FUNNY PECULIAR Premieres at Brighton Fringe Tomorrow

FUNNY PECULIAR premieres at Brighton Fringe with the world's oldest stuntman and Dali's muse... which city will it uncover next? Funny Peculiar is created and performed by Paschale Straiton and Ivan FabergaPerformances from 7 May - 30 August 2014.

Funny Peculiar is a theatrical, immersive, city-specific walking tour exploring the eccentric characters who have lived here in this town. It will premiere in Brighton, the home-town of the creators, and then will tour to even more cities and towns that have been home to unbelievable eccentric true lives. The performances in Brighton mark the start of a national quest to both create theatre for local people in their local towns, and also to discover Britain's most eccentric town. Is it Brighton? Who knows!

In 1984 psychologist Dr. David Weeks conducted the most comprehensive survey of eccentricity in the world, writing up conclusions in his book, Eccentrics: The Scientific Study. He suggests that healthy societies need eccentrics to grow and develop - it is the people grappling with ideas and challenging conventions on the fringes, that help us to develop new technologies and question the way we behave. Furthermore, their freedom of spirit gives eccentric people robust endocrine systems, making them visit the doctor less frequently and live longer than average. When considering the idea of developing a walking tour in Brighton, Paschale Straiton and Ivan Faberga decided to explore the idea of eccentric characters who have lived in the city. A research and development period in October 2013, unearthed some great local characters such as Drako - Salvador Dali's mustachioed muse, The Great Omani - the oldest stunt man in the world and Doreen Valiente - the mother of the modern Wicca movement. They explored how these characters tie into the peculiar quality of this curious city. And they played with the idea of encouraging audiences to engage with the idea that behaving unconventionally can be fun and life affirming.

The fully-realised show will premiere in May, as part of the Brighton Fringe 2014 and will continue throughout the summer until the end of August. The show turns the convention of the guided tour on its head, involving pop up performances, audio soundtracks and elements of treasure hunting.

The production is funded by Arts Council England, in partnership with the Brighton Theatre Royal and Visit Brighton.

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