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Bega-grown comedian and magician Rhys The Trickster has been polishing off his juggling clubs ahead of his trip to perform at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
The near month-long event attracts a huge range of talented performers from all over the world and this August The Trickster, also known as Rhys Davies, will be showing his skills alongside the best of the best after being accepted as a street performer.
“I was pretty lucky to be accepted as it was a spontaneous idea,” the 19-year-old said.
“But it felt really good. I’ve been hearing of it ever since I started performing.”
While he will be taking an odd assortment of items overseas – metal pole, whips and fire juggling materials – he did not think it would be too much of a problem travelling through airports, although that was not the case for all performers.
“Most performers have a bit of an issue travelling with our strange stuff, machetes and all that,” he laughed.
This month he will be returning to Bega for a variety night with old school circus, comedy and sideshow along with a few surprises and accompanied by a few “top secret” special guests, in order to help him on his way to Edinburgh.
“There will be stuff I haven’t really performed much at all, which will be fun,” he said.
Currently living in Melbourne, he has been performing street shows as well as at a semi-regular spot at Speakeasy HQ, but still said he has been “taking it easy” when it comes to performing.
After he returns from the fringe festival he will start applying for festivals over summer and is also working on an approximately 45 minute-long comedy show, as he would like to get more into stand up.
It will be refreshing to go to the fringe festival, he said, because he finds it “so hard” when it comes to writing new material.
“If I ever sit down to write something, it never happens,” Mr Davies said.
“If you’re in a show and you improvise and something works then you hold onto it and work on it, or maybe something will just come to you in the shower. It’s pretty random where inspiration comes from.”
Mr Davies is even planning on taking little mementos from Bega with him to the UK.
“I have a nice Bega Cheese shopping bag I might put a few things into,” he laughed.
“I think I’ll also take my I love Bega shirt.”
Rhys The Trickster will host a variety night at Funhouse Studio, 3 Hill St, Bega on Saturday, July 21 from 7pm. Tickets are $15, it is recommended for ages over 15.