Burnout Paradise runs its performers ragged at The Cultch, November 20 to December 7
Cheer on Pony Cam as chaotic treadmill performance captures the mad rush of life
Burnout Paradise. Photo by Darren Gill
The Cultch presents Burnout Paradise at the Historic Theatre from November 20 to December 7
HAVE YOU EVER FELT like you’re running on a nonstop treadmill, trying—and often failing—to complete daily tasks?
Welcome to Burnout Paradise, an Edinburgh Fringe hit from Down Under that enacts the perfect metaphor for our frazzled lives right now.
In the show, Melbourne’s innovative Pony Cam puts four performers on four treadmills. While running breathlessly on the spot, they attempt to pull off such jobs as cooking pasta, brushing their teeth, and filling out a grant application. At the same time, they embrace the audience in the chaotic, collective challenge—even enlisting them in getting the chores done. In shows around the world, audiences have wildly cheered the performers on, trying to coax them to top their personal distance records.
Pony Cam are masters of this stuff, winning awards for their one-of-a-kind mix of physical theatre, audience interaction, and humour to address complex themes.
The U.K. publication The Stage called the crowd-pleaser “very funny, slyly satiric, and an exhausting (in a good way) audience experience”, while the British Theatre Guide recommended: “unique and surprisingly cleverly constructed amidst the frenzy of activity, Burnout Paradise is a truly exceptional theatrical experience.”
So, yes, although it may be a bit stressful to watch, the show promises to be entertaining, cathartic, form-pushing, and even joyful, while asking all of us to seriously consider: How did life get so busy, and how the hell do we get off this treadmill? 
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