Hi folks, 

Thanks for all your generosity, enthusiasm and honesty this year. I’m going to keep it short and sweet because this time of year is… a lot. I want to say a massive thanks to our outgoing CaPT Advisory Committee for their work. We’re looking forward to sharing details of our incoming committee in the new year. As always please do get in touch with ideas, opportunities or feedback. We’d love to hear from you.  

Best wishes,  
Christy Flaws and the TNA Team

TNA News and Opportunities

Announcing TNA’s New Co-CEOs 
The Board of Theatre Network Australia is delighted to announce its new Executive Leadership team, Co-CEOs Erica McCalman and Joshua Lowe. 

ANZSCO Review: Submission by TNA  
The Australian Bureau of Statistics are reviewing ANZSCO, the list of occupations for Australia and New Zealand, which is used in the census and to measure and understand labour markets.  TNA put in significant work to develop a submission on behalf of the performing arts sector to ensure our workforce is accurately represented. Our submission recommended adding 39 new occupations, updating 10 existing occupations, and some structural changes to how occupations are grouped. This included Circus & Physical Theatre Artist, Circus Trainer, Entertainment Rigger, Street Performer and Cabaret Artist as distinct occupations, plus new specialisations such as Tent Builder & Tent Boss. Thank you to everyone who helped us out with data to support these recommendations. TNA will stay involved throughout the consultation process over the next year. Read TNA’s ANZSCO Review submission in full. 

Update on CaPT Programs: 
The CaPT team have been busy delivering a range of programs throughout 2023.  

First Nations Circle for the CaPT Sector 
Check out the bios for our First Nations Circle members. Seven members gathered in person for the first time on the lands of the Turrbal and Yuggera people in Meanjin (Brisbane) and were honoured to be joined by Uncle Lafe Charlton, who has paved the way for mob in the performing arts, followed by their first online meeting in December. From Program Producer Lauren Swain: ‘We would love to grow our list of friends supporting us, on this journey towards a thriving sector for mob. We will be reaching out to key CaPT orgs and companies in 2024. Keep an eye on your inboxes or reach out.’ 

Rigging Update
We are proud to announce support through our Safe and Sustainable Rigging Initiative for: 

• Rigging Upgrades for experienced Intermediate Riggers: Andrew Dyson, Jane Schofield, Kyle Raftery, Liam Drennan, Mitch Jones, Sam Aldham and Thomas McDonald. 
• Riggers who live regionally: Tarn Scully, Benjamin Lewis and John Carberry. 
• Diverse New Rigger Scholarship Recipients: Mel Tan and Catherine Horan Blake.  

Circus and Physical Theatre Independent Producers Initiative (CIPI) 
Read Charice’s CIPI 2023 wrap up for updates on the Emerging Producers Lab and Salon Series, including employment this year of four emerging CaPT producers, and a range of sector and professional development offerings.

New Resources for the CaPT sector 
These resources were created by TNA this year in response to sector needs, in consultation with experts. If there is a resource you need but cannot find, please let us know! 

• Contracts in Circus Guide Sheet: Developed in partnership with Arts Law Centre Australia, this guide sheet is for circus performers and producers, providing general information on common legal issues related to putting on a show.
• ​Intro to Grants and Fundraising: A curated collection of resources for those new to grant writing/fundraising or those wanting a refresher. 
• Parenting in Circus: Resources for Circus Artists on Parenthood, Pregnancy & Caregiving. 

General News and Opportunities

Victoria

Showcase Victoria Dates 2024  
Showcase Victoria 2024 will be held on the 21 & 22 May at Darebin Arts Centre. Expressions of Interest for Artists and Producers will open on 8 Jan and close on 2 Feb. An EOI info webinar will take place on 16 Jan at 5.30pm. Subscribe to their newsletter for more info.   
 
1 Feb – Creative Victoria Creative Projects Fund now open 
Support to develop new creative content, products, or experiences and/or present/launch creative content, products or experiences to local, national, and international markets and audiences. $5,000-$20,000 grants available. Applications close 1 Feb. 
 
SpinFest and APAC 2024 updates 
Headlining trainers have been announced for both SpinFest and APAC. Tickets are still on sale and payment plans are available.  

National

Key Festival and Forum Dates 2024 
TNA has created this handy list of Australian gatherings for the sector. 

17 Jan — Registrations open soon for Leaps and Bounds: APAM x Honey Pot (SA) 
A special platform event for Australian circus and physical theatre artists during Adelaide Fringe (27-28 Feb). If you are an Australian artist or producer and your practice is internationally engaged, this is a valuable opportunity to connect with international presenters in a welcoming environment. Sign up to APAM e-news for updates. 

29 Sept – 6 Oct — 2024 National Circus Festival  
National Training Program is on 29 Sept – 3 Oct, while the Festival Weekend is on 4 – 6 Oct. Artist and crew EOIs will open in late January. More details coming soon.  

ArtsHub Article: The Moving State of Circus 
Read the opening keynote from the Australian Circus Summit by Darcy Grant. 
 
ArtsHub Article by Jo Pickup: ‘This primary school’s a circus … and its results are no joke’ 
A clever partnership shows how circus classes are not about clowning around, but a model with important skills outcomes for students. 

Upcoming Australian Festival programs released 
Program details have now been released for WA Circus Festival as well as Perth’s Fringe World and Adelaide Fringe which both include a huge selection of circus and physical theatre shows. 

PAC: APAX Training and Panel Members Call Out 

• Tour Producer Training will be available in 2024 and has been designed for producers, artists, and companies looking to develop national tour development skills. 
• Panel call out: PAC are currently seeking individuals from underrepresented communities across the Australian performing arts sector to contribute. 
• Save the dates: PAC will host the Perth 2024 ISPA Congress from 30 April – 3 May. Then in August, APAX 2024 descends on Melbourne from 19–23 August. More details here. 

29 Mar – 1 April — 2024 Fremantle International Street Arts Festival 
The historic streets of Fremantle burst to life as performers transform the city into a world stage every Easter. 
 
Adelaide Fringe: Street Performing info available 
For the first time, there is an application form for street performing at East End Unleashed (the Adelaide Fringe road closures).  Info about different types of busking during Adelaide Fringe  
 
Street Performance Australia  
Renewals and 2024 memberships are now open, and SPA’s new website has launched.  

Flying Fruit Fly Circus:

• Borderville Theatre Completed 
  The Borderville Theatre has welcomed its first audience for ‘The Grad Show 2023’. The Borderville Theatre will provide a space for artistic exploration and innovation with a clear purpose to support the development of new contemporary circus works. 
• Flying Fruit Fly Circus Creative Space Program 
  Creative Space provides opportunities for individual artists, groups and small-scale companies. Visiting artists receive free access to training facilities, mentorship/support from FFC trainers and subsidised accommodation. Submissions are accepted on a rolling basis.  

International

15 Jan – Festival Salinstrada Open Call (Italy) 
The company GIPSY RAW in collaboration with PROLOCO and the city of Margherita Di Savoia present the first edition of SALInSTRADA (International Festival of Arts in the Street) 7–9 June 2024. They are looking for 6 technically independent company capable of creating and performing in the street.

15 Jan – Registration for 2024 National Circus School Auditions (Montreal)  
A selection committee will be visiting Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver to meet with candidates interested in joining Circus Arts programs. More details available here.  

17 Jan – Opportunity for Circus Academics (UK) 
The School of Modern Languages at Newcastle University (UK) invites applications for a doctoral studentship within the area of French popular entertainment in the long nineteenth century. The successful candidate will shape their own research project related to the topic. 
 
31 Jan – Young Stage Festival Applications (Switzerland) 
Artists under the age of 27 can apply to present at the 15th edition of the YOUNG STAGE Festival, which will take place from 2-6 May 2024 in Basel.  

31 Jan – Applications for International New Acrobatic Theatre Festival in China  
Held in Zhangjiajie, Hunan Province, the Festival aims to build an international platform for the exchange and display of contemporary circus arts to aid transformation and innovative development in acrobatic arts. The festival will be held 23-27 August. 

Artists Pathway 1:1 Coaching 
Stacy Clark is currently offering online career coaching for circus artists: your goals, your promotional toolkit, your career! 

Residency opportunity in South West France 
The centre de création are looking for innovative companies who would benefit from using their rehearsal facilities and working spaces. They offer two types of residencies: Independent, by negotiation dependent on project status; and Redfest, for artists interested in performing at their biannual festival. 

Circostrada News: 

• Save the Dates and discover the actions the network will be leading with its members up until August 2024 in Europe and on the international stage. 
• Join us for the monthly Digital Events organised for the NHLP-EU programme. Circus leaders and other culture professionals discuss relevant themes such as accessibility, empathy, responsibility, diversity, and more. 
• Podcasts created by fellows of the New Horizons Leadership Program are now available online. The first episode picks up on the theme of Empathy. 

Circus Festival & Event Roundup: 
Smells like Circus, 16–20 Jan (Belgium) 
Festival Mondial du Cirque de Demain, 25–28 Jan (France) 
Circus and its Others, 28 Feb – 3 Mar (Colombia)

Worldwide: International Circus Jobs
22 Dec – Cirque Du Soliel Casting 
Currently seeking artists for roles including Aerial Cradle and Swinging Trapeze. 

Jump on the Circus Talk jobs board for more open jobs and callouts from around the world. 

 

A roll call of congratulations to individuals, companies and organisations who have had good news. 
 

• Sam Giles will be associate artist at Flipside Circus in 2024.  
   
• Gravity and Other Myths, Vulcana Circus, The Farm, Flipside Circus and Corrugated Iron Youth Arts were all successful in receiving funding through Creative Australia’s Four-Year Investment for Organisations program. 
   
• Successful Leaps and Bounds ‘pitch’ participants: Ten Thousand Hours by Gravity and Other Myths; The Wet by Circa Cairns; Spherical by Flying Fruit Fly Circus; Circus Oz Non Stop by Circus Oz;  Air Time by Branch Nebula; Apocrypha by Oozing Future; Apricity by Casus Creations; BOOP by Statera Circus; Dangerous Goods by Polytoxic; Future Proof by Gravity Dolls; In Common by One Fell Swoop; Momentum by Women’s Circus; Oat Milk & Honey by Sound of Circus; Of The Land On Which We Meet by Na Djinang; Rebirth by Zen Zen Zo Physical Theatre; Reclaim the Crone by The Space Between Performance Collective; Rouge by Highwire Entertainment; Signal by Winter Cyan; The Dreaming Project by The Dreaming Project; The Waiting Room by Born in a Taxi; YUCK Circus by YUCK Circus.