Circa (Australia)

Circa

Circa is one of the world’s leading performance companies. Since 2004, from its base in Brisbane, Australia, Circa has toured the world – performing in 40 countries to over a million people. Circa’s works have been greeted with standing ovations, rave reviews and sold-out houses across six continents.

Circa is at the forefront of the new wave of contemporary Australian circus – pioneering how extreme physicality can create powerful and moving performances. It continues to push the boundaries of the art form, blurring the lines between movement, dance, theatre and circus. Compelled by the question ‘what is possible in circus?’ Circa is leading the way with a diverse range of thrilling creations that ‘redraw the limits to which circus can aspire.’ (The Age).

Under the direction of circus visionary Yaron Lifschitz, Circa features an ensemble of exceptional, multi-skilled circus artists who have been a regular fixture at leading festivals and venues in New York, London, Berlin and Montreal with seasons at Brooklyn Academy of Music, The Barbican Centre, Les Nuits de Fourvière, Chamäleon Theatre as well as major Australian Festivals.

Circa is committed to fostering the next generation of circus artists and runs a Training Centre from its studio in Brisbane. Circa also runs regular circus programs with communities throughout Queensland and around Australia.

As a champion of live performance, Circa manages arTour and was the Creative Lead for the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games arts and cultural program.

Yaron Lifschitz – Director

Yaron Lifschitz is a graduate of the University of New South Wales, University of Queensland, and National Institute of Dramatic Arts (NIDA), where he was the youngest director ever accepted into its prestigious graduate director’s course. Since graduating, Yaron has directed over 60 productions including large-scale events, opera, theatre, physical theatre, and circus.

His work has been seen in 40 countries and across six continents by over one million people and has won numerous awards including six Helpmann awards and the Australia Council Theatre Award. His productions have been presented at major festivals and venues around the world including Brooklyn Academy of Music, the Barbican (London), Les Nuits de Fourvière (Lyon), Chamäleon (Berlin) and all the major Australian festivals. His film work was selected for the Berlin and Melbourne Film Festivals. He was founding Artistic Director of the Australian Museum’s Theatre Unit, Head Tutor in Directing at Australian Theatre for Young People and has been a regular guest tutor in directing at NIDA.

In 2018, Yaron was the Creative Director of Festival 2018— the arts and cultural program of the 21st Commonwealth Games. He is currently Artistic Director and CEO of Circa.

Philippe Bachman – Composer

Philippe Bachman is a musician, artistic director and producer based in Paris. After his studies at Paris Conservatoire (CNSMDP) and at SciencesPo Paris, he has been awarded Villa Medicis Hors-les-Murs (France) and Fulbright Scholar (USA), and lived in New York City. He has toured as a trio in a dozen countries and he composes for international stage productions, including for Canadian director Robert Lepage.

In 2015, he was Chair of the National Committee for New Music Commissions (Ministry of Culture) and has worked for UNESCO, Paris “Cité de la Musique”, Ircam. He has been CEO of the Mediterranean Youth Orchestra (1997-2001) and the Chamber Choir Accentus (2002-2003).

Since January 2019 he is teaching a seminar on Being an Artist in Today’s World: facts and fantasies at SciencesPo Paris (Europe-America & Europe-Africa programs).

Since 2004, he has been CEO & Artistic Director of La Comète-Scène nationale de Châlons-en-Champagne, a national performing arts venue (3 halls, 120 performances, including an international dance season), awarded one of the 8 European Artistic Hubs by French Ministry of Culture since 2018. He is founding member of Tour de Dance, an informal network bringing together dance venues and programmers from France, Belgium, Luxemburg and Germany sharing international dance projects and tours. In 2008, he created the 360° Network, bringing together 18 circular performing arts venues from eleven countries. Since 2013, he is the CEO and Artistic Director of War on Screen International Film Festival.

Veronique Benett – Lighting Designer

Veronique is a lighting, set and costume designer. As a lighting designer, Veronique’s credits include: BANGING DENMARK (Sydney Theatre Company); WOLVES (Belvoir); THE SMALLEST HOUR (Griffin Theatre); JOHN (Outhouse Theatre Co.) for which she was nominated for a Sydney Theatre Award; THE LIFE OF US (Hayes Theatre); NOSFERATU (Old 505); STUPID FUCKING BIRD (New Theatre); CHORUS, ANATOMY OF A SUICIDE, PERMISSION TO SPIN, HOWIE THE ROOKIE (Old Fitz); A GIRL IS A HALF-FORMED THING (KXT). Veronique’s associate lighting designer credits include: CURSED! designed by Chloe Oglvie (Belvoir); NO PAY? NO WAY! designed by Paul Jackson (Sydney Theatre Company); PRIMA FACIE designed by Trent Suidgeest (Griffin Theatre); CRY-BABY directed and designed by Alexander Berlage (Hayes Theatre Co); and MACBETH, THE TEMPEST and A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM for Sport for Jove.

Libby McDonnell – Costume Design

Libby is a designer and choreographer and she is currently Head of Design at Circa. Libby works in diverse genres and forms. At the heart of her work is people and movement.

Libby has a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Honours) in Visual Art from Queensland College of Art -Griffith University and an Associate Degree in Dance from Queensland University of Technology. Her professional career has included performing and making independent dance work, as an Artistic Director of Ballet Theatre of Queensland and Choreographer for Blue Roo Theatre Company. For eleven years Libby has worked with the team at Circa to imagine, develop and deliver their productions locally, nationally and internationally. During her time at Circa she has designed costumes for over thirty productions, co-directed 3 main stage productions and led many of the company’s engagement projects including the pilot of the Circability program.

Libby is based in Brisbane with her family.

Jason Organ – Technical Director

Jason graduated from Queensland University of Technology in 1988 and has had an extensive career as a Lighting Designer, Production Manager, Technician and Rigger. He has worked with companies such as Queensland Ballet, Queensland Theatre, La Boite Theatre Company, Kooemba Jdarra and festivals such as Out of the Box, Qld Music Festival and Brisbane Festival.

Jason was the co-founder of JLX productions, a lighting design and technical consultancy, based in Brisbane. Since 2010 Jason has been working exclusively with Circa as Technical Director. In this time, he has helped deliver more than 20 new productions and toured to 31 different countries presenting Circa’s work.

Fran Alvarez

After a restless adolescence looking for an activity to focus his abundant energy on, Fran Alvarez was introduced to circus at the age of 16.  He went on to start his circus career at 18 at the preparatory school of Madrid, Carampa, and later at the Ecole Supérieure des Arts du Cirque de Bruxelles, specialising in hand to hand and group acrobatics.

With a focus on improving his core technique – and becoming a human trampoline – Fran continued his training in France and was involved in the creative development of several shows with high-level acrobatic collectives across Europe.

In his free time, Fran enjoys Olympic-style weightlifting and reading epic fantasy books.

Jon Bonaventura

Discovered on a friend’s trampoline in Melbourne, Jon caught his big break at the age of 12, working as a stunt double for Warner Brothers Where The Wild Things Are. After over a decade in gymnastics, Jon went on to study at the National Institute of Circus Arts, specialising in rope. Jon graduated in 2014 and began touring independent projects around Australia before performing internationally with some of the country’s best circus companies – Circa, Casus and Circus Oz. Jon can be found hiding in a cafe, hanging from his rope or standing on people all around the world.

Marty Evans

Marty Evans came to circus by a more roundabout route than most. After watching nothing but circus videos during his lunchbreaks at Australia’s only nuclear reactor, Marty left behind his published scientific career, embracing his physical sports background to pursue a career in circus.

His first taste of circus came at the University of Sydney in 2010 as he tried to entertain himself during free periods by learning to throw people into the air and trying to catch them again. Marty trained at the National Institute of Circus Arts in Melbourne. He is a fiercely determined and hardworking hand-to-hand base that enjoys exploring new challenges and techniques.

Marty joined the Circa Ensemble full time in 2015, and has been involved in the creation of numerous Circa productions including When One Door Closes and Humans.

Nancy  Gutierrez

Nancy Luna, an artist born in the city of Guadalajara, Jalisco Mexico on January 10th 1997, began her training in circus at 15 years of age through aerial techniques. Her development and learning were shaped thanks to her previous acrobatics training at Fly Academy Gymnastics. At the age of 16 years, she began her professional career, joining the main cast of the Mexican production company Circo Dragón as an artist, With Circo Dragón, Nancy participated in many national and international festivals, while also continuing her training in circus, specialising in hand to hand and aerial hoop. Nancy participated as a guest artist in the gala presentations of three consecutive editions of the Periplo International Circus Festival, and won the third place as an aerialist (aerial hoop) in the National Circus Competition of Ficho International Festival of Circus and Show of Mexico in 2015

In 2016, she started training at Ecole de Cirque de Québec. Today, Nancy dedicates her training and work to creating highly sensitive numbers that have the ability to connect with her audience, create a variation of emotions in her and at the same time possess a high level of exploration and technique. Recently, Nancy has performed in the Montreal Completement Cirque Festival in 2019, Midnight Circus in 2019, and Cirque Du Soleil’s Nysa in 2020.

Sam Letch

Instead of paying attention at school, Sam Letch focused all of his energy on throwing himself around in the cold and rainy north west of England, where he grew up. 

At the ripe old age of 15, Sam decided that doing back tucks off sand dunes wasn’t enough. The answer to his problem: Parkour. 

He trained for 3 years until his acrobatics took him to the National Centre for Circus Arts (London) where he picked up such skills as teeterboard, hand to hand, banquine, floor and group acrobatics. After graduating Sam’s first job performing at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival lead him on to work with such companies as Cirque Eloize.

Sam’s primary love is performing, shortly after that is his moustache, followed by singing musicals at the top of his lungs for anyone who will listen.

Hamish McCourty

Hamish McCourty is an acrobat and musician. He began his circus journey at Cirkidz in Adelaide when he was eight years old and after graduating from the performance program he’s been creating his own work touring nationally and internationally. 

Hamish is currently working on fusing together his passion for music and circus on stage. His main specialties are tumbling and basing pair and group acrobatics and he prides himself on making people laugh and being a loon onstage. Hamish is a keen performer and multi-talented acrobat with his sights set on leaving his mark in the world of circus. 

Daniel O’Brien

Daniel has been physically active throughout his whole life, primarily focusing on his gymnastics training in his hometown of Maryborough and a few small gyms along the Queensland coastline.

After attending National Institute of Circus Arts for three years, where he specialised in hand-balancing and aerial straps, Daniel joined Circa as an ensemble member in 2014. Having fostered an immense passion for circus, he has since performed in many iconic Circa works including What Will Have Been, Closer and Humans.

He spends his spare time feeding his unhealthy addiction to video games or reading whatever he can get his hands on.

Kimberley Rossi

Kimberley grew up in Queensland, and as a Brisbane local it didn’t take long before she stumbled upon Circa.

Beginning her circus training at age 13, in just 3 short years she was given the opportunity to be the first member of Fast Track, a program designed for young and aspiring performers within Circa. With the support of her family, Kimberley decided to leave school and pursue a career in the circus industry. Shortly after she found herself on a plane flying out to perform her first show, ‘Nocturne’ in Seoul, South Korea.

Over the years Kimberley has been a part of over 30 productions, visited some of the worlds most beautiful locations and logged over 4000 hours in her favourite video game.

Georgia Webb

Born and raised in outback Western Australia, Georgia was a competitive gymnast and dancer for 13 years. This background gave her the discipline and work ethic which now informs her circus practice.

After both parents insisted that their only child join the military, Georgia decided to forgo those plans to follow her own dream of running away with the circus. Graduating from the National Institute of Circus Arts in 2019, Georgia joined Circa as a full-time ensemble member in January 2020.

In her spare time Georgia enjoys motorbike riding, surfing and free diving. She also hopes to travel the world skydiving someday.

Christina Zauner

Christina grew up in the country side in Austria. She started dancing when she was four years old, and participated at her first competition at the age of six. Christina graduated with a Bachelor in Classical and Contemporary Dance at MUK Vienna. During her education she started to train aerials and vertical dance.

After graduating, she worked at the Vienna State Opera as an Aerial Double, followed by a role in the musical Cats in Switzerland.  Christina worked with the Irish Company Fidget Feet and as a performer and Choreographer at Krystallpalast Varieté Leipzig.  

Christina found her way into the circus world as a self-taught Aerialist, specialized in Straps.  At the age of 24, she started to enjoy to climb on people or have them climb on her.  A very determined person, Christina loves to challenge herself and explore what her body is capable of.  She also plays accordion and loves to design and sew costumes.