My Year in a Nutshell
This year, despite its turbulence, has been a good one—a really good one. I’m overwhelmed with joy and gratitude. I’ve never had a year like this before. Not all years will be like this. Previous years haven’t even come close. I am thankful for everyone who helped this year feel as whole as it did. Thank you for reading these regular mail outs and to all of those who have been there in every bizarre and beautiful way.
As a live artist, the reactions to both Raven and Horses make me smile like a toddler, then laugh at how surreal and cool it all feels. This year I got to create and tour two shows that mattered deeply to me, without cutting back on the weirdness. Despite concerns about how "weird" they might seem, we landed the plane! Both Raven and Horses between them won Best Comedy Show and Pick of the Week at Adelaide Fringe; Best Bit of Timber (Artist's Choice) at Melbourne International Comedy Festival; Best Show at Reykjavik Fringe; Comedians' Choice Award for Best Show at the Edinburgh Fringe; the Spirit of the Fringe Award; the Edinburgh (ISH) Award for Best Show and the 3rd best reviewed show of the Edinburgh Fringe. That's - let's be honest - absolutely mad.
Fourteen-year-old me WOULD NOT BELIEVE the fun we’re having at 33years of age—EVEN THOUGH we still don’t have a flat stomach (my main worry back then, alongside getting nits) or live in a penthouse in New York.
It feels freeing to exhale and acknowledge that I don’t care anymore about being “relatable”, because I still don't really understand what that means. I want to experiment and push my abilities for the short time I am on this earth, and make audiences have a good time in the process and I feel like this year I managed to do that. Reviews, too, have become something I now care as much about as having a a flat stomach or owning a penthouse in New York. Nice, sure, but not necessary in my pursuit to have a good life, be a silly horse on stage and retain a good, healthy relationship with those around me.
This year, despite a plane phobia, I’ve lived more lives than I thought possible. I’ve taught and traveled to incredible places and met glorious people. Rotterdam, Amsterdam, Basel, Birmingham, Zurich, Melbourne, Adelaide, Sydney, Berlin, Paris, Bergerac, Oslo, Prague, and Reykjavik to name a few.... I've gazed up at the moon from many locations on this earth. I climbed Sydney Harbour Bridge. I visited Iceland’s infamous penis museum (truly horrifying). I took my dad to Iceland, explored the Golden Circle, got caught in a snowstorm, and cried because moments like that with him can’t be repeated. I stood with my sister in the audience of one of her favourite bands and she let me hold her hand. My mum and I watched Terrifier 3. Sam and I made Method in our Madness and are taking it to Adelaide. I learned and studied how Aircrafts work. I lip-synced as Pinhead and reenacted Saltburn’s final nude dance at Melbourne Comedy Festival. I performed at the Palladium supporting Hannah Gadsby. I met The Burton Brothers and found my second family on the other side of the world. I went on a surprise solo holiday to Porto, saw waterfalls, and ate pudding first just because I wanted to. In all these places, strangers let me stay in their homes based purely on good faith. Over and over, I’ve been reminded of how good people are.
So many people helped me and gave me creative support this year. Trygve Wakenshaw, Dylan Moran, and David Hoskin gave me their time and kindness during tough moments. Thank you to The Flying Stitches for the Horses costume, Jon and Jonah at the British Library for commissioning me for Tales of the Weird, to Marissa Carnesky for letting me be her Lulu Adams. Nina Conti, thank you for collaborating on a film that will make everyone sick one day. Jack Carrivick, thank you for making two films with me. To the Clown Tarot team. To the Walls Group, Lucy and Ruben at Mick Perrin Management , Peta, John and Ruth at Hey Dowling, Rebecca and Jordie at Century, Simon at Leodis Talent, and The Joneses team—thank you.
To my girlfriends who kept me sane: my Aussie girls, the Hens, the Poly team, the Gaulier crew, Lee at Soho—you are pure gold. Banta-Lad-Mon and so many others, thank you.
Of course, it’s not all perfect. I still can’t afford a house and am moving back home with my parents as I type. Chronic pain persists. I still haven’t finished the book I’ve been meaning to write for two years. I can’t touch my toes. According to my recent medical, I have the fitness of a 59-year-old (still processing that one and how that's possible given how much galloping I do) and have "very lumpy" bosoms. I’ve said goodbye to friends far too soon, people who should still be here.
If you’re reading this, I’m so glad you’re alive. If this year has been hard for you, I’m sorry, and I hope next year brings brighter days. Please talk to professionals if you feel lost. I wish Phil were still here; I’d give anything for that. As was said at his funeral, if the love people felt for him could have kept him alive, he would have lived forever. You make other people's worlds better. Don't forget that. Ultimately, people are gorgeous. We’re not always kind, but most of the time, we are. I truly think we’re inherently good—the sort of creatures who’d instinctively save a snail from being stepped on.
So, to quote Mary Oliver, tell me: what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?
Happy New Year, bring on 2025.
Don't forget, HORSES is on tour this 2025!
WINNER – Comedians’ Choice Award Best Show 2024
WINNER – (ISH) Edinburgh Comedy Award for Best Show, 2024
WINNER – Spirit of the Fringe, 2024
British Comedy Guide Recommended
“In comedy terms, Elf Lyons has always been less of a thoroughbred, more of a breed apart – never more so than with Horses” ★★★★ The Guardian
“For much of the show, you can believe that a horse is on stage” ★★★★★ Starburst Magazine
“Performed with a virtuosic physical ingenuity “ ★★★★ Chortle
“Lyons plays with the disgusting and the angelic.”★★★★★ Broadway Baby
“A mesmerising blend of clowning, mime, comedy, and theatre.”★★★★★ The QR Magazine
“Elf Lyons continues to be one of the Fringe’s most intriguing performers. […] Charming, playful and, to be clear: excellent.” British Comedy Guide
“A fascinating trip into the realms of fantasy” The Stage
★★★★★ Get The Chance
★★★★★ The Telegraph
★★★★★ One4Review
★★★★★ Broadway Baby
★★★★★ Squirrel Comedy
★★★★★ The Quintessential Review
★★★★★ Starburst Magazine
★★★★★ The Comic’s Comic
★★★★★ Mervyn Stutter’s Pick Of The Fringe
★★★★★ On The Mic
★★★★ Mix Up Theatre
★★★★ The Guardian
★★★★ The Skinny
★★★★ Chortle
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