Executive producer Kate Malone says CIRCFest Meanjin is the first festival of its kind in Brisbane and surrounds, dedicated to showcasing the best of Australian contemporary circus and physical theatre.

“We’re global leaders in the circus scene and we’re actually the second largest circus hub in the world outside of Montreal,” Malone said.

“So what we do in Brisbane, what we’re creating here in terms of circus is we’re on a global level, and doing incredible exporting of our shows. It’s time Brisbane gets to see what we do here.”

Over 10 days from 21 April to 1 May, 2022 more than 114 performers will mesmerise audiences with 76 diverse performances across six venues including Brisbane Powerhouse, Metro Arts, The Tivoli, La Boite Theatre, The Ron Hurley Theatre, and Kingston Butter Factory.

The brainchild of Cluster Arts, CIRCFest22 Meanjin will showcase First Nations artists, independent companies, and Australian international superstars of the circus world.

Malone said circus had long ago moved beyond being limited to just children’s entertainment. And while that is still part of the genre, there is so much more.

“We have the tagline, “So you think you know circus?”,” she said.

“And that’s because we get a wide range of expectations of what people want or know of the word circus.

“It’s so eclectic. Australian circus and Brisbane circus is diverse, it’s heart in the mouth, it’s touching. There’s so much connection between the audience and performers. There’s human connection. There’s clowning and incredible acrobatics and funny things and drags in there and cabaret, and there’s so many things that contribute to the word circus.

“When you say dance, you don’t just assume one kind of form of dance. You go, “Oh, is it ballet or is it contemporary or jazz?” Or things like that. So it’s trying to educate audiences that circus is more than what you think it is.”

A good example of this is the show Casting Off, featuring Debra Batton – a circus performer in her 60’s.

“She is still in fine, fine form. She’s an incredible acrobat who performs all over the world,” she said.

“She is an artist with legs on the wall. She does things with Circus Oz and Casting Off, it’s an intergenerational show. So it’s Deborah in her sixties, Sharon Gruenert’s in her forties and Spenser Inwood’s in her thirties.

“They talk continuously as they’re balancing on their head, as they’re flying through the sky, as they’re doing handstands on top of five, six chairs and talking about life and being a female and the different stages we go through in life with those different age groups. So it’s super, super interesting and fun and it’s got all the high skills you expect of a circus show, but also it’s funny and educational as well.”

And parents seeking inspiration for their children to do their household tasks, are well served by the show Chores.

“Chores is such a fun show. There’s a brother and sister who constantly are told to clean up their room and if they do, they get to play with their bicycles,” she said.

“So it’s how much chaos and mess can they make before they have to clean their room. There’s toilet paper guns in there, there’s unicycles, there’s clowning and a little bit of water as well. So it heaps of fun and very, very relevant.”

While Knee Deep stretches the boundaries of performance and fitness in the circus mode.

“It’s also a good example of what Australian contemporary circus is and why we are global leaders in it,” Malone said.

“Knee Deep was one of the first shows to export in this way and they are definitely pushing the boundaries in terms of their physicality and skill.

“They are world renowned for, as I said, that heart in the mouth moments where you cannot believe what you’re seeing and every show has a standing ovation at the end and it’s breathtakingly beautiful when you’re sitting there wondering how the hell do they do all of that?”

Malone said she hopes people come to see how exciting the circus art form has become, “to be excited and proud about the art form that we have here and just to have fun and see some shows and just stop thinking about all the bad stuff that’s happening in the world right now for an hour”.

“Go and see a show, support artists, and have a little bit of fun in this crazy world we’re living in,” she said.

“We have a big focus on our First Nations work and that has been because we don’t see a lot of artists of colour in the sector. It’s definitely a point of difference in what we’re doing.”