On by Circa to Premiere April 2022

Monash Performing Arts Centres is delighted to present the World Premiere of On by Circa on April 7th and 8th, 2022 at the Alexander Theatre in The Ian Potter Centre for Performing Arts. Three years in the making, On by Circa is commissioned by Monash Performing Arts Centres, and will tour nationally following its premiere at Monash University. 

Over the past two decades, Circa has forged a reputation as the most artistically audacious circus on the planet. With productions ranging from large scale operas and vast choreographic spectacles through site specific adventures and intimate chamber works, the breadth of its vision is unparalleled.
 
For the Company’s new show, Artistic Director Yaron Lifschitz explores the gift of weight that lies at the heart of acrobatics. The simple act of giving and accepting another’s mass is transformed into a profound meditation about beauty, loss and trust.
 
To achieve this alchemy, the stage elements are reduced to their most essential: seven extraordinary acrobats, a score by Melbourne composer Jethro Woodward and a striking lighting design. Layering complex acrobatic sequences with sharp moments of close-up intimacy, the ensemble creates a stripped back circus of the heart that’s uncompromisingly bold and unashamedly athletic.
 
Executive Director of Monash University Performing Arts Centres, Paul Grabowsky said:  “I am delighted to be hosting the world premiere of On by Circa. Our team have worked closely with Circa over several years to realise the birth of this exciting new production by one of the world’s foremost physical theatre companies, and its visionary director.”

Yaron Lifschitz said: “Paul Grabowsky is a living cultural treasure so when he asks you to make a show, it’s both an honour and a thrill. The journey from there is anything but simple. Over the past few years we have workshopped three completely different concepts. Each worked in their own way but the world decided to keep changing and our art evolved. At some point things came together. We agreed on a show that takes us back to our most essential ingredients – bodies, light and sound in the service of ideas that create powerful emotions. Infused with a fierce humanity and great circus skills, On by Circa is emerging as one of our most vital and exciting productions yet.”

Tickets start at $20, and can be purchased at https://www.monash.edu/performing-arts-centres/event/on-by-circa/

To learn more about Circa, visit https://circa.org.au/