Vicki Dela Amedume - interview

In a high-energy fusion of circus and theatrics, Showdown promises an audience-led comedy piece with a bold flair. Set to a tone of spoken word, UK Hip Hop, Grime, and Afrobeat, the production encompasses a vast range of styles, culminating in a way that reimagines the acting scene. Unpacking the means to success, six driven competitors are heating up to fight to get to the top, with a hint of chaos along the way.

Vicki Dela Amedume MBE is the Artistic Director for the show, innovatively working her magic to bring it to life as a leader in the circus realm. Telling us more about this process, she has kindly answered a few questions.

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What was the initial spark that drew you to this piece?

Showdown was born from a fascination with how we perform identity — especially under pressure. I was curious about how people navigate being seen and judged, particularly when race, gender, and power dynamics are at play. Placing that in the frame of a talent competition felt both ridiculous and strangely perfect. It’s a format we all recognise, but one I’ve never quite understood — especially when it comes to judging creativity. How do you rank something so personal, so layered? When we reduce expression to a scoreboard, we risk losing the nuance, the vulnerability, the mess — all the things that make it human. But that competition format also gave us a vibrant, heightened space to play in — a stage where serious questions could unfold with humour, tension, and spectacle.

What has been most interesting in the developmental process for blending spoken word, comedy, and circus?

It’s been a beautiful challenge. Each form has its own rhythm, its own way of holding attention, so the work has been in finding where they complement each other rather than compete. Comedy offers specificity and truth-telling, and circus brings physical poetry and risk. When they’re working in harmony, you get this layered experience that connects on a lot of different levels all at once.

How does the show challenge traditional ideas of circus performance and representation in the arts?

I’ve always been committed to showing circus as a nuanced art form and one where the bodies on stage  are seen — where identity, culture, and history are present and not ignored.  The performers aren’t anonymous bodies doing tricks; they’re whole people with stories, questions, contradictions — and the circus is just one of the ways they speak.

How do you aim to connect with audiences so they seek this kind of unique entertainment?

We invite them into the game. We ask them to join in, to judge, to root for someone. It’s fun, yes, but may also have moments where it gets a little uncomfortable, in the best way. That engagement, that friction, is where real connection happens.

What skills have you employed working on this production that differ from your previous endeavours?

A lot of listening and empathy. It has required more work to balance all of the elements on stage.  A lot of attention to rhythm and timing — not just physical, but comedic. For the cast it requires a real agility to balance entertainment with edge. Also, leading a piece where so much depends on live audience interaction means building in flexibility — a lot of that is held by our host, to deftly navigate to show to a natural conclusion each night

Who inspires you?

Usually the people I am working with.  Creating circus as a director is such a two way process with the artists that they in lots of ways need to be my inspiration.

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Big thanks to Vicki for talking to us and sharing this experience. All the best for the show and projects beyond!

Get your tickets to Showdown on its tour here:

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