EDDIE SUMMERS
'A supremely confident performer with infectious energy' FRINGE REVIEW
Hi ....I’m an award-winning theatre-maker with 35+ years’ experience spanning performance, music, spoken word, mime, comedy and community arts. I lived in Ireland for 10 years where I created and lead participatory projects in schools, youth offending centres and directed parades.
I now live in the UK and make cross-disciplinary work for traditional and non-traditional spaces. Based in Littlehampton, I perform regularly at UK and European festivals.
Performed at over 50 festivals ...
Glastonbury , Shambala , Aurillac , Chalon , Den Haag , Camp Bestival ...and also so many incredible regional theatres and art centres like this one..
Front Room - Weston Super Mare
Worked with wonderful mentors ...
TRYGVE WAKENSHAW gave me his time for free , devising and rehearsing at Greenwich Dance to develop my mime theatre piece entitled
ODJO : KING OF THE OCEAN
CIRCUS in the blood...
I headlined the huge circus festival CIRQ GITAN in Dieste Belgium 2024.
One of my all time highlights !!
Adapting to spaces ...
I have performed in so many different spaces ....but wherever it may be .....I am the Ringmaster !
Home cooked art is best ...
This was my first single I released aged 17 .
I still love the simple artwork ...raw , genuine , unique
ACHIEVEMENTS LIVING IN IRELAND
1993- 2003
- Arts project DVD 'Rollercoaster' -documenting Hillside Traveller community Galway [see pic above]
- Commissioned by The Ark, Dublin to deliver a youth-focused hip-hop regeneration project in Dublin
- Trained in Steel Pan Drumming with Phase2 Pan Band, Trinidad, funded by the Arts Council of Ireland
- Directed the Westport Festival Parade in County Mayo
- Represented the UK at Galway’s Spirit of the Voice Festival as a slam poet
- Delivered drum and vocal workshops on a schools tour for the Northern Ireland Council for Racial Equality
PREVIOUS SHOWS include ...
some seriously good ones .......
EDDIE SUMMERS
SCHOOL OF BURGLARY
A comedy lecture
Clown show
ODJO
KING OF THE OCEAN
Lovable idiot fisherman
Mime show
KARL SPARX
THE BIG STIFFY
Madcap funeral
Absurdist Immersive Theatre
EDDIE SUMMERS
ROCKET FUEL
Chaotic improv
Clown sitcom
KARL SPARX
A KICK IN THE VORTEX
A comedy whodunnit
Clown show
THE UGLY BROTHERS
DJ SORRY MC TROUBLE
Theatrical carnage
Clown Hip-Hop
FAMILY THEATRE SHOWS....
I regularly perform as the colourful chaotic SESKA ..
SOLD OUT shows at Brighton Fringe and many other european festivals
'One of the world’s top comedy magicians' = BBC Radio
PERFORMING FOR TUI HOTELS IN GREECE 2025
PERFORMING ON BRITTANY FERRIES 2025
REVIEWS / AWARDS
Genuinely joyful, wonderfully absurd REVIEWS HUB
Highly Recommended - FRINGE REVIEW
A uniquely brilliant performer! - HASTINGS COMEDY FESTIVAL
WINNER Best New Act: BUCHAREST COMEDY FESTIVAL
WINNER Spirit of the Fringe COLCHESTER FRINGE FESTIVAL
WINNER Best International Act : Copenhagen Comedy Fest
WINNER – Best Family Show: Mumbai Theatre Festival
WINNER – Best Solo Show: Banjul Arts Festival
NOMINATED – Best Kids Show: Leicester Comedy Festival
“One of the world’s top comedy magicians.”
BBC Radio
“The funniest comedian entertaining families in the UK!” London Evening StandardMy family ...
My family has deep roots in the traditional circus: my great-aunt Olga and her daughter, my second cousin Sue, were central performers in the now-retired Barrett Family Circus. Sue later married Norman Barrett, a living link to this remarkable history. With my relatives no longer performing, Big Top Beats seeks to capture and celebrate their voices by interviewing Norman and preserving his stories. These interviews will form the foundation for producing beautiful contemporary soundscapes, blending his memories, rhythms, and the energy of circus life into an immersive artistic experience.
Great Aunt Olga
Olga Yelding [ pictured here at an early age ] was the animal trainer at Barretts Canadian Circus based in the UK
Sue and Norman
Norman Barrett MBE, is a world famous Ringmaster who spent 25 seasons at the Blackpool Tower Circus. Norman married Sue Yelding, the daughter of Olga. As a clown Norman presented geese, and helped Sue with her dog act. By 1965, Norman and Sue had joined the Robert Brother's Circus and Norman began working as the Ringmaster.
My chosen Mentors...
Reggie Watts, Neil Kelso, Vanessa Woolf and DJ Voyteq together represent a boundary-pushing constellation of contemporary creative innovators:
Reggie Watts
Internationally acclaimed, genre-defying musical visionary whose improvisational alchemy fuses voice, technology and humour into wholly original performance
LETTER OF SUPPORT
Hi there,
I’m writing in support of Eddie Summers’ application.
When Eddie first emailed me, I was struck by his honesty and passion. He spoke about his love of performing, and his desire to take his work in a more personal, freer direction—which really resonated with me. He asked for advice, and I gave him a call. We chatted for about 30 minutes, and by the end, I’d agreed to mentor him throughout the project—checking in monthly to support both technically and creatively. I'll help him explore rhythm, sound choices, effects, and above all, heartfelt improvisation. The aim is to create space for real freedom in his work—to let whatever needs to come out, come out.
It feels good to support a fellow artist, and I think this will be a valuable exchange for both of us.
All the best,
Reggie Watts
Neil Kelso
A uniquely inventive magician and theatre-maker whose work blends illusion, narrative and elegant stagecraft to create immersive, emotionally resonant experiences
LETTER OF SUPPORT
Eddie is aiming to combine, music, storytelling and his own lived experiences and circus heritage in a new and exciting way . The world is hungry for innovative, authentic, thoughtful, entertainment, and Eddie’s plans to collaborate with experts from a wide range of disciplines will open up new possibilities for him as a performer and theatre-maker, and will pave the way for exciting new work.
I wholeheartedly support his application to expand and deepen his creative practice, and look forward to where his work leads.
Vanessa Woolf
A celebrated storyteller known for transforming real-world spaces into vivid realms of imagination, captivating audiences with her atmospheric, deeply human narrative craft
LETTER OF SUPPORT
I would be happy to be named on your DYCP application.
I could help you tighten your narratives, shape your stories for specific audiences and find a market for them.
I have particular experience telling with music so would be happy to help you find your own methods of storytelling with music which work for you.
I'm aware you are using a lot of storytelling techniques anyway and it looks as if all the building blocks are already in your existing skill set.
Thank you for thinking of me and the best of luck with your application.
Vanessa
DJ Voyteq
A dynamic Warsaw-born artist known for his collaborations with L’nard Jackson, brings a richly textured, globally attuned sonic palette that energises dancefloors and bridges electronic traditions with contemporary experimentation
LETTER OF SUPPORT
I am writing to offer my support for Eddie Summers’ application. Although we haven’t yet worked together formally, we’ve had many rich musical conversations, and it’s clear we share a deep love of improvisation and creative risk-taking. As a DJ and producer with a well-equipped studio and a strong passion for teaching, I’m excited about the potential for future collaboration and the artistic growth Eddie is pursuing. I believe NLGP would be an excellent catalyst for his development, and I’m pleased to endorse his application.
Sincerely,
DJ VOYTEQ
