All eyes on Samora Squid: The sideshow daredevil goes solo | Melbourne International Comedy Festival | The Tote

For 25 years, Samora Squid has been twisting, bending, and testing the limits of the human body in sideshows and circus acts around the world. Now, alone for the first time, they’re turning the spotlight fully on themselves in Squid's Sunday Sideshow. Equal parts daring, absurd, and unexpectedly funny, Squid’s solo debut promises a ride where the audience never knows whether to gasp, squirm, or laugh - and often all three at once.

After nearly three decades performing in circus and sideshow nights, it came down to alignment and timing for Squid to finally take the stage on their own. "It was all about opportunity, and simultaneously having the motivation and discipline," they tell me. "I met the right people who were running the right venue, and they gave me a space to present something unusual and original and at the same time that registrations for the Melbourne International Comedy Festival were happening."

With no one else to share the stage, all eyes will be firmly locked on Squid with delicious discomfort as they captivate and potentially shock audiences with what their body is capable of. "Being on my own gives me a chance to engage with the audience in a way I haven’t had before. I’m also using pre-recorded media, such as music and film, during set and costume changes. As I am the only performer, I have to take on multiple roles that would usually be split across a variety night, so I’m the MC and maestro on top of doing all the insane, scary routines too," they explain.

The show will cover physical comedy, contortion, sword swallowing, and other jaw-dropping feats that teeter on the edge of danger. Even as it veers into darker, more confrontational moments, Squid is confident audiences will still find humour in what’s taking place. "Humans have a long history of laughing at the macabre, and if the frightening, painful stuff is happening to me as a result of my foolish endeavours, the audience feels a subconscious permission to laugh."

"I've seen the human body pushed to ridiculous extremes and witnessed the physical and psychological ramifications experienced by other performers," they say. "I base a lot of my limitations on vicarious learning through mentors and colleagues over the decades, as well as my own near misses!"

MICF QUICKFIRE FIVE

1. The most memorable audience reaction I've ever received is when a person passed out watching me in a street show in New Orleans.
2. A totally absurd award I’d win if it existed is the most cautious lunatic award.
3. The worst thing I have ever eaten is fast food.
4. One backstage ritual that makes me feel ready to get on stage is stretching and listening to punk tunes.
5. If I could swap places with another performer for a day, it would be a grizzly bear, so I could run amok at a shopping mall.

SHOW DETAILS

Venue: The Tote, 67-71 Johnston Street, Collingwood 
Season: 29 March - 19 April | Sun 7pm
Duration: 70 minutes
Tickets: $25 Full | $15 Conc
Bookings: Melbourne International Comedy Festival