From Old Things Program | Circa Cairns

Photo by Justin Ma (cover and inside cover)

From Old Things was imagined, created and performed on the country of the Gimuy Walubara Yidinji people.

We acknowledge that art has been practiced here over many millennia, and that it remains a fundamental way of life for the traditional caretakers and custodians of the lands on which we work, create and perform today.

acknowledge that we are here as visitors, and accept the responsibility to respect and care for these lands and tread lightly.

was.

will be.

OLD THINGS

BY CIRCA CAIRNS

From Old Things is a dramatic encounter between the world’s oldest living culture and Australia’s newest circus company.

The first creation from Circa Cairns stares directly into the heart of tradition – is the past a fire that lights our way and warms our hearts or is it a pile of ashes that holds us back from new futures?

On a striking set featuring a burnt tree, the Circa Cairns ensemble explore dynamics ranging from rebellion to respect in a series of touching acrobatic encounters shot through with moments of humour, playfulness and connection. From Old Things is utterly fresh and powerfully urgent circus theatre.

Created by Harley Mann and the Circa Cairns Ensemble Director Harley Mann

and Set Design Yaron Lifschitz Sound Design Luke Briscoe Costume Design Libby McDonnell and Anna Handford Creative Producer Rebecca Youdell Ensemble Ally Humphris (Wakka Wakka) Harley Mann (Wakka Wakka)

Margot Mansfield Crystal Stacey

I suspect I don’t fully understand the question I’m trying to ask and I may be even further from an answer.

The concepts that inspired From Old Things are deeply rooted in traditions. What are they? Why do we have them? Can they change? I’m really not sure but I’m fascinated by the process of asking these questions.

Circus is an artform with a strong traditional history. And so does Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture.

We hold our traditions as a tool to identify ourselves and create connection with the people that come before us. They create a sense of meaning and purpose that extends beyond our own individual lives and connect to others.

I think that traditions are very much based around context, they have specific rules they follow or circumstances that they happen within. But because context plays such an important role, we can never perfectly replicate our traditions and as a result we exist in conflict with them.

I think the tension between being in and out of conflict with traditions is both exciting and chaotic and I was trying to capture that in this work.

- Harley Mann

Photo by David Kelly

CREATIVES

Harley Mann

Director and Ensemble Member

Harley Mann, is a Wakka Wakka man from Queensland, he grew up on Gadigal country NSW. Drawing on his own Aboriginal heritage as inspiration Harley founded Na Djinang Circus in 2017. Harley has since worked with some of Australia’s leading contemporary circus companies including, Circa, Circus Oz and Casus.

Under Harley’s guidance, Na Djinangs highly successful work Common Dissonance was nominated for a greenroom award for best circus. In 2021 Na Djinang premiered a sold-out season of Arterial as a part of the Yirramboi Festival.

Harley was also honoured with the 2018 Melbourne Fringe Award for Best Emerging Circus Artist. He was also chosen as the youth representative for the 2018 circus talk as a part of the Sydney Festival. He is a current member of the CaPT Advisory board for circus and was recently a recipient of the Circus Oz Fellowship program 2021.

Harley is ensuring that he upskills while he tours, creates, and develops what he hopes is a significant contribution to Australia’s circus industry.

Yaron Lifschitz

Lighting and Set Designer

Yaron Lifschitz is a graduate of the University of New South Wales, University of Queensland, and National Institute of Dramatic Arts (NIDA), where he was the youngest director ever accepted into its prestigious graduate director’s course. Since graduating, Yaron has directed over 60 productions including large-scale events, opera, theatre, physical theatre, and circus.

His work has been seen in 40 countries and across six continents by over 1.5 million people and has won numerous awards including six Helpmann awards and the Australia Council Theatre Award. His productions have been presented at major festivals and venues around the world including Brooklyn Academy of Music, the Barbican, Les Nuits de Fourvière, Chamaleon and all the major Australian festivals. His film work was selected for the Berlin and Melbourne Film Festivals. He was founding Artistic Director of the Australian Museum’s Theatre Unit, Head Tutor in Directing at Australian Theatre for Young People and has been a regular guest tutor in directing at NIDA.

He is currently Artistic Director and CEO of Circa, and was Creative Director of Festival 2018: the arts and cultural program of the 21st Commonwealth Games.

Luke Briscoe Sound Designer

Luke Briscoe is a Kuku Yalanji filmmaker and musician with over 18 years experience within the music, arts and media industries. Luke has extensive experience in film, and in 2010 he wrote and directed a short film titled Jhindu within the Mossman and Cairns communities. Jhindu screened on NITV is listed in the Screen Australia’s Black List book. He is currently working on another film. Luke is also an accomplished musician and has toured as a professional musician throughout many communities across Australia, specifically with the Briscoe Sisters, on national festival circuits and events in Far North Queensland. While performing at the 2006 Womadelaide (World Music) Festival with the Briscoe Sisters, they were able to imprint their distinct original compositions while incorporating Kuku Yalanji language onto the national and international music landscape.

CREATIVES

Libby McDonnell works across disciplines as a designer, choreographer, director and performer and has an Associate Degree (Dance) from the Queensland University of Technology.

She has co-directed for Ballet Theatre of Queensland and has been resident choreographer and designer for Blue Roo Theatre Company. As Circa’s Head of Design, Libby has designed costumes for all of Circa’s major creations since 2010, winning the 2019 Best Costume Design Matilda Award for her work on Orpheus and Eurydice. In her role as Associate Director, she has directed and managed tours in Australia and abroad.

Libby also co-created several of Circa’s internationally renowned productions, including When One Door Closes, Reclaimed Pianos and Circa’s Peepshow.

Anna Handford

Costume Designer

Anna Handford is a designer, stylist and seamstress and is currently the Costume Coordinator at Circa. Anna’s interest in theatre started in school and her passion for the arts led her to Circa in 2018.

Anna trained at London College of Fashion and University of the Creative Arts and has a Bachelor’s Degree in Fashion Design. Her professional career has seen her work on films and television as a stylist both as a freelancer and for a BBC Comedy Series in 2009. Anna moved to Queensland in 2011 and worked as Wardrobe Assistant at Queensland Theatre and Queensland Ballet and for an athletics company as a seamstress.

Anna loves working alongside the artistic team at Circa to bring their vision to life and sourcing, making and sewing new costumes for the stage.

Photo by Cecilia Martin

Photo by Cecilia Martin

CREATIVES

Rebecca Youdell

Creative Producer

Rebecca Youdell is a leading interdisciplinary practitioner and creative producer born in Edinburgh, Scotland. Studying movement in Australia, USA and UK attending the Royal Ballet School in London and working with the Royal Swedish Ballet Company in Stockholm, she holds a BFA (Dance) - cum laude high honours from Butler University (USA) 1992, an MA (Visual/ Performing Arts) from Charles Sturt University 1998, and a Graduate Diploma of Business Administration from James Cook University 2022. She is a Fellowship recipient of The Australian Choreographic Centre and Asialink residency alumna.

Rebecca has toured and performed work in the USA, UK, Scandinavia, Asia and Europe and received numerous awards both in Australia and overseas. She is a founding and ongoing member of the ecologically underpinned Bonemap: creative intermedia arts, est. 1998; was co-producer of On Edge Media + Performance festival, Cairns; curator LAPS: Live Art in Public Spaces 2005-2009; and coordinator of the New Move Network 2011-2018 at the Centre of Contemporary Arts Cairns. She contributes to national and international projects and residencies, and has undertaken mentoring, consultancies and strategic planning for arts and educational institutions. Rebecca works with NorthSite Contemporary Arts, Miriki Performing Arts, Grace Lillian Lee Productions, First Nations Fashion Design, Zane Saunders and Circa Cairns.

Ally Humphris

Ally is a proud Wakka Wakka woman with a strong commitment and connection to her Aboriginal culture. Ally studied dance and fitness and has professional experience as a circus performer. Ally joined the BlakFlip program at Circus Oz in 2013, which led her to be in the 2014 production of Corked Up. In 2017, as part of BlakFlip, she had the honour of being in the cast of Chasing Smoke, which continued with Casus.

Ally showcases her skills through power tumbling, acrobatics and movement and she continues to perform with Circa Cairns.

Photo by Cecilia Martin

Margot Mansfield

Margot is a circus performer, acrobat and artist from Kaurna Country. From an early age she was drawn to circus. She used to be the kid that would dive down the slide head first or try to climb the tallest tree.

Her energy, enthusiasm and determination were recognised at age 11, when she was invited into the Performance Troupe at the SA Circus Centre. Since then Margot has studied circus arts in Melbourne, Finland and Sweden.

Margot is an accomplished allrounder; her specialties are tumbling, handstands, acrobatics and hula hoop. In 2015 Margot co-founded award-winning Time in Space Circus, touring nationally and internationally. Since then Margot has worked with Gravity and Other Myths, Wildhouse Circus, Na Djinang Circus, Get Well Soon Circus and Outside the Lines Circus.

Crystal Stacey

Homegrown in Northwest Kimberley, Crystal fell in love with the local Sandfly Circus at the age of 10. Officially a circus runaway at age 16, she moved across the country to study at the Flying Fruit Fly Circus school for three years. After joining two insect-themed circuses, Crystal spread her wings and toured with the production of Hot Brown Honey. Most known for her specialises of hula hoop and aerial slings, Crystal has performed Australia-wide and abroad in the UK, Canada, USA, Scandinavia and Asia.

Crystal is driven to share stories, collaborate and connect with people through circus. Expanding the home she found under the big top.

Photo by David Kelly