P ush Me Pull You! is the perfect title for the circus show premiering at the Oxford Playhouse because not only is about the physical exertions of a circus artiste, but it also touches on the roles of the two performers. Linn Broden is a slack rope specialist and Tom Richmond her sound and lighting man. Except this time he’s going to be right up there on stage with her.

The two performers came up with the show together, and have worked on it for 18 months. The pair, a couple off as well as on-stage, are delighted with the results.

“It was something we were prepared to do. You have to stand up and go with your gut instincts and we've done that for sure,” Tom laughs, “but we feel safe within the framework of the show and what it’s saying.”

Using a combination of traditional circus skills and daring dance acrobatics, Push Me, Pull You! is an exciting and compelling show about the friendship, trust and unique relationship between performer and backstage technician. Accompanied by original music, this talented pair then lead you on an unusual journey inside a stunning circus act.

The title also hints at Linn’s immigrant status. Linn originally comes from Sweden and trained at the Dance and Circus University in Stockholm but left her homeland after meeting Tom and moving to Bristol in the autumn of 2011.

“Linn and I are a couple. We met in Italy working on a big outdoor circus show where we were both small pawns, so we decided to make our own work and do our own thing,” explains Tom. “And having spent a long time wanting to put this show together, we decided it should be about the two of us.

“So while she’s a performer and I’m the tech guy, we leave it up to the audience to find out about the personal nature of the show. There is a lot of energy between the two of us as individuals, though, so they might guess,” he laughs. “We have a lot of very complex interaction, put it that way.”

So what’s it like being on stage for the first time? “Having been the tech guy for 15 years I’m really enjoying the magic of live performance,” Tom says. “And I’ve tended to work more and more in circus because it’s so exciting. They put their all into the training and work towards something, so it’s a really special level of intimacy that is really exciting to work in. “And yet, because I only have a little experience on stage, it’s been quite scary and I realised there is a reason the tech guy stays in the background. Although it’s great to cross the lines and influence the performance.”

Linn agrees: “We spent a lot of time working out how to do things and we feel really positive about it even though it’s been a long journey full of black holes and sunshine. So it’s a really interesting show with lots of new things you can’t see anywhere else and it’s an interesting concept,” she promises.

Where did Linn’s circus bug come from then? “I always loved acrobatics, cartwheeling and dancing from an early age, so at 18 I did a theatre course and then spent six months in Moscow at circus school. I loved the physicality of it,” she shrugs.

So what about her parents? “They were a little surprised,” she giggles.

It also meant they had to get used to Linn moving to the UK for good, something that has also taken some adjustment.

“It is hard leaving all your friends and family, and yet it is also the reason this show exists. So while I was a bit lost in Bristol at first, now I’m really enjoying it.”

As for Push Me Pull You!, Linn adds: “Circus in theatre works because it’s more intimate and a little bit dangerous, and that’s why we train five days a week or more. We reduce the danger and wanted to see how far we could go with that. So while Push Me Pull You! is not a kids show, it is a family show because it’s so physical. And it means my dreams have come true and not many people can say that.”

  • The UK premiere of Push Me Pull You! opens on Friday, August 9. Call the box office on 01865 305305 or book online at oxfordplayhouse.com