The Edinburgh Fringe is upon us and to get prepared for another Scottish summer Read About Stuff is running a ‘Five From The Fringe’ interview series, where creative teams answer five questions about their upcoming Festival shows.
In this interview, I chat to Noah Seltzer about Here Comes Almost.
Can you tell me a little about your show and what audiences can expect?
We are in a loneliness epidemic! In 2023, the World Health Organization labelled loneliness a global health threat. The premise of the show is that they’ve sent the clown, “Almost,” around the world to solve this global crisis one theatre at a time. It’s an interactive clown show attempting to make people less alone through very heartfelt, wild, and hilarious attempts at remedying the loneliness in the audience each night.
What drew you to this specific story, and why does it belong at the Edinburgh Fringe?
I’ve struggled with loneliness and belonging for much of my life. When I moved to New York four years ago, I didn’t have any close connections. I would walk through the city on a Saturday, seeing groups of friends sitting on blankets in the park, and wonder – where is my group? Where are my friends?
However, while it was easy to think it was only me alone amongst all this togetherness, this longing is much more widespread. In fact, the other day, on a beautiful Sunday afternoon, a woman struck up a conversation with me as we waited in line at a deli. I was on my way to meet friends for a friend’s birthday. She said she had a pretty mediocre day, having just come from her apartment where she had spent the entire day inside watching TV. For every friend group, there are even more people wandering around in longing for their own connection.
I ended up finding great community and friendship, but I still have moments of loneliness. In this show, I wanted to address this universal issue directly. I think the clown always wants to help the world in some way – to bring joy, to bring beauty and humour, and to bring tenderness. In my own artistic process of discovering this character, it became obvious that “Almost” wanted to do something that would help people feel connected again. And why not make it as ambitious as possible and attempt to change the world in the process!
What has been the biggest challenge in bringing this production to life?
While I’ve done many cabarets and group shows, this is my first big solo clown show. One thing I had to come to terms with is that I can’t fit everything I’ve ever thought into one show! This has been a great realization though and I’ve been able to bring much more focus into this single creation. It’s also been a challenge trying out material, as the funniest discoveries happen in front of audiences. But I’ve been able to gather a great group of creatives and friends to workshop material with.
How does the design of your show (set, sound, or lighting) impact the presentation of your story?
The set is somewhat sparse which is intentional. I want it to be more about the human to clown connection than an elaborate set or prop world. However, much of my focus has been on sound. I have a wonderful sound designer, Lola Basiliere, and we’ve created a soundscape that adds so much to the world and the humour of the show.
If you could sum up the show in one word or phrase, what would it be and why?
Loneliness Epidemic! There’s an urgency to this issue and a wild hope that drives the heart and the humour of the show!
Here Comes Almost runs at ZOO Playground (Venue 186) from 7th – 30th August. Tickets can be purchased here: https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/here-comes-almost
