SIMON NEALE, surely one of the funniest people on our crew of crazies, mugs shamelessly for the crowd in the triumphant farewell show of the CIRQUE DE FLAMBE, a five-time performance sensation at the 1999 Fringe Theater Festival.
Originally a wharf rat from the East End of London, Simon left by sea in search of greater opportunity. Following years of riotous living east of Suez, he sneaked down the hawser from a rusty tramp freighter to the Seattle docks one dark night in 1994. Hearing of the abundant beer reserves beneath Fremont, Simon soon gravitated to that section of town, where he met up with the fun-lovin' crew from the Fremont Arts Council. The rest, as they say, is history.
Now Simon heads up F.A.T,* a performance squad of buffoons which spreads farcical sketch humor around the city; contributes to our fire artists through Cirque de Flambe; dispatches pumpkins in the buff at the Texas Chainsaw Pumpkin Massacre during the Fremont Oktoberfest; and is ever-present clowning around in our Summer Solstice Parade and Trolloween. He is also very handy with tools and elbow-grease--skills much in demand to prepare the elaborate floats and stage sets for our Fremont frolics.
Photo copyright © 1999 by Larry Neilson
*Fremont Art Theatre