"Sensitive, funny, yet hard-hitting" Matilda Awards

We Live Here is an inspiring circus performance by Flipside Circus celebrating the memories and moments that make a life.

Based on the stories of parents, siblings, and guests of Hummingbird House (Queensland's only youth hospice), We Live Here explores themes of resilience, chaos, and the beauty of a moment shared.

Winner of two Matilda Awards (Best Director, Best Circus/Physical Theatre)

"A unique collaboration of physical theatre, circus and recorded verbatim stories, this intricately nuanced production utilised excellent skills, transformative design, stunning direction, and detailed and touching performances to deliver an impossible-to-forget story about life in the face of death." - Matilda Awards.

Created by a team of highly skilled young circus performers and professional artists working together with the Hummingbird House community and commissioned by Metro Arts.

Venue Format
Theatre, Black Box Venue
Technical Rating
C
Touring Party
7 (5 performers, 1 x production/stage manager and 1 x trainer)

Flipside Circus is Queensland's largest youth arts company. Flipside is an award-winning company with a reputation for excellence in training and performance as well as for supporting Queensland's world-leading circus sector.

Flipside is a not-for-profit organisation that provides:

  • Regular classes and training at our Alderley training centre and right across Queensland;
  • An artistic program of performances by, for, and with young people;
  • Community and social circus programs and residencies in regional and remote Queensland;
  • Support for Queensland's circus artists and independent companies.

Flipside Circus values children and young people as cultural creators and works with a regular team of extraordinary artists and trainers.

Company Website
flipsidecircus.org.au

Unique Selling Point

We Live Here uses sensitivity, humour, circus, and verbatim to explore stories that are often untold. It is a show that brings younger and older audiences together (as well as young and experienced artists) to share a performance that is unique and uplifting.

Audience engagement activities and larger community projects can be added. The work has strong connections to the health, education, and community sectors and can be linked to the work of Hummingbird House. An example of these potential connections is Toowoomba's Empire Theatres, who have programmed We Live Here in partnership with the Toowoomba Hospital Foundation in late 2019.

Marketing Materials

Marketing materials include:

  • Professional production images;
  • Form press release, review text;
  • Short trailer + longer excerpt and production footage;
  • Teachers notes and resources are available.

Community Engagement

Workshops

Introduction to circus skills workshops. Fun and challenging workshops that introduce a range of basic circus and teamwork skills. Suitable for a wide range of ages and contexts; in schools (primary and secondary), as well as community or holiday workshop programs, or with existing community groups/organisations.

Storytelling and circus workshops Explores methods of combining narrative and dramatic structures with physical theatre/circus. Suitable for secondary school drama/english units.

Other activities

Pre/post show discussions

Residences Flipside trainers work with local artists to develop new skills and to help tell their own stories using circus. Residencies can take place over a couple of days to two weeks.

Community activation activities Flipside can tailor activities for the community while the circus is in town. With additional planning Flipside can travel with portable circus equipment and provide activities such as; drop-in trapeze classes in the park, circus fitness classes for adults, links with local arts/gymnastics/sporting clubs, run activations at festivals/events/weekly football training etc.

Health/community links We Live Here was developed with Hummingbird House and has strong health/community connections. May be ideal as a fundraiser or outreach.