Squaring the Wheel combines circus, clown, strange mechanisms and contraptions, puppetry, magic and music into an unusual, thingamabobbish theatre extravaganza.
A flying broom, two ugly screaming babies, 17 balls, 34 meters of bent steel, 483 welded points and 15 marching eggs are just the tip of the iceberg of unexpected, transformed wacky materials and objects.
Unpredictable, funny, touching, highly visual and occasionally out of control, it is a clever theatre adventure for the whole family in thinking out of the box.
Topsy-turvy ways to look at things, teamed with imagination, transform a pile of junk into a resourceful repository of gadgets and circus props, into life and friendship supporting odds and ends …all done in an hilarious and ultimately very human way of complicating simple things.
Following the show, stay for an interactive workshop into the science behind the wacky contraptions and get inspired to build your own little universe of pulleys, catapults and chain-reaction machines back home.
Winner of the Adelaide Fringe Award 2013, Best Presentation for Children
- Venue Format
- Theatre, Hall, Black Box Venue
- Technical Rating
- Touring Party
- 2
Jens Altheimer is a theatre deviser and performer, specialising in visual theatre for families. He also adventures in arts project around concepts of kinetic installation. Trained at the Lecoq International School of Theatre in Parish, he relocated from Europe to Melbourne in 2009. He is the zealous frontman of his one-man shows, quirkologist, established collector, inventor and transformer of thingamabobs and other wondrous oddities of day to day life.
His show 'Squaring the Wheel' is the winner of the Adelaide Fringe Award for Best Family Show in 2013. It is touring nationally and internationally, having travelled throughout Queensland, WA, Victoria, NSW and South Australia, as well as in New Zealand and Malta. So far, Squaring the Wheel was performed about 310 times. His latest show 'Loose Ends' started to be on the road September 2016 with a five week Victorian tour. He also has been running workshops and community arts projects with different organisations (Science Works, Arts Victoria, Artplay, Theatre Kimberley, The Village Festival i.e) and as an extra component to his tours.
- Company Website
- jensaltheimer.com
Unique Selling Point
- interesting for schools for having a strong educational concept, delivered in a entertaining way- detailed teachers' resource pack, that comes with the show- ready to go photoshop art work for posters and flyers- website and Facebook page- possibility of extra workshops (art and science)- awarded show with a successful national touring
Community Engagement
Three kinds of possible workshops:
- Contraption building
- Circus techniques
- Clown and physical theatre
Comments/Reviews
Media Review
"pure junkyard genius" Sydney Morning Herald
Artshub
Media Review
"...A comical visual feast which simply has to be seen to be believed.” ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
SANAWAKA NYREE
Audience Review
Funny, enthralling, engaging for children and adults alike. The entire audience was so captured by Jens that they couldn't get enough of his hands on science explanation and chain reaction contraption at the end. The ability for the children to build their own ball run prior to or after the show added to the sense of immersion and participation.