World-class acrobatic show Circa sets the stage for New Annual fest

The presentation of the acrobatic performance of What Will Have Been by Circa contemporary circus at ChristChurch Cathedral on Friday and Saturday night is one such event.

"It's always exciting to come into a festival that is new," Circa associate director Ben Napton said. "It's really exciting because something is building, something is being born, something is being developed, and we are in at the beginning of that process.

"All of sudden, people are seeing things in different spaces."

The 60-minute show features acrobatics and dance by the Circa trio of Kimberley Rossi, Zachery Stephens and Daniel O'Brien, accompanied by a violinist Sue Collins playing a music score that includes Bach and Philip Glass.

The stage, including acrobatic straps, is in the centre of the church.

"When you connect, bodies, architecture, space and sound, something beautiful happens," Mr Napton said.

"What Will Have Been has never done in a cathedral before. We are excited by that. The content is ripe for that - it will suit that space."

New Annual senior producer and curator Adrian Burnett was keen to put an event in the cathedral for the festival.

"We want to use unusual spaces, and that location is pretty special, on the top of that hill," Mr Burnett said. "We thought that would be a beautiful setting for it."

Circa shows tour the world. This show recently performed in the US, and is booked for European dates in November.

Noted for its Gothic Revival architecture, the cathedral located on The Hill in Newcastle has been a place of worship for the Anglican diocese for more than 190 years.

"Being able to have something like Circa which stretches the boundaries of what's possible is a very exciting fit for us," Dean of Newcastle Katherine Bowyer said.

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