Calling all circus and physical performers, clowns, dancers, musicians, visual artists, street performers and political activists! Do you want to change the world? Would you like to explore the potential of your artistic and performance practice to be political and tackle serious issues?

Join Robyn Hambrook for workshop exploring the meeting point of circus, street theatre and political protest. Working with the skills and concerns of the participants, we will take inspiration from circus and street theatre to creatively explore ideas of resistance and protest. As a group we will use this inspiration to create our own “small circus acts of resistance” and perform them in the festival.

Both circus and street theatre have long political history through their popular appeal and ability to reach large audiences. In our current climate the world is more politicised than ever but beyond social media we may not have an outlet to express ourselves. The street and public spaces are central to political protest, a democratic space of the people, a place you can to say something to your community.

Open to all levels aged 12+, this workshop will equip participants with performance skills suited to working outdoors and in public spaces. It offers a toolbox to help artists explore political themes in their work and creative ways to generate work.

Robyn is a director, teacher, producer, performance artist and clown. She has over fifteen years’ experience creating street arts, physical theatre and circus around the world. She is currently undertaking a Masters in Circus Directing at Circomedia and this workshop forms part of her Masters research. Through this workshop she aims to explore a methodology to work with different groups, community or professional, combining elements of circus and street theatre, in their broadest forms, as a medium to explore current issues and develop creative protest and acts of resistance.