Circus in a Teacup | Vulcana Circus
Circus in a Teacup is a show of transformative art. This is a collaboration between the circus performers of Vulcana and Brisbane Domestic Violence Service to provide survivors of gender-based violence a platform and opportunity to turn negative experiences of abuse into resilience. Brisbane Domestic Violence Service is part of Micah Projects and provides a free and confidential specialist service to people experiencing domestic and family violence. Vulcana is Queensland’s longest-running women’s arts company. For four months, Vulcana’s artists worked and bonded with women survivors of domestic violence, transferred knowledge, offered friendship, and created a space for women to heal.
Image: Jade Ellis Photography
The strength and appeal of Circus in a Teacup is its storytelling. The show features a cast of 15 women and artists of different ages, races, and walks of life. Often, they were all on stage, each of them expressing herself in her very own way. For example, at the beginning of the show each woman engaged with a hanging frame and eventually passed through it. I read this as a rite of passage that symbolises women entering their new lives after abuse. Each woman entered her new life differently, integrating her past and shedding off what she longer needs. I loved watching the full gamut of women, femininity, and experiences. Some women used the frame as a swing, some went through it alone, some were cautious, others forceful. Some got help from other women, some went over the frame, while others went through it sideways.
The environment was intimate, and I felt a deep connection with the stories told on stage. The act that resonated with me the most was that which represented a woman being chased by bureaucracy and under the pressure of constantly having to submit proofs of her best behaviours. This is an experience that resounds loud in the migrant chamber. The stories that the women told were deeply personal, and yet they were evocative of the experiences of many women. I thought of my mother, my sister, my best friends, and the many women who touched my life. I thought about the shared experiences, the coping mechanisms, and the healing processes. I was reminded of how resilient women can be.
I found that this show was transformative not only for the performers, but also for me as a member of the audience. It was a privilege to listen to the stories of the performers and see on stage how they turned their most vulnerable parts into beauty, strength, and solidarity. It was an indispensable reminder that after the storm comes unimaginable beauty. I also enjoyed watching the feats that the women survivors of domestic and family violence learnt and mastered over the past couple of months.
Circus in a Teacup is a fantastic production, very powerful in its simplicity. Once again Vulcana has managed to make art speak loud and clear about society and offered women art as a tool for healing and rebirth.
Image: Jade Ellis Photography
Circus In A Tea Cup was presented by QPAC in the cremorne Theatre on the 16, 17 & 18 December 2021.
