25 Years of NICA
making the incredible, credible
For 25 years, NICA has delivered world-class circus arts education and has shaped the contemporary circus landscape. Now, we are stepping into an independent future backed by a strengthened Board and a bold vision to become a Registered Training Organisation. NICA champions collaboration and global exchange, connecting Australian artists with creative partners across the country and around the world. We are passionate about increasing access to excellence.
"NICA's home is remarkable for its engineering, its adaptability and its light.
Even a quiet visit presents students testing their courage and flair and highlights the critical safety features available.
The technical capacity and services are world class. Circus Schools may be small in student numbers but the variety of skills being developed is huge and the staff/student ratio is necessarily high."
- Ted Baillieu, NICA's Chair of the Board
Anniversary Show
In 2026, for the first time in NICA's history, there will not be a third-year cohort in the Bachelor program, an impact of the pause in intakes the program endured in 2023 when NICA’s former RTO announced the decision to move in a new direction.
With the absence of a third-year cohort this year, there is a noticeable disruption to our regular operations. In a normal year, NICA engages four commercial-scale productions. This year, there will only be one.
But while business as usual is put on hold, we invite you to stamp this highly anticipated performance into your 2026 calendar.
Please save the dates to our 25th anniversary show: 19 - 21 November 2026.
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About our Gorgeous Home
Sidney Myer Circus Studio
The inaugural NICA training space, this purpose-built facility was designed by Bates Smart architects, completed in 2001.
The building was designed as the national training centre for both circus and gymnastics, a status it continues to uphold, hosting both Gymnastics Victoria and the National Institute of Circus Arts.
The designers note the steel enveloping the facility as a triumph, a feature which won the AISC Victorian Metal Building Award (2002).
Guang Rong Lu OAM National Circus Centre (NCC)
Completed in 2007 by Cox architects, this section of our campus was an extension from the original 2001 Sidney Myer building.
The NCC granted NICA a commercial-scale theatre venue for performances, which doubles as a full-size training space out of show season. The building still stands as an illustration of how great design connects circus and training to the local community.
The NCC was the Winner of ASI’s Architectural Steel Design Award, Large Project 2008.
Looking forward: Nurturing excellence
To conclude our 25th year as a newly independent organisation, we are proud to open the NICA Excellence Scholarship Fund.
As we step into the future together, we ask that you consider a contribution towards the launch of our Excellence Scholarship Fund alongside your ticket to our 25th Anniversary show. All proceeds and donations from Coming Home will go directly to the Fund, investing in the future of exceptional circus artists.
Thank you to everyone who has already rallied behind us.
Through this new Fund, NICA will offer tuition fee coverage for a Bachelor of Circus Arts student, helping recipients focus entirely on their training and artistic development.
The full NICA Excellence Scholarship will be awarded to a high scoring auditionee entering in 2027, who displays exceptional talent, potential for growth, and embodies NICA's values.
The Fund will help put world-class circus education within reach for students with outstanding promise.
When you give to the NICA Excellence Scholarship Fund, you are investing directly in the artists who will shape the future of contemporary circus.
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