Bricks and Mortar Programme
A Warm Welcome
Welcome to our BA Devised Performances 2024!
We hope you enjoy this showcase of our BA studentsâ devised performances culminating their hard work and dedication over the last three years.
Tonightâs performance will be opened by our Foundation Degree Year 1 students in their ensemble. Directed by Myles MacDonald.
FD1 Ensemble: Mortar
âMortarâ a binding element that fuses separate objects amalgamating them into one. The first year degree students are interlocking the transitions for the BA Devised pieces and performing their ensemble creation. This work has developed by exploring how sculptural forms can be organically constructed – and the limitations of what can be done with bricks – following the process and work of British sculptor Andy Goldsworthy.
(un)Balance(d)
We are Becky and Helga.
This piece is us.
This is our 3 year rollercoaster.
This is us saying goodbye.
Goodbye to each other, Goodbye to you, Goodbye to Circus Space.
Becky Robins & Helga Ehrenbusch
Discipline: Hand to Hand
Other Skills: Hand-balancing (Becky) and acro dance (Helga)
Space Junk
Drawing inspiration from The Clangers, this piece follows the trajectory of a forgotten hunk of space junk and itâs fall back to Earth. Who can say where some of this expensive rubbish may ultimately arrive, as it hurdles aimlessly through the universe.
Strapsercise
Get ready for the HIIT workout of your life! This bootycamp is packed to the brim with all the tools to get you trim. This is no slow and steady walk in the park, with power and intensity throughout, a sassy cardio workout, that will be sure to build you into an aerobic ace. Niamh takes you through all the dumbbell dynamics, core crushers and booty blasts that will get you sculpted to the core. Packing a powerful punch, combining aerial aerobics, acrobatic strength and a side of splits, transforming you into the complete athlete. This class could finally be your match, so don’t be surprised if your arms and legs are still shaking hours laterâŠ
Niamh Taylor
Discipline: Aerial Straps
Other Skills: Acrobatics, trampoline & tumbling, hand balancing, general aerial skills, duo straps and gymnastics.
Right in Two
Feeling stuck and divided. What pushes you to the limit to break out?
Come along to an exploration of upside down space.
Cosmic Wonderer
Ebony Gumbs
Discipline: Aerial Hoop
Other Skills: Aerialist, acrobat, dancer, tumbler
Fallen Angel
I am the face
Of love’s rage
Blessed be the Daughters of Cain
Bound to suffering eternal through the sins of their fathers committed long before their conception
Blessed be their whore mothers
Tired and angry, waiting with bated breath in a ferry that will never move again
Blessed be the children
Each and every one come to know their god through some senseless act of violence
Blessed be you, girl
Promised to me by a man who can only feel hatred and contempt towards you
I am not good nor evil, simply I am
And I have come to take what is mine
I was there in the dark when you spilled your first blood
I am here now, as you run from me still
Run then, child
You can’t hide from me forever
Lola Latham
Discipline: Flying Pole
Other Skills: Hand balance, aerial hoop, acrobatics, hand-to-hand, contortion, dance
The Overstory
This piece explores an innate connection between women and trees, with inspiration stemming from women who have died to protect trees, or have âmarriedâ trees to protect them, and further inspired by a photography collection named âWomen in Treesâ. Research branched into themes of mutual protection. We will be outlived by trees but our history is knotted together.
With so many thanks to all coaches at National Centre for Circus Arts, especially to Will Davis and Leo Hedman for inspiration and encouragement.
Other Skills: Silks, acro, doubles trapeze, handbalance and partner acro
Weâre going on a bear hunt
Weâre going on a bear hunt, weâre going to catch a big one, what a beautiful day, weâre not scared, Uh-oh looks like Jack didnât realise he was the star of this show, well he canât go over it! And he canât go under it! Looks like heâs gonna have to go through it! Dive into this nostalgic and beloved children’s story with Jack and follow him as he learns to conquer his fears letâs just hope that he manages to listen to the narrator and stay on track! After all bear hunts are all fun and games until you find the bear.
Jack Brooker
Discipline: Hoop Diving
Other Skills: Clowning acrodance, acrobatics, hand to hand and hand balancing
Meet Norman
Torn
Ellen is a high-energy 22 year old hula hoop performer. In her piece she combines dance, manipulation and traditional hula hoop styles to create a fun and exciting piece.
Ellen James
Discipline: Hula Hoops
Other Skills: LED hula hoops, general aerialist, dancer, hair hanging and duo straps
A Sunken Sleep
Bound by an enchanting spell, a woman becomes entranced by the bewitching call of a siren, her willpower dissolving as she is drawn underwater. In the depths of the ancient sea, her struggle for survival becomes a haunting dance on the pole, a slender lifeline in an overwhelming current. Her ascent is a dance of life and death, each movement a plea for salvation. But the siren, relentless and ruthless, drags her to the ocean’s dark embrace. As the performance unfolds, the lines between the woman and the siren blur, leaving the audience questioning who truly emerges from the depths. Witness a haunting performance that echoes the eerie myths of old, where enchantment and dread collide.
Georgina Lance
Discipline: Aerial pole
Other Skills: Hair hanging, Chinese pole, shinny pole, contemporary dancer, tap dance, aerial generalist, multiskilled fire performer and stilt walker. She has been known to juggle
Pure Bliss
Slipping into your favourite pyjamas
Laying in bed all cozy
Eyes relaxed ready for many dreams
Eating a little bedtime snack
Pillow so fluffy like a cloud
Or
Sipping on cold tea
Lumpy mattress
Eyes that wonât rest
Eating cheese = weird dreams
Pillow rock solid
Fine Line Air Time
Phoebe Feord
Discipline: Aerial Straps
Other skills: Hula hoop, acrobatics, duo aerial straps
The Boy and The Fish
AstroNOT
OMG, I AM ON THE MOON! I’ve been dreaming of this day my entire life. After years of intensive training to become an astronaut, I am finally here on the moon! But I have been sent to the moon to complete an important mission. My mission is to… wait, did I mention that I am on the flippin’ MOON? It’s so cool here! The gravity is wild and… wait, what was I saying before? Oh yeah, the mission…
Memories
Sophie Stinchon
Discipline: Rope
Other Skills: Acrobat, hair hanging, single point aerialist and dancer
The night gardener
Neither here nor there
This piece is about the joy and uncertainty experienced when we face moving through the familiar and navigating the unknown.
Itâs about being neither here nor there, no longer but not quite yet, the untranslatable and unpredictable, and existing in the liminal.
BrainStorm
Brainstorm is a whirlwind exploration of tornadoes and dementia through the experience of chaos, stillness and resignation. Featuring sights and sounds commonly found in the rural âTornado Alleyâ region of the Midwestern, USA.
âFrom the outside looking in, itâs hard to understand. From the inside looking out, it’s hard to explainâ. – Unknown
Erin Williams
Discipline: Original mixed apparatus “M-Silks”
Other Skills: Dance and acrobatics
Surprise Symphony
Crew
Mark Dymock – Lighting Designer
Craig Byrne – Sound Designer
Ben Harris – Production Manager
Matt Burch – Technical Manager
Sunni Jolly – Deputy Technical Manager
Sophie Oxenbury – Company Stage Manager/Production Coordinator
Erin Blake – Deputy Stage Manager
Dani Mearns – Sound Operator