Surge - Street Art/Circus Festival

If you were out and about in central Glasgow last July, chances are you saw something rather special. Run by Conflux, the organisation set up to develop physical theatre, street arts and circus in Scotland, the Surge Festival featured a colourful array of dynamic performances.

‘It was Scotland’s first festival dedicated to work of this kind, and because everything was so new it felt like we had a lot of room to follow our instincts and simply deliver what we felt would be most exciting,’ says Conflux’s artistic director Al Seed. ‘In 2011 we’re reigning things in a little and demonstrating what we do best – giving emergent artists the chance to break new ground.’

Once again, a host of strange and wonderful work is in store, including the superbly titled ‘Salmon of Knowledge’, who imparts wisdom in exchange for her safe return to the river, a beatboxing brass band trio, a boxing ballerina duo, and a tent that eats people. Angela De Castro (of Slava’s Snow Show) will create a clown cabaret with ten Scottish artists, and last year’s popular Family Circus Days are back.

For the Conflux team there’s a real sense of building on last year’s success. ‘In 2010 we were very aware of the responsibility of championing work that, whilst thriving in many ways, is still to receive full recognition in wider Scottish culture,’ says Seed. ‘It feels that this year there is an audience that knows what to expect and is ready to go.’

Various venues, Glasgow, Mon 18–Sun 24 Jul

More: Days out, Theatre, Al Seed, Angela De Castro, Conflux, Street Theatre, Surge

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