Who's Who?

Casus

Casus brings humanity into circus through a breathtaking and fragile display of skills. Through bold, quirky and captivating performance the four members of Casus (Emma Serjeant, Jesse Scott, Natano Fa'anana and Lachaln McAulay) bring a wealth of knowledge and experience in the circus and physical theatre industries having previously performed extensively in Australia and around the world with C!RCA, The Flying Fruit-fly Circus, Polytoxic, and Briefs Collective.

Formed mid 2011, Casus present their premier work Knee Deep.

Four performers explore the boundaries of strength and tenderness. Bodies are pushed and pulled, weighed and tested, probing the limits of both physicality and feeling.

As unlikely bonds are forged and acts of intimacy cohabit space with thrilling physical feats, viewers are invited to re-imagine notions of our limitations.

Throughout this journey the artists reveal that delicacy does not necessarily equate to fragility, although it is often a fine line they tread.

Knee Deep is a textured landscape of circus and musical accompaniment, culminating in circus with a contemporary twist.

Tahmour Kate Bloomfield:

Circus Artist, Physical Comedienne and circus trainer.

Tahmour is a professional entertainer who has been entertaining crowds all over the world for nearly 10 years. Tahmour has performed in some of the remotest corners of the world for people from all walks of life. Her work is  character driven, with a sharp edge of parody, to bring a story to her circus tricks. 

Tahmour's  latest success has been the development of comic character California, and the show Reality TV Me, which has been touring internationally for the past two years. This year it received the Grand Jury 1st Prize for Street Theatre at the Vevey Street Theatre Festival.

 2009 and 2010 saw Tahmour collaborating with local acts – Strings on Fire and Candy Stripe Circus to produce the "Little Big Top", a 3 week cabaret in Katoomba. The kids show bought Tahmour's other character – Matilda Yonks to break lose and bring the crowd to tears of laughter, whilst the evening bought out comic diva California.

Currently she is directing the Zany Are end of year show "The Golden Tickets" and designing the circus space for IronFest 2012. 

Simone O'Brien

Simone O'Brien is a performer, writer, teacher and director of circus and physical theatre. As the Artistic Associate of Legs On The Wall, Simone delivers artist development programs and physical theatre projects with the community, education and corporate sectors including Leichhardt Council, Rozelle Neighbourhood Centre, Campbelltown Arts Centre, Redfern Community Centre and Mooghalin Performing Arts and NIDA.

Simone was a co-founder of the aerial group CLUB SWING, who toured nationally and internationally, 1994 – 1999. She has also devised, directed, taught and made work with Bibi Bulak, Circus Oz, ABC Kids TV, Stalker, The Spaghetti Circus, Aerialize, Corrugated Iron Youth Arts, The, The National Institute Of Circus Arts, Melbourne International Arts Festival, Melbourne Fringe Club, Adelaide Fringe, The Women's Circus, Sydney Gay And Lesbian Mardi Gras, The Performance Space, The Candy Butchers, VIC Arts Centre, PICA and The Art Gallery Of NSW.

Simone has BA in English, Drama and Media Studies from Macquarie University and a Dip Ed from Melbourne University. Professional development includes the Cultivate director's laboratory with Force Majeure, an experimental children's theatre workshop with Chiara Guidi, a 3 month Asialink Residency in East Timor and a Time_Space_Place_5 Hybrid Arts laboratory.

Kirk Page

Widely acclaimed for his physical theatre, aerial and dance work, Kirk appeared in Ochres for Bangarra Dance Theatre, which toured Australia and internationally, A Midsummer Night's Dream for Opera Australia and performed numerous times for Legs on the Wall, in productions including Eora Crossing and Runners Up.

In music theatre, Kirk has appeared in Priscilla for Back Row Productions, The Sunshine Club for Sydney Theatre Company, Corrugation Road for Black Swan Theatre Company and most recently, One Night the Moon for Malthouse Theatre.

His theatre credits include Silent Disco for Griffin Theatre Company, The Dreamers and Conversations with the Dead for Belvoir, My Girragundji for Bell Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night's Dream for Sydney Theatre Company, Australia the Show! for Hothouse Theatre and Death in Bowengabbie for Merrigong Theatre Company.

On screen, Kirk played the lead in Bloodlines for SBS Films and the Australian Film Commission and also appeared in the film Shadow Play for Porchlight Films.

As a movement director Kirk has worked in film, television and theatre. Having worked on the ABC's My Place and on feature film Bran Nue Day for Robyn Kershaw Productions, in 2006 he also choreographed the indigenous section of the Melbourne Commonwealth Games My Skin, My Life.

Kirk's most recent engagement was as assistant director for Bloodland (STC) and worked as an outside eye for Posts in the Paddock "My darling Patricia"

Flipside Circus 

Flipside Circus in Brisbane is a national leader in youth arts empowering children and young people through circus, regardless of their background or location. Flipside values the strategic concepts of circus described by Australian youth circus legend, Dr. Reg Bolton: to show off, to take risks, to trust, to dream and aspire, to work hard and to laugh. Flipside Circus provides a circus program that is extensive and includes an exciting range of circus activities and performances. Check out their website here!

Harvey's Troupe (Circus Monoxide)

Harvey's Troupe are a Wollongong-based circus troupe serious about becoming the next big thing in contemporary circus. Brimming with youthful creativity and energy, Harvey's Troupe produce bold modern circus - a Harvey's Troupe show can be expected to contain breathtaking performances of physical strength and beauty, an out of control explosion of noise and laughter, some food for thought and a whole range of hard core circus tricks. Check out their website here!

Half High (Circus Monoxide)

Half High is Monoxide's third arm (they're handy for juggling) and encompasses the classes they teach and the facilities they share that make circus accessible for EVERYONE. Yes everyone, from 2yrs to 92yrs, from clutzy beginners to circus pros. They reach out freakishly far in their outreach to ensure that the inspired lunacy of Circus Monoxide extends as far as their freakishly long arms can take them. They provide over 40 different weekly classes in their Wollongong warehouse for all ages AND gallivant into the depths of New South Wales to bring Circus to a whole host of school or youth groups. Check out their website here!

Cirkus Surreal

The purpose of our circus program is to develop resilience in the students of Kelso High Campus. To provide a framework for the development of life long learning skills associated with living a healthy and productive life. It addresses the basic human need of our young people for affection, autonomy, freedom, fun, protection and recognition. It enables students to take responsibility for making choices which will benefit themselves and society. Check out their website here! 

Aerialize 

Aerialize provide students with expert instruction and offer the wider community access to participate in aerial and circus arts. At Aerialize, we create innovative and dynamic aerial theatre and circus entertainment for audiences both corporate and public as well as providing performers with creative opportunities and industry training. Aerialize runs workshops and classes that are dynamic, challenging and fun in a safe and encouraging environment. We encourage all ages and abilities to attend. Students attend our classes for leisure, recreational, educational and vocational purposes. Check out their website here!

Circus West

Circus West is now in its 20^th year, founded by its Director Paul Woodhead at Dubbo West PS in 1991. Circus West is an in-school Circus Arts company dedicated to the use of Circus as an interdisciplinary intervention, assisting young people with school, life and performance. While based at Delroy Campus where Paul is one of the Deputy Principals, Circus West draws students from schools across the city and beyond. In addition, Circus West strives to support school and community based Youth Circus programs across the Western NSW Region through teacher/trainer workshops, camps, video conferences and the production of hard copy resources.

Circaholics Anonymous

Circaholics Anonymous is a fire based circus group of which combines clowning, mime, slap-stick comedy, acrobatics, even martial arts, all while playing with fire. Some performance groups use fire in their acts, Circaholics act IS fire. They pride themselves on always showing you something new, something you have never seen before and are constantly striving to find new ways to bend fire to their will, be it with a fire sword battle Jedi knight style, fire whip cracking like Zoro or the combination of emerald green fire with ruby red, or in many other such ways! Check out their website here!

Lieder Youth Theatre

The Lieder Theatre Company, established in 1891 formalised the Lieder Youth Theatre in 1993 and now nurtures a diverse and passionate gathering of young people who engage with the main company in a variety of areas – training is the focus for local youth who use the Company to develop a broad range of skills in theatre arts, including circus clowning and physical theatre, and ultimately use the company as a bridge into further training and careers in the arts. In 2010 Young Lieder members won awards for their clowning and physical theatre performances at an international theatre festival in Florida and this year have just successfully completed performing a highly controversial play about school bullying, teenage massacres and pedophilia called Vernon God Little (an Australian premiere) based on the Man Booker prize-winning novel. Check out their website here!

Flying Fruit Fly Circus

Based in Albury Wodonga on the New South Wales and Victorian border, the Flying Fruit Fly Circus is a not-for-profit company. They're Australia's only full time circus training institution for children. For 32 years, they have played an important role in the development of contemporary circus in Australia. Today Fruit Fly graduates are working, teaching and performing in many new and emerging professional companies here and abroad. Other graduates are just as happily working in mainstream business due to the opportunities being connected to the circus created for them. It has a three-fold purpose that makes it unique to Australia. It offers an elite full-time training program to school aged children from grades 3 to 12; it provides professional performance and touring opportunities; and the Victorian Department of Education and Early Childhood Development supports the circus by running a select entry school that only members of the circus can join. Check out their website here!

Slipstream Circus

Slipstream Circus is the largest youth circus in Tasmania and we're based on the North West coast in Ulverstone, we offer a range of classes and workshops for both children and adults. Part of Slipstream Circus' mission is to show a sincere respect for all participants. This is designed to contribute to the physical, human and social development of young people, giving them the tools they need to facilitate their integration into society at large. The goal is not to force young people to conform, but instead to give them a springboard toward another stage of development. We encourage our participants to live by our motto, to Dream, Believe, Create. Check out their website here!

Cirkidz

• Fun
• Respect
• Innovation
• Empowerment

• Health & Wellbeing

These values are reflected in the way they teach, learn & play – from their youngest kidz to their young-at-heart adultz.

To be a physical artist requires elements such as creativity, communication, confidence, health, teamwork, respect, resilience, focus & problem solving. For this reason, the rationale of Cirkidz' program is a convergence of artistic, social & physical concerns, integrated into a single training approach. Check out their website here!