Circa

“Pure physical theatre, all about sheer brute strength, extraordinary dexterity and stunning skills… genuinely poetry in motion…mesmerising in its fluidity” — ArtsHub

Led by visionary director Yaron Lifschitz, Australian contemporary circus company Circa brings their breathtaking Eternity out of the cathedrals of Brisbane into Catskill’s Lumberyard for its US premiere. Having performed in over 45 countries, the company is lauded for their “astonishing physical mastery” (The New York Times) and their continued ability to “redraw the limits to which circus can aspire” (The Age).

In this work, ten virtuosic performers push the boundaries of balance, strength, and trust, crafting acrobatics and movement that feel at once earthly and otherworldly. Set to two monumental works of contemporary spiritual music by Arvo Pärt, Tabula Rasa and Fratres, Eternity unfolds as a 65-minute meditation on love, loss, hope, and wonder.

Here, the show is adapted for the first time to a new architecture, on the eve of a global tour. Taking place in Catskill’s soaring Lumberyard sound stage theater, the show uses soaring lifts, suspended bodies, and moments of profound stillness to explore the human condition.

Eternity is co-commissioned by Brisbane Festival and City of Newcastle’s New Annual Festival. It has been performed in St. John’s Cathedral in Brisbane, Grand Theatre Groningen in the Netherlands, Freedom Festival in England, and will be at the Segerstorm Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa, CA.

About the artists:

Circa is based in Brisbane, Australia, and since 2004 has toured to more than 45 countries, reaching over two million people. The company blends movement, dance, theatre and circus and is guided by the core values of quality, audacity, and humanity. Circa runs engagement programs including Circa Academy, Circability, and Circa Cairns (a First Nations–led circus initiative), and has delivered large-scale projects such as serving as Creative Lead on the Commonwealth Games Festival 2018.

Yaron Lifschitz makes shows — big ones, small ones, and ones that defy easy categorisation. More than 80 productions have toured across six continents and played to over two million people. He has received multiple awards including six Helpmanns, the ISPA Distinguished Artist Award, and the Australia Council Theatre Award. As CEO and Artistic Director of Circa, he has created work for a wide range of venues and festivals and describes his creations as “love letters to a species that not always easy to like.”

Crediting:
- Created by Yaron Lifschitz and the Circa Ensemble
- Eternity is co-commissioned by Brisbane Festival and City of Newcastle’s New Annual festival
- Director: Yaron Lifschitz
- Composer and Sound Designer: Jethro Woodward
- Costume Designer: Libby McDonnell
- Arvo Pärt recordings courtesy of the Australian Chamber Orchestra
- Director and Violin: Richard Tognetti
- Violin: Satu Vänskä (Tabula Rasa)
- Australian Chamber Orchestra
- Allen Moon / David Lieberman: Artists’ Representatives USA, Canada, Central & South America
- Shaun Comerford / Circa: Commercial Projects
- Wolfgang Hoffmann / Aurora Nova: Worldwide booking & coordination
- Yaron Lifschitz / Circa: New creations & big dreams

Circa acknowledges the assistance of the Australian Government through Creative Australia and the Queensland Government through Arts Queensland.

All photos by Steven Taylor unless otherwise indicated.