Welcome to the website of the Australian Association for Circus and Physical Theatre (ACAPTA)

This site has been developed to foster communication within a highly mobile and varied sector of the performing arts, and to promote circus as a non-competitive physical activity for all ages.It includes links to Australian circus and physical theatre organisations, youth, training and profiles on practitioners and circus workers.

We hope you enjoy exploring this site and welcome your feedback.

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About ACAPTA

ACAPTA is an incorporated association run by a volunteer committee. From time to time ACAPTA is in receipt of government funding for specific projects such as the biennial conference and National Youth Circus Day. However it can only operate on an ongoing basis through the support of its members and the efforts of volunteers.

History

The National Circus and Physical Theatre Association (NCPTA) was set up by a volunteer group of circus practitioners in 1999 to coordinate the 3rd National Circus and Physical Theatre Conference in Melbourne, Australia.

Since that time, five other conferences have been held in:

- 2001 in Brisbane, entitled Chaos and Synergy (as a part of the Brisbane Festival in partnership with Brisbane Powerhouse),
- 2003 in Adelaide, entitled Head 2 Head (hosted by Cirkidz as part of the ComeOut Festival)
- 2005 in Geelong (at GPAC – Geelong Performing Arts Centre and supplemented by the Circus Bites Program),
- 2006 in Wollongong, entitled Fabulous Risk (hosted by Circus Monoxide and Wollongong University)
- 2008 in Adelaide, entitled Head 2 Head (in association with APAM- the Australian Performing Arts Market, Cirkidz and Adelaide Fringe).

The name of the association was changed at the 2004 AGM to the Australian Circus and Physical Theatre Association (ACAPTA).

Through the conferences and other activities ACAPTA aims to promote a dialogue between performers, directors, teachers, designers, riggers, managers and other creative itinerants in circus and physical theatre. Since 2006 ACAPTA has provided a monthly e-newsletter for members to help strengthen communication and networking in the sector.

Along with supporting established and emerging practitioners ACAPTA actively supports the rapidly growing area of youth circus and in 2007 implemented National Youth Circus Day- NYCD as way to bring focus to the many ways in which young people participate in circus and to help the participants connect with their nationwide netwrok of peers.

ACAPTA Committee 2008

The current committee is a team of committed volunteers from many aspects of the circus and physical theatre industry from around Australia. The committee meet monthly via an online ‘meeting room’.

Chair: Sue Broadway
Deputy Chair: Paul Woodhead
Secretary: Jane Mullett
Treasurer: Naomi Inwood
Communications Officer: Kymberlyn Olsen (aka Kim Kaos)

Committee members:
Latesha Adams
Sophie Bolton
Antonella Casella
Helene Embling
Peta Johnston
Ben Lewis
Katherine Montgomery
Simone O'Brien
Kate Reid
Kristy Seymour
Nicci Wilkes

Many others have contributed time and energy to the ACAPTA committee over the years including Reg Bolton, Debra Iris Batton, Anni Davey, Ollie Black, Mike Finch, Frankie Gasser, Thor Bloomfield, Alicia Battestini, Donna Jackson, Bob Burton, Alan Clay, Sharon McCutcheon, Jeremy Gaden, Tony Rooke, Abigail Collins, Pixi Roberstson, Sam McCormick, Jamie Dawson.

Chair
Sue Broadway (VIC) is a performer, teacher, director and producer of circus and physical theatre. She was a founding member of Circus Oz (1978-82) and went on to found the legendary Ra-Ra Zoo (UK 1983 –’92)), appearing at Festivals in Europe, Canada. Africa, South America, and the USA. From 1992 to 1995 she was Artistic Director of Circus Oz. In 1999 she was a recipient of an Australia Council Fellowship which supported the development of her show Eccentric Acts which toured for four years in Australia, Brazil and the UK and twice represented Australia at the Andorra International Women’s Clown Festival. In 2003 she participated in Time_Place_Space, and from this work developed an aerial and video projection piece Free Falling which premiered at Illawarra Performing Arts Centre in 2004. Sue was the Circus Director for the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the Sydney Olympic Games, the Associate Producer – Circus and Street Events - for Festival Melbourne 2006 and the Circus and Special Skills director for the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the Asian Games - Doha 2006. She is currently Artistic Director of Strange Fruit – Victoria’s premier outdoor event company, and has been chair of ACAPTA since January 2007.

Deputy Chair
Paul Woodhead (NSW) is the Circus Arts Consultant for the Western NSW Region of the NSW Department of Education. He is on secondment from his normal position as Assistant Principal at Dubbo West PS during 2005/06. It is not yet known if the Consultancy will be extended into 2007.
Paul started the Circus West program at Dubbo West PS in 1991 with inspiration from Mike Maloney of Belfast Community Circus, Peggy Williams of RB&BBC, and various interesting folk in Precarious to become Monoxide.
As a Consultant, Paul's role is to assist schools in the Western NSW Region to start up there own circus Arts programs. To date, some 40 schools have been through the program Paul runs with about 85% keeping a Circus program going after his initial input. The demand for these programs is high with 60 schools requesting assistance in 2006. Paul is planning to work with 30 of them.

Treasurer
Naomi Inwood (VIC)
Naomi has more than 12 years experience in the arts industry including her time with the Flying Fruit Fly Circus as both parent, board member and for the last two years as its Finance Manger, during that time she spent 3 years as Administrator at HotHouse Theatre. She brings to the sector over 30 years of corporate and small business accounting practice. Naomi was elected to the ACAPTA Committee in 2006 and has held the position of treasurer since that time.

Secretary
Jane Mullett (VIC) worked for many years in the arts, especially in circus. She received her doctorate in 2006 from La Trobe University for research into the evolution of new circus. Her thesis is called, Circus Alternatives: the rise of new circus in Australia, the United States, Canada and France. In 1992, she received a Winston Churchill Fellowship to study national circus schools in Russia, China and Europe. She was the visionary behind the establishment of the National Institute of Circus Arts (NICA) in Australia. She also performed with Circus Oz and Circus Royale, taught at the Women's Circus and The Flying Fruit Fly Circus.

Communications Officer
Kymberlyn Olsen (VIC) aka Kim Kaos trained with Lindsay Kemp and Desmond Jones before braving street performing as the first solo woman to regularly work London's Covent Garden in 1983. The move from street to circus began with Circus Burlesque & Circus Senso with guest appearance in Europe and North America while touring her solo variety/comedy show. In 1989 she launched Australia's first magazine of contemporary circus and street arts- 'Ozjuggle' which charted the growth of circus in Australia for 10 years and was instrumental in strengthening networks and increasing access to training and equipment. As a teacher of circus skills and movement based character work she has taught at the Flying Fruit Fly Circus, the Women's Circus, Circus Oz and the growing number of youth and community circuses in Australia and overseas. She has circus skills at Swinburne Uni for the past 17 years. Kim has been involved with ACAPTA since its inception and has served as Secretary, Chair, and as a committee member. Kim created and maintains the ACAPTA website, (previously the NCPTA site) produces the ACAPTA monthly newsletters and, with Kristy Seymour creates the Youth Circus Newsletters.

Sophie Bolton (WA) spent the earlier part of her childhood travelling the world with her crazy but wonderful parents (the late Reg Bolton and Annie Stainer) in the family ‘Suitcase Circus’ show. In 1985, they family settled in Perth where Sophie continued performing and teaching in various ‘Suitcase Circus’ projects. From schools & festivals to remote outback communities, Suitcase Circus continues to promote confidence, creativity & coordination to kids across the state.
She is also currently General Manager of Total Theatre (The Annie Stainer School of Physical Theatre) in Mosman Park W.A, which she helped create in 2002. She is a current Director on the board of The Mosman Park Arts Foundation. Sophie also runs ‘The Circus Shop’ in Perth.

Simone O'Brien (NSW) is a performer, writer, director and teacher of circus and physical theatre. During this time she has enjoyed the role of aerialist, clown, dodgy pole-climber, lizard, singing child monkey, rock ‘n roll wrestler, stunt woman, apprentice roadie-wanker, human candelabra, beat poet with a chronic jazz dysfunction and Vehicular Theatre Consultant, Sera Tonin in The Panel-van Show. Currently Simone is the Artistic Associate for Legs on the WAll. She has previously worked with Circus Oz, ABC Kids TV, Club Swink, Stalker, The Partyline, The Women's Circus (Melbourne), and The National Institute of Circus Arts.

Helene Embling (VIC) studied Circus and Physical Theatre in Paris and performed as an aerialist (solo trapeze, aerial duos, flying trapeze) in France, Germany, Poland, and Denmark. In Australia, Helene has performed in traditional and contemporary circus, theatre, film and dance, also creating aerial performances for PIAF and other festivals. Teaching activities include the dance and theatre programs of WAAPA, Bizircus and currently aerial training at the National Institute of Circus Arts (NICA).

Peta Johnston (SA) is the Education and Projects Officer at Ausdance SA and regularly performs with Katherine Ellis and Ursula Beaumont in an acrobatic trio called “Grace & Grunt”. After completing a B.A (Dance) degree from Adelaide University Peta worked as an independent dance artist, choreographer and educator. During this time she also developed an interest in circus and physical theatre and in 2004 travelled to Canada where she spent 18 months developing her acrobatic skills with various circus groups. Peta is a lecturer at the Adelaide Centre for the Arts, teaching basic tumbling and acrobatics for dancers and has presented workshops at 'Options' Tertiary Dance Festival, the Australian Youth Dance Festival, the National Circus Festival and The University of South Australia. In 2007 she was commissioned by the Bundaleer Festival Weekend to create a new dance theatre work and was Rehearsal Director and Choreographer for Cirkidz production "Connected". Peta’s most recent engagement was as the Assistant Director for the opening event for the 2008 Adelaide Bank Festival of the Arts. This year Peta will complete a Post-Graduate Bachelor of Education (Performing Arts) from the University of South Australia.

Antonella Casella (VIC) has worked since 1987 in a variety of circus contexts and played a role in establishing and/or developing three major organisations: Circa (formerly Rock'n'Roll Circus), for which she was a founding member, administrator and performer from 1985-1990; Vulcana Women's Circus, for which she was founding artistic director from 1995-2002; and the Australian Circus and Physical Theatre Association. Antonella also contributes industry development by assisting new and emerging companies access project funding. She has successfully helped The Happy Sideshow, Rough Diamonds, Strut and Fret Production House, and Riggerous source funding for the creation of new work, and has just assisted The Candy Butchers develop a project proposal.

Kristy Seymour (QLD) began her training in classical ballet, she then went on to study theatre and writing at Griffith University Gold Coast Campus. She began her circus training with Rodleigh Stevens in 2001 focusing on aerials. Kristy is currently Head Trainer at Flipside Youth Circus,Brisbane. As well as running Flipside, Kristy is an aerialist and all round circus & Physical Theatre performer.

Kate Reid (NSW)
Kate Reid - aka Miss Candy, Ring Mistress of her own Fantasy World
Kate, a classically trained cellist and pianist has been involved in Circus Arts since beginning with a Women's Circus training project with Sista-Web Circus in Lismore in 1992. Since then Kate has created several companies. Entroupe Circus - specializing in bringing Circus Training and Performance to Regional areas, as well as performing across Sydney's Nightspots, Festival and Corporate scene. Electric Dollhouse, with Zoe Ellis and most recently Candy Stripe Circus, a solo venture bringing creative unique Circus Arts to Festival across the Globe. Kate has worked for Brisvegas's Rock'n'Roll Circus, performed solo across, Asia and Europe and produced four star feature shows for Adelaide Fringe and, 'Feast' Queer Arts Festival. Kate specializes in Aerial Art and Aerial Theatre, as well as Hula-Hooping. Kate also runs The Brewarrina Youth Circus, one of Australia's largest Touring Indigenous Youth Circus's, with up to 75 members, and is a member of ICAN, the National Indigenous Circus Arts Network. Kate joined the board of ACAPTA in 2006 and hopes to assist in making the practice of Contemporary Circus Arts a little safer but no less dramatic. Passionate, (well obsessive really) about all things, Vaudeville, Caravan and 'Carni', Kate lives, eats, sleeps, and breathes Circus with two Rigs inside the house and one in the shed, a room full of costumes, glitter, sequins and tulle, enough rigging to remain happily suspended for-ever, a few rope burns, and a heap of kids to play with, (not my own), whom I adore,..., who would have it any other way.

Nicci Wilks (NSW)
Nicci began her performing career with the Flying Fruit Fly Circus.
Nicci has since strutted her skills around the world, performing in 9 different languages. Companies she has worked with include : Melbourne Theatre Company, Circa, Dislocate, Circus Monoxide, Hothouse Theatre, Born in A Taxi & The Humour Foundation.Training in Paris, Montreal, Germany and Norway, Nicci is/has been a Circus Artiste, Clown Doctor, wheel enthusiast, drag king, tent boss, Shakespearean actor, singer in a band and a musical, stage manager, production manager, tour manager…

About ACAPTA

ACAPTA Committee

About Reg Bolton

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This project has been assisted by the Federal Government through the Australia Council, its arts funding and advisory body.