Circus makes pandemic history

After a year of lockdown cancellations, Brisbane’s Circa Contemporary Circus has become the first major Australian arts company to return to the international stage

Brisbane circus group Circa Tubular Bells premiered a new show at London's Royal Festival Hall. Picture: Manuel Harlan

After a year of lockdown cancellations, Brisbane’s Circa Contemporary Circus has become the first major Australian arts company to return to the international stage during the pandemic – to the sound of Tubular Bells.

Last week the company premiered its much-anticipated production of Mike Oldfield’s classic 1973 album at London’s Royal Festival Hall in front of a packed audience. The pioneering instrumental work, often credited with changing the sound of music, is played live on stage with an acrobatic interpretation by Circa, who have been described as “blurring the lines between movement, dance, theatre and circus”.

The new production, marking 50 years since Oldfield began writing the landmark album, came only weeks after the company also performed the opera Maria de Buenos Aires in collaboration with France’s Opera Lyon at the end of June.

For executive director Shaun Comerford, the opportunity to perform internationally again has been one of perseverance and luck, with the past 18 months dominated by uncertainty and risk for the company and its artists.

“Despite all the obstacles when we were unable to perform, our team adapted to new methods of rehearsing and collaborating, and the 10 new Circa works that were created through Covid-19 are among our most ­exciting and ambitious,” he said.

While keeping its team employed and working throughout 2020 was the company’s main goal, Mr Comerford said the ensemble continued to be fortunate.

“There was a time there in 2020 where Circa was probably the only company in the world with an employed working ensemble of circus artists,” he said.

But according to Mr Comerford, the company continues to go from strength to strength.

Since January 2020, Circa has debuted 12 new works, performing to live audiences of more than 100,000, with another 50,000 people tuning in digitally. The company now boasts a bigger ensemble of 22 full-time performers, six directors and more than 45 guest artists and collaborators.

Following its premiere in London, Circa will go to Berlin where its cast of acrobats has a six-month residency at the famous Chamaleon Theatre and perform more than 100 shows of their productions, Circa’s Peepshow, Humans, and What Will Have Been.