Created by Yaron Lifschitz and the Circa ensemble.
Produced by Circa and Chamäleon Berlin. Co-produced by La Comète.
Direction and Stage Design Yaron Lifschitz
Sound Design Ori Lichtik
Lighting Design Alex Berlage
Costume Design Libby McDonnell

Circa: circus that moves the world.

Circa is one of the world’s great performing arts companies. Since 2004, they have called Brisbane, Australia, home while touring the world, captivating audiences in over 45 countries and reaching more than two million people. Their award-winning performances have earned standing ovations, rave reviews and sold-out shows across six continents.

Everything they do is fuelled by their core values: quality, audacity, humanity.

They are at the forefront of the new wave of contemporary Australian circus, redefining the art form by showcasing how extreme physicality can forge powerful and emotive experiences. 

They are relentless in the way they push boundaries, blending movement, dance, theatre and circus.

Under the visionary leadership of Yaron Lifschitz, and in collaboration with their extraordinary ensemble of circus artists, they craft a diverse array of productions that constitute “a revolution in the spectacle of circus” (Les Echos).

Each year they tour their shows across the world and premiere multiple new creations. They are a staple at prestigious festivals and venues in New York, London, Berlin and Montreal as well as throughout Queensland and across Australia.

Their extensive engagement programs, including Circa Academy, Circability and Circa Cairns (a First Nations-led circus initiative) provide access, participation and professional development outcomes. They have delivered major projects including the Creative Lead on the Commonwealth Games Festival 2018 and managing Artour for the Queensland Government.

They invite you to join them as they continue to “redraw the limits to which circus can aspire” (The Age).

Discover more about Circa by subscribing to enews at circa.org.au and following the company on facebook.com/circacontemporarycircus, Instagram.com/circapresents, and via #circacircus

Yaron Lifschitz – Director

Yaron Lifschitz makes shows. Big ones, small ones, and ones that defy easy categorisation. More than 80 productions have toured across six continents and played to over two million people picking up a shelf’s worth of awards including six Helpmanns, The ISPA Distinguished Artist Award and the Australia Council Theatre Award.

As CEO and Artistic Director of Circa he has brought circus to the Barbican, string quartets and acrobats to Brooklyn Academy of Music, four years of performances to Berlin and major shows to major festivals and venues around the world. He’s created strange, beautiful things in tents, concert halls, spiegeltents, and opera houses as well as cemeteries and cathedrals. His film work has appeared at the Berlin and Melbourne Film Festivals.

Yaron was the founding Director of the Australian Museum’s Theatre Unit, he has taught directing at NIDA and ATYP and has directed opera, concerts and events. In 1999 he was the first Artistic Director of Rock ‘n’ Roll Circus which, in 2004, he transformed into Circa. In 2018 he was Creative Lead of Festival 2018, the cultural program of the 21st Commonwealth Games - one of the most ambitious arts events in Queensland’s history.

At the heart of Yaron’s work is restless curiosity and a fierce belief in the power of performance to connect and transform. He describes his creations as "love letters to a species that not always easy to like".

Libby McDonnell – Costume Design

Libby McDonnell is a designer, director, and creative lead. As Circa’s costume designer, she has created costumes for over 40 productions, co-directed major works, and led key community programs, including the pilot of Circability. Libby holds a First Class Honours degree from Queensland College of Art and an Associate Degree in Dance from QUT. Her career has moved fluidly between performance, education, touring, and leadership. Libby is known for her clear eye and unwavering belief in the power of art to connect.

Ori Lichtik – Sound Designer 

Musician, member of the artistic crew of L-E-V Dance Company of Sharon Eyal & Gai Behar, DJ and drummer.

Lichtik is one of the founders of the Tel-Aviv techno scene in the 1990s where he started his career as a DJ and producer of techno parties and raves. Since 2006, Ori has been collaborating with Sharon Eyal and Gai Behar as a musician in the artistic team. Rather than composing the soundtracks, Ori performs in L-E-V performances in which he constructs, plays and characterises the music in each performance.

The uniqueness of Lichtik’s work is the combination of the various musical worlds into an evolving and refined soundtrack, full of passion and groove, which alongside the choreography gives the spectator a complete and hypnotic experience. Lichtik soundtracks are influenced by different styles and textures, from industrial and African tribe recordings, through hip-hop to baroque music. Ori’s music is one of the most prominent and unusual hallmarks of Sharon Eyal and Gai Behar’s dance performances.

Over the years, Ori has created various works for L-E-V, dance companies and opera houses around the world.

Lichtik has created alongside Sharon & Gai throughout the choreographic process, reflecting off of the dancers’ movements, and as often inspiring and prompting them with the tone and pace of his percussive sounds and rhythms.

Alexander Berlage – Lighting Designer

Alexander Berlage is an award-winning director and lighting designer. He is co-artistic director of the Old Fitz Theatre. Alexander has won the Sydney Theatre Award Best Direction of a Musical for the past two years in a row – for AMERICAN PSYCHO and CRY-BABY at Hayes Theatre Co.  

As a lighting designer, Alexander has worked for Sydney Theatre Company, Opera Queensland, Circa, Birmingham Royal Ballet, Sydney Chamber Opera, Sydney Dance Company, Griffin Theatre, Ensemble Theatre, Hayes Theatre Co., Australian Theatre for Young People, and Redline Productions.

His smash-hit, sold-out production of AMERICAN PSYCHO won 9 Sydney Theatre Awards including Best Direction of a Musical, Best Production of a Musical, and Best Lighting Design of an Independent Production and more.  Alexander’s production of GLORIA was nominated for 2 Sydney Theatre Awards.  Alexander’s production of CRY-BABY received rave reviews, sold out and won 4 Sydney Theatre Awards including Best Direction of a Musical, and Best Production of a Musical. The same year, his productions of THERE WILL BE A CLIMAX, HOME INVASION and CRY-BABY received a combined total of 12 Sydney Theatre Award nominations.  For THERE WILL BE A CLIMAX, Alexander was nominated for Best Direction of an Independent Production and Best Independent Production.  

Alexander’s directing work includes: DIARY OF ONE WHO DISAPPEARED, FUTURE REMAINS (with Sydney Festival), RESONANT BODIES (Sydney Chamber Opera); YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN, AMERICAN PSYCHO, CRY-BABY (Hayes Theatre Co.); GLORIA (Outhouse Theatre Co); THERE WILL BE A CLIMAX (Redline Productions/NIDA); HOME INVASION (An Assorted Few/Old 505); and THE VAN DE MAAR PAPERS (An Assorted Few/PACT).  

Alexander holds a Bachelor of Dramatic Art (Production) and a Master of Fine Art (Directing) from the National Institute for Dramatic Art, Sydney.  In 2019, Alexander was awarded a Mike Walsh Fellowship.

ROWAN ALLINSON 

Rowan comes from a strong background in gymnastics, that helped her transition smoothly into the circus world. When she was 13, she moved away from her family in Ontario to complete her highschool and collegial studies at the National Circus School in Montreal, Quebec. 

At school Rowan trained for six years as a tight wire walker, while also keeping a base in acrobatics, dance, and group work. She loves to be on stage as part of an ensemble, to feel the energy from the artists around her, and to move collectively as one. 

She graduated in June 2024 and headed to Australia the day after. Since being here, her love for performing has only increased. She is so excited for this new chapter here with the Circa ensemble!

SHEA BAKER

Shea is an aerialist and acrobat from London, specialising in straps loops and rope. After finishing her musical theatre course at The BRIT School, she moved to Rotterdam to begin her degree at Codarts. Shea has spent her years at school developing her movement vocabulary and creating her own dictionary of technique, inspired by the endless possibilities of movement and with an instinct for creative exploration. Often starting her creation with the concept of getting stuck, with the goal to eventually find her way out of the mess, Shea enjoys pushing boundaries of traditional apparatus use, constantly seeking unconventional pathways.

MAYA DAVIES

For as long as she can remember, Maya has always said “when I grow up, I want to join the circus”, and that’s exactly what she did. She grew up between Australia and the United States, but Maya’s circus training began at Cirkidz, in Adelaide at the age of seven. She has always excelled in both the arts and athletics, and was thrilled when she discovered that circus could be the perfect hybrid of both. This eventually led her to the National Institute of Circus Arts where she specialised in Partner Acrobatics and Chinese Pole, graduating with a Bachelors of Circus Arts. She is devoted to continue using circus as an art discipline; to tell stories, create striking performances, and explore physicality through an imaginative lens.

JORDAN HART

Jordan fell into circus at age 21 after seeing “A Simple Space” by Gravity & Other Myths at the 2014 Adelaide Fringe Festival. Coming from a sporty upbringing, the show left him feeling inspired and motivated to push himself and learn something new which led him the South Australian Circus Centre. He immersed himself in the world of acrobatics training with independent artists and members of the local performance troupe before leaving Adelaide to meet and train with other artists, both Australian and international.

With a strong desire to play and explore, things eventually got out of control and he decided he wanted to make a career of it. Jordan worked with Wildhouse Circus, Outside The Lines Circus, Casus and then Time In Space Circus before working with Gravity & Other Myths. In his spare time, he enjoys letting people jump on him and carrying heavy things for strangers.

OSCAR MORRIS

Hailing from Brisbane, Oscar’s journey into the world of circus began at eight years old when he joined youth classes at Flipside Circus. What started as a childhood pastime quickly transformed into a passion, and by the time he had graduated from Flipside’s performance troupe, he was working as an independent artist and musician up until he joined the Circa Ensemble in 2023.

When not on stage, you can find Oscar playing bass, listening to records, or watching parkour videos.

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.

LUKE PEARCE

Springboarding from the UK to Australia, Luke brought with him a decade of gymnastics and acrobatic experience, including the career highlight of competing at the European Championships in 2012. Following his gymnastics “retirement,” Luke spent five years working alongside athletes and performers as a physiotherapist in the UK, where he discovered circus as a new outlet for his acrobatic skills and creative drive. What began as a curiosity quickly became a passion, and he developed into a self-taught circus artist specialising in hand-to-hand, banquine, group acrobatics, and handstands.

In 2022, Luke left his academic career to pursue life as a full-time professional artist, spending a year at sea then leading to his most recent engagement with Circa in 2024. Luke has since performed across four continents, debuting in several of Circa’s world-premiere creations and appearing in iconic venues such as the Sydney Opera House.

Beyond the stage, Luke’s passions include travelling vast distances by bike and hiking the highest peaks he can find.

SOPHIE SECCOMBE

Sophie Seccombe has cherished free movement from birth. Because of her slightly impetuous nature, she was enrolled in ballet lessons at age two. While nine years of formal training in China gave her a foundation, she preferred dancing in the bush and acrobatics on the roof.

Sophie stumbled upon contemporary circus in 2021. Immediately enthralled, circus became an outlet through which to express the pleasures and absurdities of life. After being taught by Gravity & Other Myths, she began touring with Rouge before engagement with CIRCA. Sophie is drawn to soulful physical performance that has beautiful surfaces with turbulent undercurrents.

Outside of work, Sophie may be found looking in tide pools and passionately advocating for the humbly exquisite chocolate crackle.

DARBY SULLIVAN

Darby discovered circus at a holiday program when he was seven years old, then and there, he decided this is what he would pursue. Determined to achieve his goals, he took his passion for circus and acrobatics further, graduating from the Warehouse Circus in Canberra, performing around Australia and completing his studies at the National Institute of Circus Arts in Melbourne, where he specialised in straps, acrobatics and teeterboard. He’s now excited to keep exploring the limitations of what the human body can achieve whilst sharing his art around the world.

ANAIS STEWART

Raised in the small town and circus hotspot Mullumbimby, Anais was bound to end up in the Spaghetti Circus shed sooner or later. It was here that she spent most afternoons and Saturdays between the ages of six and eighteen, learning to perform, play and devise work. After graduating, Anais relocated to Melbourne/Naarm in pursuit of the arts, studying visual art at the VCA, then acrobatics and aerial straps at the National Institute of Circus Arts- completing her Bachelor of Circus Arts in 2024. An artist to the core, she is always hungry to create, collaborate, push, dissect and provoke.

Gina Kirk