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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2008 Australian Circus and Physical Theatre Conference
1 – 4 March, Adelaide, South Australia

In March 2008, the ACAPTA conference will take place in Adelaide to coincide with the Adelaide Festival and Fringe (22 Feb – 16 Mar), and immediately following the Australian Performing Arts Market.

Circus and physical theatre artists and practitioners are invited to attend the conference and take part in master-classes, panel discussions, conversations and workshops with internationally respected practitioners from Australia and abroad, all held in and around the hub of the Adelaide Fringe Festival - the Garden of Unearthly Delights.

For more information on the conference and how to register go to:
http://www.acapta.net/04_conferences/index.htm

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. However it can only operate on an ongoing basis through membership fees 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, four other conferences have been held: in Brisbane in 2001, entitled Chaos and Synergy as part of the Brisbane Festival in partnership with Brisbane Powerhouse),Adelaide 2003 (Head 2 Head hosted by Cirkidz as part of the ComeOut Festival) Geelong 2005 (at GPAC and supplemented by the Circus Bites Program), Woolongong 2006 as part of Fabulous Risk hosted by Circus Monoxide and Woolongong University).

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.

ACAPTA Committee 2007

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:
Sophie Bolton
Antonella Casella
Helene Embling
Peta Johnston
Kim Kaos
Katherine Montgomery
Kate Reid
Kristy Seymour

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.

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.

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.

Antonella Casella (VIC) has worked since 1987 in a variety of circus contexts and played an instrumental 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.

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. She is currently completing a Post-Graduate Bachelor of Education at the University of South Australia , with an emphasis on gender issues in education. After completing a B.A (Dance) degree from Adelaide University, Peta worked as an independent dance artist, choreographer and educator and in 2004 was short listed by the South Australian Youth Arts Board for “The Arts and Education Ministers Award”. She then travelled to Canada where she spent 18 months developing her acrobatic skills with “The Acromaniacs”, in Ontario, “The Underground Circus” in Vancouver, and “The Kassern” in Montreal. While in Canada Peta was a guest artist with the McMaster University Dance Department in Ontario, where she created and performed dance works with independent Canadian dance artists Kari White and The MOMO Dance Company. Peta has been a guest lecturer at the Adelaide Centre for the Arts as well as “Options”- Tertiary Dance Festival and the Australian Youth Dance Festival in Horsham, Victoria. Recently she was commissioned by the Bundaleer Festival Weekend to create a new dance theatre work on a group of young female dancers and at the start of 2007 she was  invited to teach workshops for the youth circus groups at the National Circus Festival in Tasmania. Peta also performs in an acrobatic trio called “Grace & Grunt”, with Ursula Beaumont and Katherine Ellis.

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.

Kymberlyn Olsen (VIC) aka Kim Kaos trained with Lindsay Kemp and Desmond Jones before starting as a street performer in London's Covent Garden in 1983. While in Europe she worked with Circus Burlesque & Circus Senso as well as developing a solo show for comedy which she has toured extensively throughout Europe and North America. 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 numerous youth and community circuses in Australia and overseas as well as teaching 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) along with producing the ACAPTA monthly newsletters.

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 plannning to be able to work with 30 of them.

2008 ACAPTA Conference Announced

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.