Spotlight on Luke Hallgarden
Artistic Creative Director at Revel Puck

Why are you excited to be in Waltham Forest?

We are incredibly excited to be back in what we consider our home borough! We first came to the borough during the London Borough of Culture in 2019 through a grant called ‘Make It Happen’. This programme allowed us to launch our production, and we have built on that platform ever since. Waltham Forest has always championed local artists and supported us through our more difficult times. Moreover, the borough is just an exciting place to be!

How are Waltham Forest residents involved?

We wanted to involve Waltham Forest residents in a variety of ways. Firstly, from speaking to different people in local postcodes, we have found that there is a real excitement amongst residents for our performances. Revel Puck has offered these hyper-local residents £5 tickets to encourage as many of them to come and see what we have to offer! Moreover, we want residents to feel a part of the show rather than ostracised, so we don’t offer tiered prices. This means everyone, regardless of price point, can come and enjoy our production. Lastly, our cast and crew are all currently living on site and embracing the diversity and culture of the community they find themselves in.

What can audiences expect from the show?

They can expect a circus extravaganza! We have a group of highly skilled young circus performers, whose aim is that you have a joyous and exciting evening. This includes breath-taking acrobatics, physical comedy, and even swinging chainsaws! The Wing Scuffle Spectacular will both inspire and provide jaw-dropping elements of circus that are perfect for anyone to come and see! We are based at Leyton Jubilee Park from the 14th of July through to the 29th of July, Tuesday to Sunday.

What is the ethos of Revel Puck?

Revel Puck aims to challenge the public perception of circus and within that, change the sector for the better. We are hiring different, diverse, and exciting voices to help us on this journey, which we hope will become standard in the industry. We would love to find a permanent home for our circus arts in Waltham Forest so that we could help facilitate workshops and training sessions for anyone interested in performing circus. All of us within this production are living together and all under 35, supporting the industry that we love and trying to make it as sustainable as possible.

How are the crew and front of house placements going?

For context, Revel Puck has recently partnered with Future Formed to offer four crew and eleven front of house placements within their production ‘The Wing Scuffle Spectacular’. We have just had our opening night last Thursday, and everyone has absolutely nailed it so far! These opportunities are exactly what should be encouraged, in which a circular model of local jobs serving local residents. The event crew has been very adaptable, helping to put up all of the stages we use, including rigging, lighting, working with the Waltham Forest Youth Circus and circus workshops. We hope that this experience can provide experience and open the door to further opportunities within the circus for these young creatives.