Circus in a Teacup | Vulcana Circus & Micah Projects
I witnessed empowering moments of redemption when the ensemble flipped the script in two distinct ways. In an act of subversion, the lampshade was treated as a microphone and the closet morphed into a stage the women could stand on top of and verbalise their sentiments.
IMPACT | Vulcana
The showcasing of such a diversity of voices all affected by the climate crisis is what made IMPACT special. The entire event felt like a community getting together to share stories and find comfort in shared experience.
“Gives us space to laugh while we consider the enormity of this crisis.” Celia White on latest Vulcana production ‘IMPACT’
Our favourite medium is circus so it was important to tackle this subject and how we tell these kind of stories through this modality. It will be really interesting to see how the audience responds a series of images, a series of tipping points.
Disappearing Acts | Vulcana Circus
Disappearing Acts was developed in collaboration with environmental scientist Ayesha Tulloch, evident in the many bird facts (some delightful, some sobering) woven throughout the performance. Birds facts and storytelling connected displays of a variety of circus skills including partner acrobatics, stilt walking, magic, and use of the framed picture of the forest for aerial work.
Circus in a Teacup | Vulcana Circus
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.
"It automatically places people in this space of physicality that builds trust." Vulcana Circus on elevating the voices of those less heard
In this interview, co-directors and facilitators Celia White (Vulcana Circus’ Artistic Director) and Michelle Grant-Iramu discuss the process of enabling and empowering a large ensemble of a recently acquainted cohort, the imperative for access to art-making for people with experiences of trauma, truth-telling with a view to elevate the ordinary and making it extraordinary, and how circus is a perfect vessel for transformative art-making.
Seen But Not Her | Vulcana Circus
I felt like I was watching the inner workings of a glorious music box. The cogs in this microcosm represented by the musicians and their instruments, and the mathematics intrinsic to music generally, and more specifically in the complexity of a piano trio such as this. Also trapped in the music box, layered over these inner workings were the physical performers, who for me were like spirits or muses who represented the imperfect nature of creativity.
![Cinemata Circus [May 2021] | Vulcana Circus](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/64c498e140a63f71397ea8cc/1690848711602-Q1PUPWVJ38YIYMURDLCX/IMG_5296.jpeg)
Cinemata Circus [May 2021] | Vulcana Circus
Vulcana definitely challenges any stereotypical notions of superstars, or a hierarchy amongst the talent; and they often blur the lines of audience and performer too. These are all gaps once thought impossible to bridge; and just another of the reasons, Cinemata Circus is such an exciting addition to the regular arts scene. If you want to be among the stars for the night, this is definitely the wagon to hitch yourself to!
Sometimes I Say Your Name Out Loud | Moment of Inertia & Collectivist
As I entered the space that ‘Sometimes I Say Your Name Out Loud’ inhabited, I noticed the warm aura immediately and felt drawn to take a seat in the front row, which is unusual for me. The set and lighting felt whimsical and almost childlike, with a paper lantern in the shape of a boat hanging above the stage.
Sometimes I Say Your Name Out Loud | Collectivist & Moment of Inertia
As the curtain rises, we meet the three caretakers of death, the Priestess with her goddesslike aura and picturesque flower crown, Mort with her sickle and Ronnie, a janitor clown who captured our hearts with all of her imperfections and her endearing smile.
A lovepoem made with circus, theatre and dark clowning
If you love dark clowning, random acts of senseless kindness, or mysterious and strange works of art that enliven the imagination and bravely go wherever they need to go, you will love this.
Over The Back Fence | Vulcana Circus
Boasting more than 10 different acts across four venues, this was an immersive, engaging, and exciting journey, part way between a mystery tour and the best school excursion you’ve ever been on (only with no teachers and more beer).
Rear Vision | Vulcana
Ever the innovators in live performance, Vulcana offers us the perfect way to consume the arts in the time of COIVID; drive-in circus. Safely ensconced in our cars, we are catapulted into the world of the performers through a gorgeous soundscape playing on our stereos created by Brisbane’s maestro of sound, Anna Whitaker, and the captivating poetry of Angela Pieta. Our headlights are used for lighting at times and the performers try to connect with us through our individual cells.
Rear Vision | Vulcana
The show tread gracefully the emotional arc from the trepidation of this year’s beginning, to the desolation and disquietude of its middle, to the elation at its approaching ending, and touched on themes of the pain of seeking human connection in a physically distanced world, the fragility of ‘normality’, and the power of collective action.
Circus Delivery! | Vulcana Circus
After months inside, away from my people, to have a circus garden party was a such pleasure and a treat. We all wore hats. We ate 11 types of cake. We giggled and smiled and pointed and thoroughly enjoyed every minute of the cute, hot, funny, stoopid performance by Vulcanista’s Abbey Church and Liv Porter.
Cirquetry | Vulcana
Cirquetry’s 30min work in development showing at the 2019 Queensland Poetry Festival,is a gorgeous blend of circus and spoken word. It showcases the possibilitiesof how mixing them together can bring new depth and meaning to each art form,which begs to be explored further. I look forward to seeing how thiscollaboration develops.
As If No One Is Watching | Vulcana Circus
As If showcases the diversity of these women's experiences, including the mundane life that forced upon us, our inner demons and how we can take back the night. There is something that everyone will be able to connect with here, and I dare anyone to not be moved by what they see.
BaBel | Backbone
A beautiful, rough, raw, crazy impossibility of show pulled together in two weeks, by international maestro Younes Bachir, a Belgium director renowned for creating amazing large-scale site-specific works.
As If No-one Is Watching | Vulcana Circus and WaW Dance
In As If No-one Is Watching they have created a production that is both an incredibly intimate and dense exploration of women’s internal worlds and a whimsical, gloriously weird, life-affirming celebration of what they can achieve together.
Unleashed Pt. 2 | Vulcana Circus + special guests Prying Eye
It is important to have these kind of discussions, where the fourth wall is not only removed, but we get to go back stage. Oftentimes conversations only occur between artist and director, and perhaps a few close confidants. While not essential, having the opportunity to present works in development oftentimes adds to the developmental process.