The next interview in our stagey chat series is with Tom Rack. Tom is the Artistic Director of NoFit State Circus, and also one of the founding members.

Hi Tom, how are you? Thanks so much for chatting to Stage to Page today! Would you mind introducing yourself and telling our readers how you first got into the circus industry?

Hi, I’m Tom Rack. I am the Artistic Director and last remaining founder member of NoFit State Circus. We started out way back in 1986 as jugglers and street performers and then started making shows that back then were called ‘new circus’ or ‘circus theatre’, in the days before contemporary circus had become a thing.

These days, I oversee the overall artistic vision of the Company’s work and produce the large scale shows in the Big Top and plan the tours. Working in the circus is not a job, it’s a way of life and once you have tasted the sawdust there is no going back, it’s a very free-spirited lifestyle working hard and playing hard with a great bunch of people. Over our almost 40 years history we have grown from 2 people, operating out of a back bedroom, to what we are now, a company that can be employing up to 50 people at time across a range of different projects both out in the world and in the heart of our Cardiff community. But we still hold true to our roots and our anarchic spirit.

The secret to our success is “when you surround yourself with enough exceptional people anything is possible”. And we are blessed to have some truly amazing people on the team.

NoFit State are currently touring with their latest production, SABOTAGE. How's it going and can you tell audiences about the show?

This is the third year for SABOTAGE, it’s been to festivals in France, Belgium and Prague and all over the UK. We’re just packing up the site in Eastleigh to head to Brighton for this year's final UK dates. Audiences have been loving SABOTAGE, it’s full of surprises not just the fantastic circus skills but there is a level of theatricality and layers of meaning and metaphor. People feel moved in ways they weren’t expecting. It has something for everyone you can just sit back and enjoy the live music and the spectacle of impressive circus skills or you can follow the many stories that are woven into the tapestry or you can let your imagination run free and fill in the blanks to paint your own pictures. We love it when audiences discover contemporary circus for the first time and their preconceptions are blown away.

As Artistic Director, how do you maintain creativity and where do you find inspiration from?

I am always looking for what’s new and how can we do something different that people might not have seen before. On the Big Top shows for over 20 years now we have been collaborating with Firenza Guidi, who ultimately directs the show. We have worked together for so long we make a really good team. When developing a new work we bounce ideas back and forth and agree on a theme and structure and what underlying story we are trying to tell. Then we look for exceptional performers and take inspiration from them, their skills, personality, strengths, weakness and vulnerabilities. It is this process and Firenza’s great skill that brings out the humanity of the performer and creates something strong and honest on stage with a beating heart and living soul.

What else does NoFit State have in store for 2024/2025?

After Brighton, SABOTAGE heads for Europe, heading to Winterfest in Salzburg and the Biennale Internationale des Arts du Cirque in Marseille, the largest contemporary circus festival in the world,

We also have a second show called BAMBOO, which has been touring to outdoor festivals in the UK and Europe throughout the summer. 2025 will be the final year for SABOTAGE and if we can raise the money we will start developing the next new show. BAMBOO has been such a hit that just like the show BLOCK that came before it we feel sure it will run and run.

A question I ask everyone we chat to - my blog is called Stage to Page. But if you could turn any book, from page to stage, what would it be and why?

Our work is physical theatre, its non-text based and not always with a linier narrative but right now I am interested in a Circus show inspired by Animal Farm and somehow use that to hold up a looking glass to this crazy post truth world we live in. But in a fun, fresh and funny way, a way that pokes fun but makes people think.

And finally, why should anyone reading this book tickets to see SABOTAGE?

If you're already a fan of contemporary circus then you should have no excuse not to come and see the UK’s leading company. If you’re not already a fan then you need to come and see how circus has evolved, moved on and what 21st century circus is all about. You will be in for a surprise and treat.

As one critic recently said “it would be self-sabotage to miss it.”

You can find out more about NoFit State Circus, here.