CASTING OFF Announced at Adelaide Fringe 2019

After an award winning season at Edinburgh Fringe Casting Off is coming to Adelaide for two weeks only. An all women, cross-generational show that challenges the conventions of circus and subverts expectations.

Casting off stereotypes, three generations of dynamic women tumble, talk, fly, and balance precariously; where the personal is political, the furious is funny, and the acrobatics are downright dangerous. A disarming, hilarious show about living on the edge and talking about it.

Self-directed, hand-knitted, and honouring the life events that get in the way of work, Casting Off is a theatrical circus experience that celebrates thoughtful, strong, and resilient individuals. A joyous accumulation of moments that shine a light on women relating to each other in playful, fruitful relationships. Flipping, climbing and flying to a soundscape of the many disparate texts (lists, poems, conversations, melodies, arguments and biographies) that embody each day. Casting Off is non- narrative circus with words that's easier done than said.

The three extraordinary women at the heart of Casting Off are - Debra Batton (59) Debra toured extensively as an acrobat with Circus Oz, an actor with Magpie Theatre and a dancer with Tracks Dance. She was Artistic director of Legs on the Wall for 10 years. More recently she was the Circus Director for the pre-school television series Hoopla Doopla, artist in residence at The

Womens Circus, and Performance Teacher / Guest Director for the National Institute of Circus Arts (NICA). She also currently performs with Batton & Broadway and Such n Such. Sharon Gruenert (42) has flown around and been thrown around for 20 years in the circus. She was an acrobat in Cirque du Soleil's Saltimbanco and has performed with many of the iconic contemporary Australian circuses including Circus Oz, Circus Monoxide and Dislocate. One career highlight was performing on a trapeze hung from a hot air balloon 20m in the air as part of Canberra's 100th birthday celebrations. Spenser Inwood (30) trained, performed and toured with the Flying Fruit Fly Circus (FFFC) from the age of 8 to become the multi-skilled acrobat and aerialist she is today. She was assistant director and performer on the FFFC portion of the Commonwealth Games closing ceremony 2006 and was invited by The Womens Circus to direct What Do I Want in 2013. From 2013-2017 she was a member of the Circus Oz ensemble. Melbourne based company A GooD Catch formed in 2017 with the aim to experiment with circus. They seek to nurture their own creative voice with a feminist tone and a pro-active attitude, re-inventing the collective approach to devised performance.

https://adelaidefringe.com.au/fringetix/casting-off-af2019