Coin Toss Collective bring their latest show, FREAK OUT!, to Edinburgh Fringe this summer.
A former VAULT show of the week nominee, FREAK OUT! ‘tells the story of UK communities losing their homes to coastal erosion.
Performed by a company of seven, this high-energy theatrical cocktail blends clowning, physical theatre and live art to explore climate anxiety, what home means and what we owe to each other.”
Where: Pleasance Dome
When: 31 Jul, 1-11, 14-21, 23-26 Aug
Ticket link: https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/freak-out
London previews: Omnibus Theatre, 21-23 Jul with tickets here.
We find out more from the Collective members (Alyssa Thomas, Ben Notice, Claudia Zita Kurucz, Rosie Mullaney, Sol Woodroffe, Sophia Oriogun-Williams, Weronika Dwornik)
What are you looking forward to the most at Fringe?
This will be our first time at the Fringe as a company, and there is so much fantastic theatre, dance, comedy, and music. We are so excited to see it all!
While we are all looking forward to different things at the Fringe, we are all eager to share our performances with new audiences while getting inspiration from other artists.
The Fringe is a unique opportunity to explore hundreds of different artists and genres in the same place, and we plan to take full advantage of that.
Tell me about FREAK OUT! It’s a show about coastal erosion, and is described as a “high energy theatrical cocktail blending clowning, physical theatre and live art to explore climate anxiety”. You’ve also previously performed the show at VAULT Festival – have you updated it since then, and what’s it all about?
We have used each previous run as a chance to gather feedback and interrogate aspects of the show. No two runs are the same.
Thanks to getting Arts Council funding last year, we were able to collaborate with some fantastic artists.
People such as Papatango Prize-winning playwright Matt Grinter (Orca) and choreographer Anthony Matsena (Shades of Blue, Sadler’s Wells), helped us to take FREAK OUT! to the next level and develop it into the show you will see at the Fringe.
Written, directed and performed by our seven-strong ensemble, FREAK OUT! is inspired by real stories of and research into coastal communities in the UK affected by coastal erosion.
Coastal erosion is a natural process, but climate change is speeding it up at an alarming rate – over 35 homes have been lost to the waves in Happisburgh, Norfolk alone.
With nowhere to go, a property worth nothing, and the ocean creeping closer, these people are at risk on a daily basis and have few options.
FREAK OUT! explores different opinions, viewpoints, and potential solutions while still being an energetic, exciting, and engaging show.
Set at a fundraising party, our show’s characters try to forget their woes, but just like the land they live on, their masks and inhibitions crumble away throughout the night. Things will get messy… literally.
We have blended styles and genres to craft FREAK OUT! into the “collage-like” show it is now, featuring clowning, audience interaction, live art elements, dance and physical theatre.
Every moment is unique, gripping and tonally different from the last.
Oh, and with the price of a ticket, you also get a slice of cake and the opportunity to build a sandcastle on stage with us!
What’s the background of Coin Toss Collective?
Coin Toss Collective was formed in 2021 when we were all individually selected to be the twelfth ensemble to take part in Made in Bristol, a year-long training programme for emerging theatre-makers at Bristol Old Vic.
Most of us did not know each other previously and we were thrown together to learn and explore new skills and methods, create work together, and most importantly – play and fail!
At the end of the year, we collaboratively wrote, directed and performed the first iteration of FREAK OUT! – it debuted in the Weston Studio at BOV.
Once Made in Bristol was over, we had fallen in love with our show – we were passionate about staying together to continue developing it and taking it to the next level and seek out wider audiences.
We are a seven-strong diverse company with queer, migrant and global majority members.
We utilise our different lived experiences in the space to make work that encompasses and reaches many people.
Just like tossing a coin, we like to be playful and curious and experiment with ‘liveness’ when making work. Expect the unexpected from a Coin Toss show.
Are you looking forward to seeing any other shows at Fringe? What kind of work interests you?
Between all of our collective members, we have a massive variety of theatrical interests and passions, each of which we are excited to explore together and solo.
You will see us at dance and performance art performances, clown and character comedy, pieces exploring social issues, improv shows and so much more.
Some examples of shows we’re excited to see are Sheol by the Grotowski Institute, Bark Bark by Buzzcut, Lessons on Revolution by Undone Theatre and Carmen Collective, FAMEHUNGRY by Louise Orwin, and Michael Kunze’s Infinity Mirror (a very funny clown who one of our members has worked with before!).
Also shout out to the brilliant Oxford Imps – our company member Sol will also be performing with them at the Fringe this year!
We also wanted to shout out all our fellow fab Bristolian and South West based artists and companies at the Fringe this year!
Some great shows you should check out are Scaffolding by Documental Theatre, Vigil by Mechanimal (also a show with climate change themes), The Emu War: A New Musical by Pearl Whirl Productions, and Hardly Working by BPM Theatre.
Especially big up the wonderful legends Documental as they’re also taking our set up to Edinburgh with them!
What’s next after this run?
After the Fringe, we will be looking to tour the show on a bigger scale than we have done before – nationally and (potentially!) internationally.
We all feel that this is a story which needs to be seen by many.
FREAK OUT! draws attention to the fact that climate change is already impacting the UK, even though this hardly ever makes headline news, and its global relevance goes without saying.