QPAC

A collaboration between QPAC and internationally renowned contemporary circus company, Circa saw the world premiere of a brand-new production Duck Pond, pirouette and waddle into our Playhouse in July 2023.

A mind-blowing take on Swan Lake, Duck Pond is the reimagining of the world’s most romantic ballet as a thrilling circus epic showcasing Circa’s signature physicality and featuring haute couture costumes.

Circa’s Artistic Director Yaron Lifschitz explained the inspiration behind the new circus work.

“I wanted to make something beautiful, funny, sophisticated and accessible; a kind of mythical unicorn that reaches across ages and artistic preferences,” said Yaron.

“I chose Swan Lake as the basis because it has everything – good and evil, black and white, and of course a lot of tutus. I reinterpreted the story to take place in the magical world of a film set and here among the glamour and romance we created Duck Pond, a fantastical circus mash-up bringing together the worlds of ballet, circus, film and theatre for an acrobatic spectacular.

“Duck Pond was created to captivate ballet, fairy tale and circus lovers alike, drawing upon the worlds of Swan Lake and The Ugly Duckling, as well as a variety of different acrobatic languages from the seductive burlesque Black Swan to the clowning of the sequin flippered Duck Army,” he said.

The production follows a successful history of collaborations between QPAC and Circa bringing acclaimed new circus works to Australian and international stages including Carnival of the Animals, Humans 2.0 and Peepshow.

QPAC Chief Executive John Kotzas said the Centre was delighted to again support the creative vision and development of an original new circus work.

“Our collaboration with Circa spans more than a decade, from Carnival of the Animals to the most recent work ON, with celebrated premiere and return seasons at QPAC, as well as acclaimed international tours.

“Duck Pond certainly surprised and delighted audiences by turning a well-known ballet and fairy tale on its head, with Yaron’s imagination and choreography and Circa’s outstanding acrobats,” said Mr Kotzas.

Created by circus visionary Yaron Lifschitz with ten members of the globally renowned Circa ensemble, Duck Pond is one of Circa’s most ambitious works yet with costumes by Libby McDonnell, music by Jethro Woodward (with hints of Tchaikovsky) and lighting from Alexander Berlage.

Find out more about the creation of Circa's acclaimed Duck Pond in this behind-the-scenes video.