Could you first introduce yourself to the reader?
My name is Sam Hume, I am a theatre producer/magician from Melbourne, Australia. I am the co-founder and managing director of Showmen Productions, and our company is presenting three different shows at the fringe this year – CIRCUS The Show, The Greatest Magic Show and Adults Only Magic Show.
How would you describe your show?
So our shows are obviously all a bit different (there’s a particularly obvious jump between the kids and adults shows!) but outside of the obvious differences which are right there in the names, I would describe each of the productions and indeed our company as one of authenticity and genuine passion and love for what we are doing. Every production we have created and indeed continue to constantly improve and generate new ideas for, literally have a part of us in it. On-stage we are far less any sort of character than we are 100% genuine versions of ourselves. Albeit with a loose script and running order of how we are going to direct the next hour, but the people you see on stage are the exact same people you will see in the street. It’s this authenticity and connection that happens in our shows with us and the audience that I think is one of the most special parts about what we do and what sets us apart.
What is your favourite part of your show?
Whenever there is a volunteer on stage because you just don’t know what is going to happen! Children and inebriated adults share a lot of similarities in that regard, and you know pretty quickly if you’ve chosen someone to come up who is going to be a bit of a loose cannon! But that is where the best memories and comedy come from, as well as what makes each show a genuine unique experience.
If your show had a theme song, what would it be and why?
Probably the Benny Hill Theme Song to be perfectly honest – that’s the song that’s playing in my head most of the time – particularly in Edinburgh with 3 performances a day and constant running around trying to get through an absurd list of tasks!
Are there any particular themes or messages you hope the audience takes away from your performance?
To be yourself, embrace your weirdness, and how important it is to follow your passions. I was always told growing up that whatever I decide to do as a career, just make sure you love what you do because you are going to do it A LOT! That in essence is the message we try and deliver in every show – that there is no right or wrong way to live your life, just make sure you actually LIVE it.
Why do you want to perform at Edinburgh Festival Fringe? What differentiates it from other festivals?
I very distinctly remember when we first came to Edinburgh in 2019, and just experiencing the sheer size and grandeur of the festival in the sense of the amount of quality shows, incredible posters and marketing everywhere you looked, and of course what seemed like millions of people flooding the streets from all walks of life was just a phenomenal, for lack of a better term ‘come to Jesus moment’. That feeling and moment has never left me – it continues to motivate me to this day and what brings me back to this gorgeous town every year!
How has your background, upbringing and education had an impact on your artistic career?
I was fortunate growing up in the sense that I don’t ever remember being pressured to do anything or follow any sort of pre-determined career path if I didn’t want to. Education was very highly valued and I had to finish school, which I didn’t mind because I loved school and was good at it, but the freedom I felt that I could literally choose to pursue anything I wanted and that I would be supported, is what ultimately led me to where I am today.
Can you describe your creative process and how you develop your ideas into a full-fledged performance?
It always starts with a single idea or inspiration or “spark” – and this can literally come from ANYWHERE! Justin and I – my best friend and business partner – will literally share hundreds of messages daily sometimes and it’s always just exploring little sparks of inspiration or small ideas that we spend maybe 5-10 minutes expanding as much as we can to see if it has any merit. 99% of these tend to fade out into the stupid and ridiculous category, but it is through this constant encouragement and exploration of ideas that lead into further development of a wider show or production.
The first writing sessions of a new show or routine that we have identified as being half-descent and work developing always involves a bottle of scotch, and we tend to work best starting at the end and working backwards. What is this going to look like fully developed on a stage? What is the audience going to see in the most simplest terms? Then working back from that and figuring out how to make it happen!
What is your favourite thing about performing for a live audience?
The connection and freedom in our shows to genuinely enjoy ourselves by interacting with people who have come to see our show!! We aren’t playing a character on stage, nor are we really sticking to a script, and what years of performing the shows has done is made the stage a comfortable enough place for us that we are no longer constantly thinking or stressing about saying the right word or line, but focusing on making sure that the audience is also feeling this same sense of comfort and that the experience really is ours to make whatever we want it to be!
What is the strangest thing that has ever happened to you while performing?
We have definitely experienced A LOT throughout our years – I think particularly with the type of show and performing style we have in the sense that there is no real script, no made up characters, just us on stage having a blast and bringing the audience along with us; that random things tend to happen out of that.
Audience interactions are a big one, we’ve had all sorts of kids up on stage in our family shows who will do pretty much everything from present a lecture to the audience as to why the underpants aren’t vanishing, doing backflips off the stage (real story) or even the more neuro-spicy kids who will pretty much lose interest in their role as a volunteer and spend the time on stage just running around in circles to their complete and utter delight!
One rather challenging and unique thing that happened at Edinburgh Fringe 2023 was that Justin came down with tonsilitis and basically completely lost his voice for almost 2 weeks (it took a little bit of running around before we could actually get an appointment to see a Dr let alone any antibiotics for him!). We were doing 2 shows a day – The Greatest Magic Show and Adults Only Magic Show – and in order to preserve his voice for the evening shows we did about a week’s worth of the kids show with Justin not saying a word for the full 60 minute performance! If you have seen the show, you would know that Justin and I are on stage for basically the whole hour and we constantly talk! We have done the show so much though, that it was extremely easy for me to say all his lines that he normally would and Justin did a fantastic job in amplifying his facial expressions and actions. But yeah, that was incredibly weird and strange! The show must always go on!!
What's the most challenging or unconventional venue you've ever performed in, and how did it impact the overall experience?
We have performed in pretty much every type of venue and space you could imagine! When we were first starting out we were just taking any and every opportunity we could to perform our work in front of people which led us to a lot of different corporate events, weddings, birthday parties, hen and bucks night, school assemblies, the list just goes on!
I think the most challenging is outdoor venues where you are either near or completely surrounded, and the audience is free to come and go as they please. Particularly with magic this presents a lot of challenges in the sense that we have to be really careful of our angles and where people are standing in relation to what we are doing, as well as trying new ways to engage the audience and make sure our effects are understandable even for people who have just arrived half way through a routine.
Who are some of your artistic influences, and how have they shaped your work?
Definitely Penn & Teller come immediately to mind as a duo that we liken ourselves to the most in the sense of their personality and performance style they demonstrate time and time again – you never feel like you are just watching trick after trick with them, the magic is just an element of a storyline they are presenting which is enriched with comedy, misdirection, subtlety, and absurdity!
I am always incredibly inspired also by Cirque Du Soleil in the pure lengths they are able to elaborate an idea to, and how routines in their shows seemingly always just get bigger and bigger and bigger but never so much that the impact of the routine itself is lost.
Is there a piece of feedback you've received from an audience member or critic after a performance that’s stuck with you?
Actually yes – and it probably was the best piece of feedback we could have ever gotten! It was our second year in Adelaide and we were debuting Adults Only Magic Show, when we either overhead or got told by a venue staff member later that an audience member had left the show saying “it was great, but not very adult at all! I’d bring my kids to this!”
It was certainly not a kids show, but just hearing that immediately changed our entire outlook on the show and we stopped giving ourselves any sort of limits with the routines and comedy we were including in the show.
Is there a show you’re excited to see when you’re up there?
I honestly haven’t had much time at all to think about that! I always try to spend every spare moment where I’m not on stage or sleeping to see shows that are on and am so confident that I will, as I have every year, find so many hidden gems of creativity and talent.
How does performing at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe compare to other festivals or venues you've experienced?
It’s really incomparable – the sheer size of it all, the amount of people in the streets, the amount of quality shows there from all around the world and the incredible stories of famed entertainers today who not too long ago were doing the exact same thing we were doing in presenting a show here! It really does feel like you are constantly surrounded by such incredibly diverse talented and creative people and that feeling of walking the same footsteps of so many other accomplished entertainers is unlike any other fringe in the world.
How has your experience at past Fringes influenced or changed your approach to this year's performance?
We are always just trying to improve on our performance, find new ways to connect with people in the streets, and inevitably add more and more shows until we finally find that breaking point! I think this year we are completely focused on our work, there is a real focus amongst our company to put genuine effort into taking care of our well being, eating well, sleeping well, taking time for walks or to meditate everyday.
What is your favourite thing to do in Edinburgh when you're not performing? How do you relax and look after your mental health?
I always try and find time to meditate every single day, and sleep whenever I can. I absolutely adore seeing shows and love going out to pubs and restaurants that are more adorned with locals and being a part of that atmosphere. We always undoubtedly run into people who have seen our show that night and it’s such a lovely moment every time to just have a drink with them and chat about life!
What is one piece of advice you’d give to someone thinking about taking a show up to Edinburgh?
I guess to understand that there is so much competition there, that you have to make sure you are communicating your show to the public in a way that is clear and impactful. Have a neon yellow poster, give it a stupid memorable name, wear a funny outfit everyday around the gardens with a giant corflute of your show. Actually engage the public in conversation and get them to know you as a person, and you get to know them as well! And of course always remind yourself that there are people in your audience for which this may be the first ever show they have seen, or may be the exact thing they need to see at that point of time – so give it 110% every single time.
What is one thing you would change about the Edinburgh Festival Fringe?
Good question! Honestly not that much, I think it is a challenging undertaking in a financial sense because of how much you have to put in in order to not only get there, feed and accommodate yourself; but to have the presence amongst the thousands of other shows that people see and come to it. Not that it’s something I’d want to change per say – just the nature of the beast.
I would love it if the Fringe was more coordinated with smaller towns and festivals around the main city in such a way that we would have the time and ability to travel out of the city and experience these smaller towns and bring our shows to the people who would otherwise never get a chance to!
When and where can people see your show?
We are on every single day for the whole fringe! CIRCUS The Show is performing in George Square Gardens with Underbelly at 11am, The Greatest Magic Show also at George Square Gardens but with Assembly in the gorgeous Palais Du Variete Spiegeltent 1:10pm everyday; and Adults Only Magic Show, also at George Square, every night at 9:15pm.
And where can people find you online?
Our website is www.showmenproductions.com.au and we also have social media presences across all platforms for all our shows if you search the show name!
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