SPECTRUM
As the only circus show programed in Midsumma’s 2018 festival line up, Spectrum promises to deliver big on spectacle, with it’s electric mix of skills and trickery. Beginning in a world devoid of colour, Spectrum explores the vast world of sexuality and gender, while making it’s way across the colour spectrum. Created by Uncovered Circus and performed by an eclectic group of talented performers, this is one performance certain to no leaving you wanting. The Melbourne Critique spoke with Director and performer David Coombs, about circus, queer dynamics and the world at large.
David, lets kick things off, how have you achieved bringing a queer dynamic into the realms of performance, and in particular circus?
In this show we really want to celebrate the differences that queer communities bring to our world, while also bridging some gaps and showing that just because these stories might involve two men or two women, our experiences aren’t so different. Spectrum seeks to celebrate our shared humanity as much as it celebrates our differences. Circus has always been a progressive and accepting world that allows people to express who they are and celebrate that, making it a safe haven for people that don’t fit the mould. The natural flair and excitement of circus is a perfect platform to show off the qualities of the LGBTQIA+ community and, especially, to explore sexuality due to its physical nature and proximity of performers.
How did it become, that you would be involved in the world of circus? –
My own journey began with a childhood desire to always make people smile. When I first got a taste of the circus I was captured by the clowns and the way people responded to them. They made people smile and I wanted to do that, too. Although my skill set isn’t so much lined up with clowning, that desire has always led me back to circus despite exploring almost every other avenue available to me. After training at NICA (the National Institute of Circus Arts) and gaining some experience doing other people’s shows I’m really excited now to have the opportunity to work with some really talented artists who have their own approach and stories through circus too.
What questions do you desire to ask or perhaps answer in Spectrum, what should audience walk away having felt or experience?
Ultimately this show exists to bring a smile (and maybe a blush) to the faces of our audience, to have them leave with a sense of wonder at not only what the performers did but, also, what they themselves are capable of.
As the show is celebrating diversity, not every story is going to connect directly to every audience member but the joy is that is everyone can walk out with a sense that they got a glimpse into how amazingly different our stories are but also how they connected to the range of emotions that these characters express and experience. It’s really exciting that we also have the opportunity to invite people who may not be a part of or understand queer culture to engage with the spectrum of experiences we possess.
Is circus a pliable art-form in which you can use to progress ideas/concepts/conversations, and more generally, what role do you think art plays in modern/contemporary society?
Circus is such a versatile art-form as it can be incorporated and merged with all other forms of art which have been used to create conversation and challenge preconceived ideas for centuries. The scope of what circus is capable of has really opened up recently. More artists are emerging into the circus community with vastly different backgrounds stemming from theatre, to dance, to elite sports and more. The circus community’s strength is in its diversity and as a result I feel it is in the perfect art-form to challenge stereotypes and make statements in a very physical and tangible way. With the world of media being the most readily accessible form of art I feel the performing arts more than ever should be expressing and representing the underrepresented aspects of our community who’s stories do not get told.
