Shay Mace
YUCK Circus return to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe from Western Australia next month with a brand new show putting together their trademark high-flying circus acrobatics with a decade Backstreet Boys, Britney, and big throwback energy in Naughties. Described as a ‘high-energy, laugh-out-loud love letter to the early 2000s’ at its Australian previews, we caught up with Director Georgia Deguara
You can catch YUCK Circus: Naughties at Palais du Variété at Assembly George Square Gardens on August 6th – 30th (not the 12t, 17th or 24th) from 16:40 (60mins). Tickets are available through the EdFringe Online Box Office.
Shay: Hi Georgia, tell us about Y2K throwback culture and why you have decided to bring this to the stage now?
Georgia: I mean, things around the world at the moment feel a bit grim. Between natural disasters, wars, and seemingly the never-ending supply of Avatar movies; we thought we’d make something to give our audience a break. Naughties is a fun night out, to celebrate and share throwback culture, and to encourage a reprise from every-day life. We want to bring audiences together, make ya laugh till ya ribs hurt, and have a big party to boot. Was the 90s and 00’s a better time for humanity? Not particularly, but who can argue with velour tracksuits, furbies, beyblades, and absolutely too many diamontes?
Shay: Tell us about your process for putting together this hour – what do you do to get yourself motivated and what challenges have you found with this material?
Georgia: YUCK is a West Aussie production company keen on championing the female voice across live performance. Onstage, behind the tech desk, in a creative or managing role; it’s all about getting femme-identifying individuals a hot go to show the world what they’ve got. We’re not lightly throwing around women’s issues – we’re literally throwing women.
Though our main show purpose is to have a big, fun, show that is light, joyful, and silly- our second purpose, and is intentionally subliminal, is that through this reprieve the audience is entertained by an all-female cast who take up space, individually hold attention, and make everyone laugh. The goal was to challenge the stigma around an all-female work, and that through this experience there’s positive affirmation for the audience towards the capability and scope in which a woman can perform, both on stage and in everyday life.
Truly though, the biggest challenge putting this work together is settling on the final soundtrack- every song that has been chosen in the work needed to have a response similar to ‘YAAAAAAAASSSS!,’ and truthfully, there’s too many 00’s bangers to choose from.
Shay: Tell us about your comedy icons – who are they, and how have they influenced your work?
Georgia: It’s easy for us to list the incredible circus and comedy women who have come before us, and paved the way for our work to be celebrated and embraced on stage. It’s just as easy for us to say that we’ve been equally inspired by the trials and tribulations of the early 2000’s. Comedy icons like boy bands, pop stars, dial up internet, and long brown skirts over flared jeans. The early 00s was a time of fashion tragedy, questionable lyrics, and even more questionable kids toys; we’re stoked to represent this tear-to-your-eye nostalgia on stage this EdFringe.
Shay: Do you have any pre-show rituals?
Georgia: We pride ourselves on an efficient Fringe bump in; the cast of YUCK are a strong team, ready to get a show of our scale into the venue, in a relatively tiny amount of time. Backstage, while the preshow music of Britney, Vengaboys and Spice Girls is pumping, we’ll do a quick recap of a favourite thing that happened to us the show before. Anywhere from the massive line we had for our temporary tramp-stamp tattoos, to the celebration of another 5 star review, to the comparison of the best stories we heard post-show from our audience.
Shay: Has/will the show be performed anywhere ahead of EdFringe?
Georgia: We made and premiered Naughties in Perth, Australia, in 2024, with some small tours to the East Coast that year. Between now and then we’d been continuing to tour our self-titled work YUCK, back by popular demand across Australia, the UK, Europe and Taiwan. This year Naughties is back as our lead show; having scooped up awards and 5-star reviews in Perth and Adelaide. We’re so excited to bring a brand new show to our UK audiences this year, and to have its international premiere in Assembly Gardens this Edinburgh Fringe!
Shay: With EdFringe now just around the corner, what are you most excited for?/Given the themes of Binge Fringe, if your show was a beverage of any kind (alcoholic, non-alcoholic – be as creative as you like!), what would it be and why?
Georgia: We’re so lucky to be teaming up with our mates at Pilot again this year, and by teaming up, I mean we’re being incredibly supported by the best of Edinburgh’s own. Pilot are brewing our third YUCK Circus beer; the Aussie Pale. Launching this August at venues around Ed, as well as available for purchase directly from the Pilot team; a percentage of the proceeds go towards our chosen charity, The Young Women’s Movement Scotland. Not only do you get to buy yourself a crispy fresh beer this summer, you get to support us YUCK girls, and as well an incredible organisation advocating for young women and girls of Scotland, for their leadership and rights. See you at the pub? 😜🍻
A reminder, you can catch YUCK Circus: Naughties at Palais du Variété at Assembly George Square Gardens on August 6th – 30th (not the 12t, 17th or 24th) from 16:40 (60mins). Tickets are available through the EdFringe Online Box Office.
