About NICA Performs
From time to time, our building transforms to showcase the latest emerging talent of the circus industry. Sweeping away the crashmats and enveloping the seating bank in velveteen curtains, our beloved National Circus Centre converts into an immersive theatre space located just off Chapel Street, Prahran.
NICA routinely invites national and international directors to work alongside students to produce shows that are truly inspiring. Performances double as assessment pieces for our artists, who work on these projects with admirable dedication throughout the year.
COMING HOME
19-21 November
The National Institute of Circus Arts presents our 25th year anniversary show, Coming Home.
Curated by Juliana Neves
What makes a place feel like home?
For NICA, it’s the people. The teachers who have passed on their knowledge. The students who have taken risks, found their feet and flown. The graduates who have carried NICA’s spirit out into the world. The audiences, families, friends and circus community who have filled these spaces with energy for 25 years.
Aside from a trip down memory lane, Coming Home is about what happens when all those stories come together. The final chapter looks forward, with students from Shanghai Circus School joining us for the final iteration of the Beyond Our Boundaries project. Their visit is a nod to NICA’s growing international connections and a glimpse towards the possibilities of the next 25 years.
The celebration will also launch NICA’s new Excellence Scholarship Fund with all ticket sales and donations going towards this effort to increase access to excellence for future generations of circus artists.
Now it’s time to celebrate. Remember our roots and write our story of the next 25 years.
Make yourself at home.
Strictly limited season 19-21 November - don't wait!
2026
This year will look a little different...
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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email me!Audience Reviews
"Remarkable and a full house. Even the babies in the audience were captivated! Very highly recommended." — Jennifer Beasley, Theatre Matters, Proteus (2025)
"The choreography, set design, lighting, costumes and music were so magical that the audience was hesitant to applaud individual moments of outstanding acrobatics, for fear of breaking the spell." — Audience member, Fall With Me (2024)
"Startlingly good." — Ruth Richter, Stage Whispers, ON/OFF (2023)
"At the end, we thought it was half time - that’s how enthralled we were!" — Audience member, ONEIRIC (2023)
"If this was an exam, this 2nd year ensemble passes with flying colours for their very professional performance." — Jen, Weekend Notes, Within These Walls (2023)
backstage
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