QPAC

Following its inaugural 2021 season at the Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC), Vulcana Circus’ empowering Circus in a Tea Cup will return from 5 to 7 December 2024.

This engaging and powerful production is presented by QPAC and Micah Projects and supported by Brisbane Domestic Violence Service, and celebrates strength, resilience, beauty, and reconnection as survivors of domestic abuse take to the stage.

Building on the successes and learnings of past programs, the 2024 iteration of Circus in a Tea Cup aims to be a vessel of positive transformation and celebration for its 19 participants. A mix of both experienced and new female and non-binary performers will together craft and perform an exquisitely poignant contemporary circus piece.

The work draws on Vulcana’s extensive experience in creating transformative works of physical performance. Shaped by Vulcana’s Artistic Director Celia White and Co-Director Alex Mizzen, it tells true stories of resilience and healing. Already halfway through a five-month process, the participants have been attending weekly meetings and rehearsals to share stories, learn circus skills, and craft their performance at the Vulcana Arts Hub in Morningside.

White says this vulnerable and challenging yet supportive process provides an environment for the survivors to redefine their stories.

“Performers will develop connections with other women who have similar experience of a violence that produces fear, intimidation, manipulation, hurt, humiliation and blame,” she said.

“Circus in a Tea Cup will assist participants to rebuild trust in others and most importantly, themselves. We want to provide time so they can create something they are proud of and allow them to celebrate their strengths and their recovery.

“We hope audiences will feel the lived experience of the performers being expressed in such a strong confident way through movement, imagery, sound and text in a safe and welcoming space created in the Cremorne Theatre,” she said.

“We know that some of our audience will be personally affected by domestic abuse, and we want them to see themselves represented on stage and to feel seen and heard through the performers.”

QPAC Chief Executive John Kotzas warmly welcomed Vulcana Circus and Circus in a Tea Cup back to the Cremorne Theatre.

“Productions like this have profound impact and transformative power, and in the last season audiences and performers were visibly moved by the work,” he said.

“It is a privilege to support such meaningful productions as they are a tangible example of how the performing arts can continue to be a place of solace, safety, and understanding.”

Founded in 1995, Vulcana Circus has played an integral role in the cultural landscape of Queensland and was established to counter the major discrepancy between women’s and men’s experience in circus. Vulcana now welcomes women, trans and non-binary gendered adults as well as kids and teenagers of all genders. Respecting and practicing the feminist principles of equity and inclusion, Vulcana celebrates an art form that represent diverse stories, bodies, abilities and creative responses.

Three performances of Circus in a Tea Cup will take place in QPAC’s Cremorne Theatre from 5 to 7 December 2024 as part of QPAC’s contribution to 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-based Violence. For tickets or more information, visit qpac.com.au or call 136 246.