Bringing Finnish clowning to the Edinburgh Fringe, Red Nose Company have a new production, Don Quixote opening next month.
“With 200 shows and 30,000 spectators a year, Red Nose Company is the most decorated touring theatre in Finland. Now they are back with their five-star show. Join Don Quixote and Sancho Panza on their road trip as they attack all the injustices in the world.”
We chat with Timo (the long one) and Tuukka (the short one) to find out more!
Where: Assembly Rooms
When: 9-18, 20-25 Aug
Ticket link: https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/don-quixote
What are you looking forward to the most at Fringe?
The Fringe itself, and its unbeatable pulsing 24/7 atmosphere!
Don Quixote and clowns are not usually thought of together. So what’s your take on the story all about?
Actually Don Quixote and his loyal Sancho Panza are the world’s first ever clown duo!
They follow the basic clown rule in everything they do: ”It’s funny because it’s true!”
Don Quixote is sincerely fighting for a better world, and this is our objective, too: our show is much more than just a laugh-out-loud-comedy. It is a revolution!
How would you describe Finnish humour?
In Finland we like to push things to the extreme, even when it comes to humour.
For instance – have you ever had the occasion of pelting the actors with rotten tomatoes…?
The other thing that characterizes Finland is of course the sauna; and that’s why we’re used to nudity, even in humour!
Don’t get me wrong, we’ll have our clothes on (!) but I can guarantee that our show includes the most unexpected 30 seconds you’ve ever seen!
Besides all these peculiarities we can guarantee traditional puchlines and witty literal humour. Our show is actually more verbal than physical.
By the way, did you know that a Finnish stand-up-comedian was voted the ”funniest person in the world”! Check out Ismo Leikola on YouTube.
There always seems to be a place in culture for the clown. How did you get involved in this type of performance?
Our first encounter with clown was in the Theatre Academy of Helsinki, where we studied traditional acting.
In 2005 we founded Red Nose Company with some friends, and since 2012 we’ve been working as a clown duo.
We work both with and without the red nose. For us, the clown is something very liberating: it is a way of being completely present in the moment and to find a special contact with each and every audience.
What’s next after this run?
We’ll head directly back to Finland. We have a busy autumn touring with 6 different shows.
In addition, we start rehearsing our next show together with two Finnish string quartets. We’re really eager to get to work with these supertalented classical musicians!