Q&A on Elf Lyons Is The Woman On The Edge

One of your clown characters performs parts of the show on your behalf. What does clowning allow you to express that traditional stand-up perhaps doesn’t?

Clowning is multi-sensory, it’s not just in the words – it’s in the entire body and unlike stand-up that often has a tight script and rhythm to it, in how you deliver the jokes and the pacing,  clowning constantly adapts depending on who is in the room. I love getting to play and interact with the crowd each night. It’s like jazz. 

There’s a strong theme of resilience in this show. Did creating it change the way you think about failure or success?

Not at all, I’ve always had a healthy relationship to what success and failure is, and I think that comes down to being very dyslexic and at school constantly failing EVERY test and being told I was stupid by teachers, when I and my parents knew I wasn’t. It made me realise that the way we measure success in society is completely baffling and awards and exam marks are not to be valued more highly than anything else. Because of that, I’ve just trusted myself to get on with things and I suppose is actually why I am much more open minded to taking risks, because failing was something that never frightened me - I always failed as a kid but I knew I was not actually a failure. I suppose this is why Apollo 13 means so much to me and resonates so much. 

What would you most like audiences to take away from The Woman on the Edge?

Catharsis, joy, freedom and love.

You often use clowning and physicality in emotionally truthful ways. What first drew you to that style of performance?

Honestly I could not tell you. It came from my time as Gaulier when I was 24. I never realised how frightened I was of my body until I got to Gaulier, and It was only there, through working with Philippe, Rene Bazinet, Carlo Jacucci and other teachers, did I start to learn how I could actually use my body and shape on stage to be me. 

Your performances are so physical and expressive. How demanding is a full Fringe run for you mentally and physically?

It’s a marathon and you have to treat yourself like an athlete at the fringe so you don’t burn out.  It’s my job, not a fun hobby, so I cannot in any way take my physical and mental health for granted. I eat well, I join a spa and a gym and I take stretching and warming up for the show very seriously each day so the audience can get the show they paid for.