o watch Giffords Circus at Fennells Farm in Gloucestershire come back to life after suffering the double catastrophe of the premature death of its founder and inspiration, Nell Gifford, followed by the havoc wrought by Covid-19, is a wonderful thing. The rebirth throughout rehearsals is a performance in itself: professional, yes, but also organic, exhausting, anarchic and hilarious. Giffords is a unique experience bringing together elements of traditional travelling circus with theatre, dance and comedy. This year’s show is The Hooley, an “extravagance of Irishness” according to Lil Rice, Nell Gifford’s niece and now the company’s producer, singer and aerial act. “This is a vital rebirth from Covid-19 and Nell’s death. We owe this to her and the cultural recovery fund, which kept us going when we were considering having to give up. Without the arts the world is a very grey place,” says Lil. To laugh, gasp and wonder, to be inspired by another human being standing in front of an audience doing something beautiful, daring or just downright funny, is a wonderful thing. It is an ancient and elemental part of a happy life. Cal McCrystal, the director, says: “We want this show to help end the cultural loneliness that we have all been suffering. I have just re-read Dicken’s Tale of Two Cities, in which a character is released from the Bastille after years of incarceration and says: ‘I am recalled to life’. I can’t get that phrase out of my head; it’s exactly how I feel doing this show.” Postponed from last year, The Hooley was conceived by Nell Gifford, in collaboration with director and friend Cal McCrystal, shortly before she died in the winter of 2019. The company all agree that Nell’s guiding hand is still present in bringing this show to life. According to Tweedy, Giffords longstanding and truly funny clown, “we will be working on a routine and all be thinking: ‘What would Nell think of this? She would hate it, chuck it out!’ “Or: ‘It’s absurd … she’d love it!’” As I sat photographing the first ever performance of The Hooley, I turned my camera away from the performance for a moment and saw through the viewfinder a woman’s face, looking up towards the flying figure, high above us. There were tears running down her cheek. Someone had switched the colour back on.