Fringe: Light The Way

Performance group Madhouse Circus is bringing their latest endeavour to their home town after receiving
such positive feedback at Perth’s Fringe World and Adelaide Fringe Festival earlier this year.

Madhouse Circus was formed mostly from a small group of students of NICA (National Institute of Circus Arts). Their first show – Alice In The Madhouse – was performed by the group at the Melbourne Fringe Festival in 2012 when they were only in their first year. The group then brought this act to the Adelaide Fringe Festival in 2013. 

When asked what the inspiration was behind the show, cast member Felicia Lannan says, “We were looking to create a show which relied much less on the tech support and could show an audience the other side of performers, where we change from athlete to artist.” 

And to showcase the feats of the human body, you need good lighting. “A main component of putting on any show is the lighting, and it never really feels real until you put it under a spotlight or a strobe or a colour wash to match your mood,”

As well as hula hoops and fairy lights, the act involves bottle walking, corde lisse (manoeuvrers with a hanging rope) and the roue Cyr (a human-sized metal hoop). “The diverse cast of five combines their acrobatics with innovative choreography to give [the] audience something they’ve never seen before,” says Lannan.

Lannan admits that for this well-travelled group, “Our biggest challenge has been getting everyone in the same place at the same time for rehearsals! I think that our pulling it off just shows how much we really love it.” 

Illuminate
30 Sep - 4 Oct, Melbourne Fringe Festival, Gasworks, The Clover Club