Fringe: Close to Me

Hold Close follows the love story between a fire and water sprite who are unable to touch each other. “One of the cast members had spotted the art work online several years ago and had the idea of using it as a basis for a circus show,” explains Rebecca McMahon, one of the directors behind Kinetica. “The choreography of the show was inspired by the elements with water movement resembling Tai Chi and fire movement being fast and unpredictable.”

Sam Williams and Tam Le play the fire and the water sprite respectively, and Dion del Pino and Ashley Lau round out the talented cast. The performance incorporates dance, theatre, and aerial stunts such as duo straps and aerial hoop.

After performing at Fringe World in Perth for the last three years, they’re excited to see what Melbourne Fringe brings. “We decided to tour to Melbourne Fringe as Melbourne is a circus hub and it would give us the opportunity to showcase our skills as well as see a lot of other great shows and network within the circus industry,” says McMahon.

As well as having one of the cast members based in Melbourne for a portion of the rehearsal period, McMahon says that adapting the graphic novel for the stage had its challenges. “It was difficult to ensure that the fantastical story carried without making the show overly technically complicated.”

Kinetica strived to retain the look and the feel of the Hold Close graphic novel with their props, costumes and choreography for the performance.

Hold Close
30 Sep — 4 Oct, Melbourne Fringe Festival, Gasworks, The Big House