Oxford Circus is an emerging contemporary circus company that brings together tradition with cutting edge production technology. With humble beginnings in Newcastle, NSW, this inventive ensemble has become a world-class force to be reckoned with, setting up shop in France’s Dordogne region while retaining ties to Australia.
The company made its international debut at the 2018 Prix du Cirque des Rêves, at which it was awarded a Judges’ Commendation and Best New Act Grant for its holographic chair-balancing act, which has become a signature showpiece.
Throughout 2019, Oxford Circus toured continuously across Europe and the UK with their show Field of Heavenward Flowers (see Productions).
2020 sees a new work in development, to be debuted at the renowned Teatro Dell’Assurdo Precipizio, located on the cruise liner Adriatic Oasis. This work is being developed under a private grant that will enable the show to be toured through northern and eastern Europe in 2021.
With all staging, design, sound, lighting and effects produced in-house, Oxford Circus is forging new ground in self-managed touring for contemporary circus productions.
Artistic director Laurenzio Patricks says,
Oxford Circus is a decadent synthesis of light and sound that aims to transcend language. We believe this is what has led to our small project being embraced across Europe. Departing from the norm at every turn, we show audiences an analogue world that defies conventional laws of physics, while remaining true to our roots in the tradition of the travelling circus on the village green.
As a performing ensemble, our greatest hope is to showcase world-class feats of physical mastery and creative excellence while retaining the hand-tooled, artisanal quality of our staging and production… all with as few broken bones as humanly possible.