[THEATRE INTERVIEW] 2024 Melbourne Fringe Festival – ESCALATE Interview

Virtuosic juggling, innovative lighting and relentless energy collide in this daring new show that does for juggling what Tap Dogs did for tap dancing. Effortlessly blending musicality and movement, Escalate is stylish, playful and curious. 

From 9-20 October at the Circus Oz Hub, audiences have a unique opportunity to catch one of the hottest new circus shows before it tours the world, with upcoming dates set for the USA, South America, Europe and Taiwan. 

Australia’s best jugglers will rip through an explosive hour of entertainment, pushing the boundaries of their art with a unique eye for rhythm and timing. 

Ethereal live guitar seamlessly integrates with distinctive juggling acts, as the wide reaching score moves from percussive to driving electronica, propelling the rhythm of the performance. 

All three of the Escalate cast hail from Melbourne. Byron Hutton, Richard Sullivan and Samuel Kreusler (also the show’s composer) have trained with the world’s best and performed on stages across the globe. 

“Escalate is the realisation of our mission to make juggling as stylish, beautiful and interesting as possible. The response from audiences so far has been astonishing and so encouraging, which we couldn’t be happier about. It’s such a special feeling to be coming back to where it all began at the Circus Oz Hub, before we head off on our global tour,” says Byron.

Escalate was catapulted onto the world stage after being selected for the Circus Oz and Melbourne Fringe Springboard program, supported by Australia Council (now Creative Australia). 

Winning the Best Circus award at Melbourne Fringe 2022, Escalate premiered at Arts Centre Melbourne in 2023, before garnering widespread acclaim at Edinburgh Fringe, captivating audiences across the country when it was covered by every national television station. 

Presented by Throw Catch Collective and Lauren Eisinger’s Parrot Ox, Escalate calls on the considerable talents of Nick Moloney for Lighting Design and Mason Browne for Production Design, with Juggling Direction by the accomplished Joe Fisher. 

This show is expected to sell out, book now via Melbourne Fringe.