The project draws on the transgressive histories of British popular theatre, including the Victorian music hall, variety theatre, the Shakespearean stage, and fairgrounds and circuses. In a far cry from the polite theatre that dominates today, Music Halls were bold and scandalous spaces where feats of strength and exhibitions of wrestling were interwoven with comedy, popular songs, and other variety acts such as human statuary and animal performances. In this interview, Richard Summers-Calvert and Sam West tell us about making these films, celebrating a time 'before wrestling was pinned down' and fixed, and instead mingled with other art and festival forms in what Claire Warden has called a 'queer music hall sport'. This work allows us to 'see wrestling differently', and connect wrestlers to the long history of their craft. Richard and Sam tell us about recreating and reimagining rare archival footage, and creating an 'experimental learning space' as a 'structure in which only wrestlers could thrive' - celebrating the unique skillset of a wrestler. The film also celebrates the importance of failure in any form of performance experiment, which is music to Andy Kesson's ears! You can see the documentary itself in our previous film, and be sure to check out our other wrestling films with Claire Warden and Sam West at Wrestling Resurgence, and the wrestlers Nick Radford, Chuck Mambo, RJ City, The OJMO and Josef Kafka. 

For more details on our films and further resources, go to our website at https://abitlit.co

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