About the show – ECLIPSE
Concept by Sally Richardson
Directed by Ben Sheen & Meredith Kitchen
Devised with the graduating company
Eclipses are harbingers of change – they usher in an evolution.
Embark on a journey with us as we explore the story of this changing world. What would we change if we could? What is this ‘new normal’ we face? What world do we want ours to be like?
Inspired by The Pandemic is a Portal by Arundhati Roy, ECLIPSE offers a gateway to a vision of what our future could, should, would and might just be. Exploring unity, diversity, harmony, balance, trust, compromise, our humanity, and our fragility; what can we build and create together?
Devised with the graduating company, conceived by Sally Richardson (Director of Steamworks Arts, Artistic Director of Maxima Circus), directed by Meredith Kitchen (Associate Director at South Australian Circus Centre) and in-house performance studies co-ordinator Ben Sheen (Director/Founder of Periscope Productions 2011 – Present), ECLIPSE is a cross-faculty collaboration with Costume and Make-up students from Melbourne Polytechnic and Film Students from Swinburne University of Technology Film and Television.
ECLIPSE welcomes NICA’s first public-facing production since 2019. Twelve enduring and talented students have been pressurised by lockdowns into diamonds, ready to showcase a thrilling live performance filled with acrobatics, corde-lisse, trapeze, aerial hoop, tightwire, roue cyr, handstands, foot juggling and hula hoop.
Artfully paired with the dazzling live opera vocals of one of Australia’s finest interpreters of contemporary vocal repertoire, Judith Dodsworth (Greta in Brian Howard’s Metamorphosis with Victoria Opera, as well as the title role and Mercedes in Carmen for OzOpera), a live electronic and percussive score by Louis Frere-Harvey (Command Q, Structural Dependency) and dynamic visual set and costume design by Eloise Kent (The Darkening Sky, TheatreWorks in 2022, THIS at Rising Festival in 2021) and Angelica Rush (After Mrs. Rochester, Royal Central School of Speech and Drama 2020) and uniquely illuminated by Govin Ruben’s lighting design, ECLIPSE will leave audiences blinded by surprise.
EVENT INFO
Bookings:
Via Trybooking
Tickets between $28 - $35
Performances:
Thursday 9 June 7.30pm (Preview)
Friday 10 June 7.30pm (Opening Night)
Saturday 11 June 7.30pm
Tuesday 14 June 7.30pm
Wednesday 15 June 7.30pm
Thursday 16 June 7.30pm
Friday 17 June 7.30pm
Saturday 18 June 2.30pm
Saturday 18 June 7.30pm
Duration:
90 minutes
Location:
The National Institute of Circus Arts
39-59 Green Street, Prahran
Rated:
PG – Parental Guidance recommended
This show contains loud sound effects, smoke/haze and flashing light effects
THE AMAZING CAST
Alanah Hill
PERFORMER
Chelsea Hall
PERFORMER
Chris Higgins
PERFORMER
Grace Robins
PERFORMER
Josh Duncan
PERFORMER
Lily Akers
PERFORMER
Linda Corazza
PERFORMER
Michael McDonald
PERFORMER
Rindi Harradine
PERFORMER
Sam Daly
PERFORMER
Sophia Bohlsen
PERFORMER
Zac Stephens
PERFORMER
To book graduate artists contact Australia’s leading circus agency for professional circus performers:
NICA RepresentsTHE PRODUCTION
Concept & Co-Creator/Writer Sally Richardson
Co-Creators/Directors Benjamin Sheen & Meredith Kitchen
Costume & Set Designers Eloise Kent & Angelica Rush
Lighting Designer Govin Ruben
Sound Designer & Musician Louis Frere-Harvey
Opera Singer Judith Dodsworth
Production Manager Scott Grayland
Safety Officers Kyle Raftery & Martine Howard
Show Riggers Ryan Taplin & Wayne Appleton
Stage Manager Liam Drennan
Assistant Stage Manager Leopold Pentland
Lighting Operator Rob Harewood
Sound Operator Lee Stout
Costume-maker & Wardrobe Supervisor David Splatt
Seamstress Francesca Gonzales & Josepehine Maynard
Front of House Manager Taygan Booth
Bar Manager Sarah Berrell
Digital Technologies Coordinator Kaleb Hawkins
Video Content Daniel Hart & Gianluca Itemerato
Video Documentation Masterworks Media
Poster & Show Photography Rob Blackburn
Graphic Design Karen Leskiw & Louis Green
NICA ED
Head of Circus Studies James Brown
Senior Educator – Academic Tegan Carmichael
Performance Studies Coordinator Benjamin Sheen
3rd Year Coordinator Martine Howard
2nd Year Coordinator Alexander Gullan
1st Year Coordinator Emily Hughes
Certificate IV Coordinator Hannah Trott
Alumni Industry & Engagement Coordinator Natalie Frijia
PSA Dance Coordinator Merryn Tierney
Circus Teachers Earl Shatford, Gang (Charlie) Cheng, Helene Embling, Jess Love, Jon Griffingham, Ludwig Schukin, Mark Douglass, Mark Graham, Mireille (Mimi) Goyette, Mitch Jones, Rong Lu, Siarhei (Serge) Sharapayeu, Skip Walker-Milne & Vasily Ivanov
Dance Teachers Linda Sastradipradja & Jess Smith
Anatomy & Physiology Dr David Munro
Business Studies John Paul Fischbach
Circus History Antonella Casella
Music Studies Carl Polke & George Papanicolaou
Technical Studies Jamie Henson
Administrator Jenny Vanderhorst
EXECUTIVE & ADMIN
Director Simona Jobbagy
Operations Manager (Human Resources) Emily O’Connor
Operations Manager (Facilities & Resources) Sonya Curry
Operations Manager (Commercial) Paula McKaskill
Executive Officer Lourdes Sanchez
Senior Finance Officer Faye Stathakis
NICA Represents Agent Melenie Stevenson
Marketing & Communications Manager Sophia Watson
Marketing Coordinator Karen Leskiw
Online Engagement Coordinator Ally Kilpatrick
NICA Rec Administration Assistants Felicity Dennis & Vanessa McGregor
NICA Administration Assistants Sebastien Pasche & John Martin
SPECIAL THANKS
To NICA Board of Directors and the NICA Medical Team.
Also a big thank you to all the upcyclers and recyclers who have donated old tents and other objects to the creation of the ECLIPSE set!
CROSS-FACULTY
Head of Costume (Melbourne Polytechnic)
Amanda Silk
Additional Costume Construction by Melbourne Polytechnic Costume students
Esther Anderson
Alannah Citino
Claudia D'Adam
Mireille Duckworth
Emma Hancox
Kiara Martin
Isabella McKenzie
Madelaine Lyons
Skye Window
Liam Jones
PRE-PRODUCTION VIDEO TEAM
Head of Makeup (Melbourne Polytechnic)
Lynn Hunt
Melbourne Polytechnic Makeup students
Jesse Smith
Stephanie Foote
Charlotte Web
Ivy Reynolds
Lucy Iwasa
Michela Warwick
Production Coordinator at Swinburne Film and Television
Kaylene Tyler
Swinburne Film & Television Students
Eavelyn Ried
Ella Crowley
Francis Bourke
Luca Pavano
Matt Jenner
Matthew Pettinella
Nikolas Montagnese
Peter Tomras
Riley Chintock
Sam Hvidberg
DONATE TO NICA
NICA is Australia’s Centre of Excellence for training in contemporary circus arts. It is one of eight national arts training institutes and offers Australia’s only Bachelor of Circus Arts. By donating to NICA, you will make a difference to the lives of our students and the future of circus in Australia. Donations of $2 or more are tax deductible and can be directed towards our outreach programs or providing access and support to current and prospective students in need.
support NICAACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF COUNTRY
The National Institute of Circus Arts is located on the lands of the Wurundjeriand and Boonwurrung peoples in Melbourne. We respectfully acknowledge the Wurundjeri and Boonwurrung people, and their Elders past and present, who are the traditional custodians of the land on which NICA is located.