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Circus Oz.
When speaking with Circus Oz Artistic Director Mike Finch, you
can almost see the fire of zeal burning in his eyes. Certainly,
his enthusiasm is infectious: Finch is dressed in a russet red
suit, fetching green shirt, and his moustachioed visage glows
with good health. In fact, he looks every inch a circus administrator,
and when he gets talking it's possible to just sit back and
let him go... under the circumstances sharing a meal is something
of a bonus.
'Why are you here, Mike?' I ask him, one of the great opening questions of all time.
"Two reasons," he returns fire. "To scout the site - because there's a new venue going into Rymill Park called 'Sideshow Paradiso', and there's the Garden Of Unearthly Delights. We're all friends, we've been together at other festivals, so we can work together in a site."
Circus Oz were heartened two years ago when they concluded a very successful season of performances during the last Fringe, so much so that plans were immediately drawn up for a return engagement. Their preferred location is in the East Parklands at Rundle Park, just a short walk up the path from the Garden Of Unearthly Delights.
In fact, as we discuss it, there appears to be something of a push for Fringe activities to have a distinctly parklands focus. "It will be a fairly exciting place to be this Fringe, I think... 'Paradiso' is a bit more family oriented, and it's a really nice park for people to wander through. I'm really into the idea of bringing together the most diverse audience possible."
'Laughing At Gravity' is the new Circus Oz show, and when pressed on the matter Finch admits it's a case of 'more of the same' for the crew, even though the actual composition of the troupe may have changed somewhat since they were last seen in Adelaide. They've conducted two full world tours in the interim, and that's bound to affect things a little. "It's also really exciting for us to meet up with people we've worked with all over the world, both artistically and socially. We can do a bit of talent scouting, too," he says with a broad grin. "And we all end up in that park, so there's a real sense of it being a convention of freaks, in the best possible way."
The talent scouting had already begun, for Finch was also here meeting with an Adelaide-based artist he was interested in working with next year - or the year after that!
In fact, Finch and I discuss the composition of the shows they present, and the growth of new works: I'd asked whether they tailor the shows depending on where in the world they are... and somehow we end up discussing just why it is that bum jokes have a universal appeal. The news doesn't surprise me, somehow.
One of the key requirements for Circus Oz performers is that they be able to multi-skill; and keeping the balance in their performance as it is presented is paramount, according to Finch. One of the difficulties for any such show lies in the performance having a storyline or unifying theme. "Contemporary circus is renown for that," he says simply.
"We don't have a narrative and I've almost consciously avoided a theme," he points out in a tone which allows no contrary opinion. Audiences seem somewhat divided on the appeal thereof; the seemingly anarchic nature of proceedings is like a breath of fresh air to some, to others it illustrates what they think of as a ramshackle and unstructured. In fact, the reverse is so often true. You simply cannot perform a show of jugglers, acrobats, spinning BMX riders, a house band (with revolving membership) in a multi-level performance space without the dedication and split second timing reliant upon an organised show within which every person involved plays their part to perfection. It's a wonderful paradox. "There's a standup aesthetic in the show, there's an acrobatic aesthetic, and there's a rock and roll aesthetic in there too."
Finch was well on his way to an academic career when his life took a side-road into the circus world... he'd done post-graduate studies, "and the topic was going to be 'What happens at festivals when the programmed events finish?', and that's an area of particular interest for me. I love exploring that kind of unscripted idea.
"I can't wait for it all to get started."
Alex Wheaton
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Circus Oz' 'Laughing At Gravity' can be found in Rundle Park from Thurs 9 March.
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