A whirlwind of circus creation comes to the windy city

This weekend Wellington will host twelve circus artists from around the country for a 48 hour creation lab. The performers will meet for the first time on Friday and have just two days to create a show, before performing it for the public on Sunday evening.

This is the first 48 Hour Circus event in New Zealand and only the second globally. Producer Tess Munro Pedreros was a participant in the original event, held at Aloft Circus Arts in Chicago, USA. Munro Pedreros likens the idea to “… a creative pressure for circus. We are taking a process that would usually take months of rehearsal and research and condensing it into a weekend; it’s intense, exhausting and exciting!”

The artists will be guided by two mentors, Michael Armstrong and Rosalie Ducharme, both experienced circus artists who have performed, taught and directed internationally. The project serves as New Zealand's first artistic residency specifically aimed at circus artists and has received funding from The Emerging Artists Trust and through the Wellington City Council’s Arts & Culture fund.

Co-hosted by the Wellington Circus Hub, the event finishes with a public showing. “Catalyst is the theme of the show, but we can’t say what the show contains as we haven’t made it yet!” says Munro Pedreros, “… that said, the audience can expect to see aerial arts, acrobatics and juggling put together in inventive, innovative ways.”

The show takes place at the Circus Hub at 7:30 pm, Sunday 6th October. Entry is by donation.

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