Internationally acclaimed Australian company CIRCA makes its debut as The Wallis’ first foray into contemporary circus with Humans on Friday, November 1 and Saturday, November 2, 2019, 7:30 pm, in The Wallis’ Bram Goldsmith Theater. In a thrilling and heart-stopping performance, ten acrobats from this award-winning contemporary circus ensemble push the boundaries of circus to take audiences on a stirring journey of what it means to be fiercely human. Exploring the physical limits of their bodies, they lead viewers to reflect on life’s burdens and find redemptive power in the physical and emotional strength it takes to overcome them. Created by Artistic Director Yaron Lifschitz and the Circa Ensemble, Humans premiered in 2017 at Australia’s Sydney Festival and has toured throughout Australia as well as to Romania, the United Kingdom, Belgium, Italy, France, Hungary, USA, Canada, Netherlands, Slovenia, Sweden, and Spain. According to The Guardian, Humans is a “five-star favourite… a clear demonstration of the artistry of circus.”
Circa Contemporary Circus is one of the world’s leading performance companies, blurring the lines between movement, dance, theatre and circus. From its base in Brisbane, Australia, Circa has toured the world since 2004, and its works have been greeted with standing ovations, rave reviews and sold-out houses across six continents. Circa is at the forefront of the new wave of contemporary Australian circus, pioneering how extreme physicality can create powerful and moving performances. Its reputation for fearless, boundary-pushing new circus is borne out in every one of its shows, which combine physical virtuosity with an expressive humanism.
Humans is directed by Yaron Lifschitz, with Jason Organ as Technical Director and Costume Design by Libby McDonnell.
“Humans, the latest of over 50 shows created by Circa, has never before been seen on a professional stage in Southern California,” says The Wallis’ Artistic Director Paul Crewes, “and we expect this groundbreaking ensemble’s stunning athleticism to leave audiences with the joy and the artistry of circus.”
Tickets, $29 – $79, are on sale now. The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts is located at 9390 N. Santa Monica Blvd, Beverly Hills. To purchase tickets and for more information, please call 310-746-4000 or visit thewallis.org/Circa.
About the Artists:
YARON LIFSCHITZ (Director) is a graduate of the University of New South Wales, University of Queensland, and National Institute of Dramatic Arts (NIDA), where he was the youngest director ever accepted into its prestigious graduate director’s course. Since graduating, he has directed over 60 productions including large-scale events, opera, theatre, physical theatre, and circus. His work has been seen in 40 countries and across six continents by over one million people and has won numerous awards including six Helpmann awards and the Australia Council Theatre Award. His productions have been presented at major festivals and venues around the world including Brooklyn Academy of Music, the Barbican, Les Nuits de Fourvière, Chamaleon and all the major Australian festivals. His film work was selected for the Berlin and Melbourne Film Festivals. He was founding Artistic Director of the Australian Museum’s Theatre Unit, Head Tutor in Directing at Australian Theatre for Young People and has been a regular guest tutor in directing at NIDA. Lifschitz is currently Artistic Director and CEO of Circa, Creative Director of Festival 2018: the arts and cultural program of the 21st Commonwealth Games. In 2018, he directed four new Circa creations, and a new production of Idomeneo which opened in Lisbon at The Teatro Nacional de São Carlos.
JASON ORGAN (Technical Director) graduated from Queensland University of Technology in 1988. He has worked as a technician, rigger, lighting designer and production manager. During this time he has lit all manner of productions from pantomimes and product launches to ballet, festivals, military tattoos, circus and live television, contemporary dance and circus being his favorites. Organ was co-founder of JLX productions, a lighting design and technical consultancy, based in Brisbane. Since January 2010, he has been working exclusively with Circa, lighting and production managing their international tours.
LIBBY MCDONNELL (Costume Design) works across disciplines as a designer, choreographer, director and performer and has an Associate Degree (Dance) from the Queensland University of Technology. She has co-directed for Ballet Theatre of Queensland and has been resident choreographer and designer for Blue Roo Theatre Company. As Associate Director with Circa, McDonnell has designed costumes for all of Circa’s major creations since 2010 and has show directed and managed tours in Australia and abroad.
CIRCA CONTEMPORARY CIRCUS, under the direction of circus visionary Yaron Lifschitz, features an ensemble of exceptional, multi-skilled circus artists who have been a regular fixture at leading festivals and venues in New York, London, Berlin and Montreal with seasons at Brooklyn Academy of Music, The Barbican Centre, Les Nuits de Fourvière, Chamäleon Theatre as well as major Australian Festivals. It is leading the way with a diverse range of thrilling creations that “redraw the limits to which circus can aspire” (The Age). Circa has also been hailed as nothing short of “a revolution in the spectacle of circus.” (Les Echos). Circa, committed to fostering the next generation of circus artists, runs a Training Centre from its studio in Brisbane. Circa also runs regular circus programs with communities throughout Queensland and around Australia. As a champion of live performance, Circa manages arTour and was the Creative Lead for the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games arts and cultural program. circa.org.au
About the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts:
The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts is a dynamic cultural hub and community resource where local, national and international artists share their artistry with ever-expanding audiences. The campus, located in the heart of Beverly Hills, CA, is committed to robust and distinctive presentations and education programs curated with both creativity and social impact in mind. Distinguished by its eclectic programming that mirrors the diverse landscape of Los Angeles and its location in the entertainment capital of the world, The Wallis has produced and presented more than 275 dance, theater, opera, classical music, cinema and family programs since its doors opened in October 2013. Hailed as “au courant” (LaLa Magazine), The Wallis was lauded by Culture Vulture, which proclaims, “If you love expecting the unexpected in the performing arts, you have to love The Wallis.” Its programming has been nominated for 48 Ovation Awards and seven L.A. Drama Critic’s Circle Awards. The campus itself, a breathtaking 70,000-square-foot facility, celebrating the classic and the modern, has garnered six architectural awards. Designed by acclaimed architect Zoltan E. Pali (SPF:architects), the restored building features the original 1933 Beverly Hills Post Office (on the National Register of Historic Places), which serves as the theater’s dramatic yet welcoming lobby, and includes the contemporary 500-seat, state-of-the-art Bram Goldsmith Theater; the 150-seat Lovelace Studio Theater; an inviting open-air plaza for family, community and other performances; and GRoW @ The Wallis: A Space for Arts Education, where learning opportunities for all ages and backgrounds abound. Together, these elements embrace the city’s history and its future, creating a performing arts destination for L.A.-area visitors and residents alike. The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts is led by Chairman of the Board Michael Nemeroff, Executive Director & Chief Executive Officer Rachel Fine and Artistic Director Paul Crewes.
For more information about The Wallis, please visit: TheWallis.org.
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Credit: Wallis Annenberg Center.
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