An Education from the Street
Let's Circus
In personal reflection, as someone who now makes the majority of business from non-performance means, I can see the value of street based, non-booked work. Using skills learned on the streets, many street artists open up opportunities in a new arena. Clearly, working in our dynamic and challenging public environment teaches unique and valuable skills - public engagement, animation, acting, salesmanship, word-craft, dealing with failure, perseverance and countless more. Not only do street skills make a strong show, but they make a strong audience connection, and that is a great attribute for any performer, and can be transferred to many other fields. The street is a great school for development.
Back in the day when I used to do regular runs at the Edinburgh fringe, the question of vehicle vs destination raised heated debate
Steve Cousins
amongst the street artists (who were primarily also buskers). A lot of the big boys (and they typically were male, usually a decade my
senior, and at the same time like me - still boys) were vehement that the street was the destination and that you could only learn the craft by doing your time there. By working the street you could work anywhere, you could adapt your show to suit Covent Garden, Melbourne, Amsterdam or Barcelona. You could be free to take a booking at a festival, but there would never be a dependency to do so. No need for arts funding or courses to sort out your professional or artistic development, as by working the streets you will ultimately be paid for your training and in the end - your act will be honed through experience and a Darwinian necessity.
For many
there was a clear opinion - working the street is the destination - training comes from doing.
On the other side of the argument were those more aligned with street theatre - usually distinguishable by having a show that includes a costume, a character and a storyline. Many of these acts will not be as successful earning the fee from the
"working in our dynamic and challenging public environment teaches unique and valuable skills - public engagement, animation, acting, salesmanship, word-craft, dealing with failure, perseverance and countless more. "
hat. But on the flip side they are the kind of act that gets booked, and in luckier parts of the world such as here in Europe, they are the kind of act that can get supported by arts development agencies. These acts are in a direct situation of having the street as their vehicle to other destinations.
Another personal observation is the further that street artists move away from regular street work, the harder it is to keep that vital audience connection when doing live shows. If the streets are a vehicle - the vehicle needs regular servicing and frequent laps of the course to keep in racing condition.
My advice to any young performer who wants to work in live art entertainment is ‘take to the streets’. Do it regularly, do it with gusto, do it whenever you can and wherever you are. Do it with a bango or a bongo, a juggling routine or a bag of balloons. Regardless of whether the streets are where you want to end up, or your means of getting there – your street education will give you the skills and show you need to be successful. It will keep you on your toes, keep your act fresh and provide a little bit of adrenalin to equally excite and terrify. You’ll learn that you can take your life wherever you want to go and that opportunities come from making them happen. Whichever road you choose, there’s always a way there via the streets.
Circonnection Street Arts
Street Artist & Circus Director, Steve has an active career as a street artist, with experience spanning two decades and four continents.
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