At first glance, you’d have to work hard to make Mat Ricardo and Marcus Reeves fit into the same box. Ricardo is a master-juggler and comedian, with a career spanning over 20 years of European tours and variety awards; thanks to a certain ‘table cloth trick’ commercial you may know him, even if you don’t know it. Reeves on the other hand, comes from the alternative cabaret tradition (think David Hoyle or Jonny Woo) - he’s a performer and a writer about to release his first album. Yet both Ricardo and Reeves will be taking part in this year’s Postcards - a festival that brings the best of cabaret and circus to Jacksons Lane. Reeves, whose show is a curious mix of very different influences (more about that later), emphasises that the venue is ‘not afraid to take a risk, and try new things’, while Ricardo sees it as a proof of a new critical mass : ‘I think the main thing it brings to the scene is to underline that there is, in fact, a scene. Most of the performers who are doing shows at Postcards make their living from doing their acts in a million clubs, shows, theatres, scattered all over the world, so it's really nice for Jacksons Lane to gather us all together and say Hey look, something really interesting is going on here.’

Despite its orientation towards cabaret and circus, Postcards is not even remotely close to risking a monolithic programme - instead it offers up a variety of newcomers and household names, coming from both the UK and Europe, presenting work that ranges from acrobatics to stand up. Adrian Berry, the driving force behind Jaksons Lane and Postcards talks to us about subversion, why circus is the future, and what not to miss this year; then we then hand it over to Mat Ricardo and Marcus Reeves to introduce their shows and tickle your imaginations!

Run-Riot: Postcards is now in its third year. Can you tell us how the festival has grown and developed over that period?

Adrian Berry: Well the first year came out of a frustration of restraining ourselves in the past: "We can't take your amazing piece of aerial work even though it's the best thing I've seen in ages, because it's only 2 minutes long" being an example. I was also turning down cabaret because I didn't feel we were a cabaret venue. I wanted to liberate Jacksons Lane and showcase some of the most exciting, weird and out-there artists around. So I did. It was a 6 week beautiful sprawling mess, and it needed a focus. but it was a great way of signposting Jacksons Lane and re-inventing ourselves whilst retaining the best parts of what we did. 2013 feels it has much more clarity - shorter and sharper.

Run-Riot: One look at the credentials and biographies of many people taking part in Postcards reveals how mainstream circus and cabaret are becoming. Have you noticed any shifts and changes in the scene and the work produced, as it moved into the limelight?

Adrian Berry: Definitely. It may be an obvious example but Danny Boyle's opening ceremony of the Olympics contained literally hundreds of artists that have come through these sectors and scenes, including Jacksons Lane, and from the subsidised arts world. It was a big two fingers to the current government. But in terms of the work and artists - it's much more prevalent, cabaret acknowledges its history whilst showing a very 21st century face and contemporary circus is all around us - in the tv, in the streets and in our theatres. But they're no longer stand-alone niche artforms. They're growing and subverting from within, which thrills me lots.

Run-Riot: Although ‘officially’ programming circus and cabaret Postcards also features ‘mix-genre’ shows, performances, music events. What is it you look for when programming the festival?

Adrian Berry: It often sounds a little arbitrary and exclusive when we talk about our programme but it has to feel very 'Jacksons Lane'. Our team and I hope our audiences know what this means. The work has to be something we have helped create, curate,  commission or be totally new to our venue and also to the capital. It needs to feel fresh and bespoke. It will often include artists whom we support or want to shine a light on. It's literally a Postcard from Jacksons Lane to the outside world.

Run-Riot: What are your insider recommendations for Postcards this year? What should those new to the Postcards grab a ticket for, and what do you suggest to the returning audience?

Adrian Berry: Postcards virgins need to head to the insanity of The Double R Club - the first time the Lynchian night of debauchery has left its home. It's a reinvention of cabaret and performance art and it kick starts our festival. Also Mat Ricado's new show totally turns juggling on its head and is massively accessible and totally charming.

Returning audiences should explore i19's Layers. Their first time in the UK with the show, it's a feat of dexterity and dance fusing the chinese pole with physical performance. I also very much recommend Marcus Reeves' glam and glitter musical opus 'Masquerade' and also Mimbre's site-specific acrobatic journey Falling Up which happens all around our amazing building.

Run-Riot: This year’s festival is accompanied by The Cluen Dynasty Museum. Can you tell us more about this exhibition and and how it relates to the programme of performances?

Adrian Berry: Each year we strive to find a body of visual art work which 'encases' the performance programme. Last year was 'The Domestic Burlesque' photography exhibition by Elsa Quarsell, prior to that Marie Louise Plum's twisted circus installation 'Happy Land'. Flora Bradwell has totally 'got' Postcards and Jacksons Lane. She's responded to the space and the programme. It's funny, fantastical and also manages to be international and local - it's an imagined dynasty from our own borough, Haringey. Plus it's bright, bold and absurdly colourful. She's an amazing artist. I'm taking the audio tour tomorrow and can't wait to explore this mythical circus world in our building.

Run-Riot: Your interest in circus predates your work at Jacksons Lane. What is it that attracts you to the form and how did you get involved with it?

Adrian Berry: I always say that it's the thing that gets me up in the morning. Because it's growing and we're helping to grow it, it's never staid or stale, always challenging me and exploring new identities. And I love circus artists. They're a one-off breed and their work ethic astounds me.

I began working in circus at The Albany in Deptford in the 90s. My first exposure was the groundbreaking Archaos, and then the company Mameloucos. As a child, like most people, I'd been to the big top and saw circus as elephants and clowns. Working with Mameloucos was my first exposure to aerial hoops, live art, seeing people pushing their bodies to the absolute limits...also very edgy and again - reinventing the artform. It felt dangerous, dark, sexy. It laid the foundations for my journey to where I find myself today at Jacksons Lane.

Run-Riot: Postcards gives space to both established names and newcomers. What kind of a relationship do you build with emerging artists and companies? How does the venue ‘track down’ the up and coming?

Adrian Berry: Well we have a roster of associate artists and this is growing year by year. There's many ways - and it's not all circus circus circus, but it's still very much the focus and identity.

It often happens by accident - a chance meeting, a cup of coffee, a Circus Space graduate who's caught my eye, often an approach from the artist, a need for support, space, advice. It's very organic. I like it that way. Sometimes we have to use more formal routes and also work within a lot of festivals and funded initiatives, but more often than not it's instinctive. We 'track' artists as you say through the circus schools and festivals, but more often than not it's chance. The William Burroughs way.

Run-Riot: Do you think that circus, with its assumed entertainment value, is a good ground for subversion? If so, how often do you think artists take advantage of this opportunity?

Adrian Berry: Yes, and I've touched on this 'infiltrating from within' element. I love a bit of anarchy, breaking the rules, confronting audiences, challenging our preconceptions of performance. Circus is brave, pushes boundaries, wants to thrill and draw you in, shake you about a little. I love the raw emotion, the considered intellect, the stories and the innovative use of space. And I love that it doesn't care about the rules. Anything is possible - that's very liberating.

Run-Riot: There’s been a lot of talk recently in the theatre world about how the UK compares to continental work, both in terms of funding and the space to experiment and take risks. What do you think the situation is when it comes to the kind of work Jacksons Lane focuses on?

Adrian Berry: We have a long way to go here. Compared to Finland, France, we're aeons behind. But each year, no - each WEEK - it builds a little more and the artists are getting their heads above water, forming alliances, companies, festivals, getting the investment needed. It's still cult-ish in some ways but less and less so. More 'comrades' are joining us on our journey and it feels like something big will burst out of the scene soon. It already feels like the most exciting world from within - it just needs more buildings, businesses, funders and producers to make that leap of faith. Circus is the future, it really is.

Marcus Reeves is debuting his album, Quicksilver - The Masquerade Macabre on June 26th.

Run-Riot: You describe your new material as a mix between Aladdin Sane, Hedwig and the Phantom of the Opera. Could you elaborate on how David Bowie, an East-Berlin glam-rock star and Gaston Leroux (or dare we say it Andrew Lloyd Webber) come together?

Marcus Reeves: I’ve always been musically rather obsessive – I’m quite picky with the music I like  - melody and a coherent aesthetic are really important to me and when I like something I tend to listen to it to death. Bowie was a teenage obsession of mine, particularly the Diamond Dogs era. It’s no surprise that people often hear his influence in my work and there are worse people to be compared to!

I also grew up with a love of musicals – going to see a West End show was a family treat at Christmas or on a birthday – so there’s definitely a ‘theatrical’ element to this album. Hedwig was a favourite show of mine when it came to London a decade ago – it’s pretty much a perfect mixture of music, cabaret and theatre. Lloyd-Webber is a slightly guilty pleasure of mine – loathed by critics but his music loved by millions, so for me he must be doing something right?

Run-Riot: How did your persona, Quicksilver, come about?

Marcus Reeves: After working on my last major project ‘Postcards from God – The Sister Wendy Musical’, I decided I really wanted to get back into performing my own material again and quickly became part of the alternative cabaret scene, which I found more enticing than the usual room above a pub music circuit. The look actually came first, the mask and silver suit, but after a while people said that the material I was singing didn’t really fit my appearance, so I tailored what I was doing and the character was born. Quicksilver represents the hidden parts of myself and all of us, the extremities of emotion that we usually conceal. His face is almost literally a mirror, which reflects the audience back at themselves.

You can catch Mat Ricardo’s new piece, Showman on June 22nd, before it heads off to Edinburgh.

Run Riot: Can you tell us how you got into juggling? And how you then decided to combine it with comedy?

Mat Ricardo: I got into juggling, and into performance in general, when I saw a street performer while on holiday with my parents as a young teenager. He was a juggler, but more than that, he was a showman – he held the show together with a quick wit and charisma, and I kind of thought to myself how cool it would be to do what he did. I immediately bought three hard rubber balls from a pet shop and started the practice that has never stopped!

I always wanted to combine juggling with comedy. The vast majority of variety artists who are my heroes are funny, and frankly, just watching a demonstration of a skill doesn't interest me. Juggling, like magic, or dance, or circus, is best when it's used as a tool for theatre, rather than as an isolated skill. Hopefully when people see me perform, they see some cool tricks, sure, but also I've made them laugh, I've told them some things they didn’t know, and they've found out a little about me.

Run Riot: You’re previewing your new solo, Showman, before taking it to Edinburgh. What’s the significance of trying out new material before a longer run? What do you expect to happen after Postcards and before the Fringe?

Mat Ricardo: Trying out new material before going to Edinburgh is like doing combat training before you go to war. My new show is about half signature routines and half brand new stuff, so I'll learn a lot about my show by doing it at the Postcards festival – I'll get a feel for how all the routines and pieces fit together and how the show feels as a whole. Strangely, I'm usually full of anxiety at this point in the year, but this time around I'm just excited – I really can't wait to get it on stage and see what happens!

Postcards Festival

13-29 June

Jacksons Lane

Info and Tickets