fleysher); with “Slugs”, we we’re working with a whole team of collaborators and creative experts to help us play in new genres and styles. All in all, “Slugs” is shaping up to be the most technically ambitious thing we’ve ever made, with multiple live instruments, very technical puppetry sequences, and a 2-person horse of course.
We have been very fortunate to be able to work on this show with a group of truly incredible artists: Governor’s General Award Winner Caleigh Crow and her partner Sacha Crow as our dramaturg/director/outside eyes, our music was co-written with Juno Nominee Shirley Gnome, live animation and puppet wizard Zach Dorn as our puppetry consultant.
How does it feel coming to the Fringe?
This marks our third run at Fringe, and as corny as it sounds, there really is no other space quite like it. We strive to make shows that live just off the edge of what we are familiar with. We are really interested in where comedy ends and theatre, or clown, or puppet shows begin. Outside of Fringe it is very rare to find places where that kind of work can readily find an audience. We feel genuinely grateful to be able to be back a third time to this strange, wonderful, and complicated festival.
With shows from all over the world at the Fringe, what sets yours apart?
We promise puppets! We promise comedy! We promise music! We promise bodily fluids! We promise nothing! We would dare to say we are the festival’s only show about nothing. We are really angling to be the world’s foremost Canadian electro/comedy/puppet/band.
Is there anything specific you’re hoping the audience will take away?
Joy! Laughter! A reprieve from despair! It has been an increasingly pessimistic few years and finding the energy and drive to keep going is hard. It’s brutal. It’s been on our Sluggie minds quite a lot.
Your Ideal audience is in attendance, who’s watching? Or more importantly – who isn’t…?
Our ideal audience member enters the theatre, hungry. Not in an unhealthy way, just wishing they had bought that packet of cashews. They are excited and lightly confused to be at the show. They’ve likely lost a bet, or are just coming out of a fugue state. But they are at SLUGS, they walk through the door and sit in one of the (admittedly surprisingly plush) seats. They give it a chance, and in turn we do too.
Maybe leave your mom, your Dad and your Grandma at home. Unless they wanna see some peen. Then bring ‘em along.
It’s an intense month, so where you’re able, how do you plan to relax, and are there any other shows you intend to see or want to recommend?
Actually take the days off you get! It is very seductive to want to take every second that you are not performing to see shows, flyer, or hang out with other artists. There is so much pressure to not miss out, but during our last Fringe we made a big emphasis of taking time away from the festival, and it went a long long way to keeping us sane and not weeping in the shower.#
But if you are seeing shows! There are OH SO MANY. In terms of ones off the beaten path or maybe less known, we are excited for Shunga Alert from Japan is an X-rated documentary-comedy about the sexual culture of Japan, told with brilliant puppetry and physical performance.
In your ideal world, how can we improve the Fringe, performance, and the industry?
As much as it feels like beating a dead horse (sorry horse), its affordable housing / accommodation for both audience and artists. The extreme prices that drive up costs impact the entire Fringe ecosystem. For everyone involved, the cost of being present at the festival continues to be pushed up, which in turn causes who comes and makes work at the festival to be increasingly reserved for those who have the disposable income to afford it. Working class audiences (and artists) class shorten their stays in the city or don’t come all together. And as artists, we either pray for the grant fairy or have family money or spend the minuscule savings they’ve scraped together for a chance to make it at the Big Festival
SLUGS runs at Venue 26: Summerhall – Red Lecture Theatre
Photo credit: Bokah Media
Interested in being featured on our Have a Gander page? With many previews and Q&As lined up, we’re always happy to chat about including your show in future articles. Please do get in touch through the contact page to feature in an upcoming ‘Have A Gander’