Bristol Circus City 2023 begins

The 2023 iteration – dubbed ‘The Outsider Edition’ of Bristol Circus City, has officially begun with a launch event at Dareshack, featuring a screening of dance theatre film These Things Aren’t Mine (Barney White/Gabbie Cook).

A three-week programme of world-class international contemporary circus is now underway, offering an eclectic range of events, performances and workshops in all aspects of the genre, with something to suit all interests.

The festival is managed by Handstand Arts, with funding from Bristol City Council, Arts Council England, Quartet Community Foundation, Circus Change UP, the West of England Combined Authority, Foyle Foundation, and Performing Arts Fund NL.

There are opportunities to develop skills and interests in circus, whatever your particular level or focus: from finding new ways to juggle and manipulate objects in performance, with Sawdust Symphony, to tips on reviewing from Katharine Kavanagh of The Circus Diaries; from contortion and acro-dance workshops with Marina Cherry to an acrobatics masterclass with Edson Caballero & Rachel Baird; and from a CircusWorks discussion on where circus, sport and play intersect, to a ‘producer surgery’ industry evening.

In terms of performance, highlights of the Circus City programme are many and varied. Livia Kojo Alour’s queer Black female love story, Black Sheep, blurs the boundaries between physical theatre, spoken word and song. Also defying genres, in A Spectacle of Herself Laura Murphy presents “a cinematic, acrobatic odyssey through the frontiers of mental health, queerness and the 21st Century space race”.

Livia Kojo Alour, Black Sheep – photo: courtesy of Bristol Circus City

Ockham’s Razor and Turtle Key Arts bring their circus adaptation of Thomas Hardy’s celebrated novel, Tess of the D’Urbervilles: TESS to Unit 15. Sleight of hand magician Tom Cassani brings two shows, Iterations, and Show of Hands, to the festival.

Can’t Sit Still’s adaptation of the much-loved Chris Haughton picture book, Oh No George!, and Tit for Tat’s BOOKS! are both suitable for family audiences.

Can’t Sit Still, Oh No George! – photo: courtesy of Bristol Circus City

For fans of the more experimental, MUOVIPUSSI’s Noise Juice features “Grandmas, Barbies and growling metalheads”, Ruby and Charles host Tongue and Cheek, a night of theatre, comedy and circus, and Andrea Salustri invites audiences to Materia, “a choreography for several polystyrene shapes and one human”.

And for those prepared to wrap up warm and attend an outdoor show, The Shape of Belonging promises to transform Tortworth Arboretum into a breathtaking, immersive performance space, with aerialists and acrobats accompanied by a stirring contemporary soundscape.

Circus City is taking place at venues across Bristol from October 1-22. The full programme is available at www.bristolcircuscity.com.

All photos: Bristol Circus City

Read more: Bristol Circus City 2023 programme launched

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