The QPAC SummerSet series is offering a range of shows which children, families and older guests alike can enjoy. For younger audiences looking to be amazed by circus arts, Circa have brought Carnival of the Animals to the Playhouse for a very limited season. Following its world premiere season at QPAC’s Out of the Box festival in 2014 and subsequently entertaining audiences around globe, Carnival of the Animals is back in Brisbane to delight families for a second time through imagination and creativity in an educational, rich and fun theatre experience.
Carnival of the Animals has been created by the Brisbane-based Circa (in collaboration with QPAC’s Out of the Box Festival), and sets out to celebrate the “zoological diversity of planet earth”. This is accomplished through entertaining performers, a striking backdrop of digital animation and a new contemporary music score by Quincy Grant inspired by the symphonic work of composer Camille Saint-Saëns.
During a media event over the weekend, I had the chance to speak with the show’s ringmistress Brittannie Portelli, as she shared her thoughts on the show and her advice for those looking to make it in the circus/theatre industries. You can find the full transcript of this interview below:
Can you share a little bit about your history in circus arts / theatre
Sure. So I actually started in sport as a gymnist. I moved through and actually saw a circus show when I was about ten. I turned to my mum and said “I’m going to do that one day”. There is the National Institute of Circus Arts down in Melbourne, and so I always just knew that’s where I wanted to go. After year 12 I auditioned and got in, and then spent three years there doing the bachelor program. So I graduated with a degree in Circus Arts and then I actually have been with Circa ever since. So that’s five years ago now.
So have you been with this show since it started?
No, I actually wasn’t on the original cast that created this show. But I have been performing it for the last twelve months.
and so, what has it been like working on Carnival of the Animals?
Carnival of the Animals is a fun show, that’s for sure. Obviously Circa has many different shows in their repertoire, and it goes through many different emotions, worlds, landscapes and things like that. And so doing Carnival of the Animals and being able to share the beauty and magic in it with children and families is really really really rewarding.
So why do you see this show as a must see for kids and families during QPAC’s summer series?
Carnival of the Animals has a wonderful element of transformation. So you come and you get to see a big variety of not only acrobatics but also a little bit of music, beautiful projections, the soundtrack that comes to Carnival of the Animals is just breathtaking. So in the quick 50 minutes of the show, you get to go on a big adventure and a journey really. You get to explore the different terrains of our world, whether it is aquatic or air or on the land. You also get to explore and go on an adventure with lot of different animals.
Since you have been with the show, has it evolved at all?
For sure. All of Circa’s work is living. None of them ever stay the same or stay stagnant. A lot of our work is also improvised. So there are scenes in here that, we have set tricks and pathways and things like that, but what we do and how we interact with each other and the audience are always present and in that moment. So our shows are always evolving and changing.
Do you have any particular favourite moments in Carnival of the Animals?
The reactions of the audience when they first see the big balloons or the sharks is always something quite special. But really, I just love that electric feeling when I get to walk out and the audience are just waiting to see what is going to come out of these suitcases. And I get to walk out and then really release the magic on stage.
Do you have any advice for those looking to break into circus arts / theatre?
Breaking into theatre and into circus, I think you just need to go to talk to people. That is probably my biggest advice. Go and see lots of shows, and then really just talk to people. Talk to the people on-stage, off-stage, behind-the-scenes, talk to the directors, talk to the choreographers, talk to the performers. Because there are so many aspects to theatre and to circus that you may find something you didn’t even know existed. But its an incredible industry, not only in Australia and in Brisbane but all throughout the world. Really, just going up and talking to people, introducing yourself, and if you are really passionate about it that will shine through.
Thank you very much for your time and good luck for the rest of the season!
Carnival of the Animals is part of QPAC’s SummerSet series. It is set to run until Wednesday 13 January 2016 in the QPAC Playhouse. Tickets cost $25.00, with a 4 ticket offer available for $79.00. Tickets can be purchased via the QPAC website or through their box office.
