Following the massive international success of their debut production 'Knee Deep', Brisbane’s own Casus return home for the world premiere of 'Finding The Silence' at the Judith Wright Centre this August.
To say it’s been a busy couple of years for the four original members of Casus Circus – Emma Serjeant, Jesse Scott, Lachlan McAulay and Natano Fa’anana – is to put it mildly. Such is the global appetite for contemporary circus, that they’ve been almost solidly booked since their first performance of the acclaimed 'Knee Deep' in 2012.
A stunning production that has been hailed by audiences and critics alike for its beauty, honesty and playfulness, 'Knee Deep' has taken them to the UK, Europe, America and the Pacific Rim as well as several Australian seasons, across 11 countries to 34 cities in total.
We spoke with Emma Serjeant:
Sum up this show in a sentence?
An emotionally charged search for sanity, silence and equilibrium which as human nature would have it, is painfully elusive and unattainable.
Fill in the blanks
'Finding The Silence' will ... question, surprise and intrigue, maybe even inspire and perhaps delight. I very much hope seeing the show creates discussion around the dinner table three days later about what it is that you thought you were watching... but won't... leave you feeling completed, concluded and ready for a pina colada at the beach. We 'hope' that the audience will join us on our search and share the silence, noise and everything in between. This is not a Zen Buddhist retreat about inner peace, it's a circus show, so I do also hope that it will be exciting and at moments breathtaking!... And is surprising ... how much the show concept has bled into day-to-day thinking. Everything relates to noise, what happens when you remove it? The challenge now is getting that into the body, because we are not musicians, we are circus performers (with very little musical ability)... and leaves people... pondering.
What is your role and how did you come to be involved?
I am a co-founder of Casus Circus and created the first work 'Knee Deep' with Jesse Scott, Natano Fa'anana and Lachlan McAulay. I had a desire in my late 20s to move away from realising another's artistic vision, to see if I could make work independently that was interesting unique and fulfilling. Luckily we all had a similar drive and decided to make the first work, 'Knee Deep'. We created the company Casus Circus and now have a team of seven working with us.
We heard the show's concept came from a comment you made. Can you tell us about that?
Haha sure, it was a back-handed training comment (about finding the ‘silence’ in a move) that pricked all of our ears. The truth be told, we had been struggling with a name that represented all the ideas we were throwing at the show….. This one (similarly to 'Knee Deep') sparked an interest for us all. It's about the moment you find the balance in a trick or when you are about to catch someone, everything goes quiet and time is suspended, then the noise returns and you again search for the silence.
What is your background and how much training does it take to get to this level of performance?
I’ve had various professional gigs over the last 10 years as both a soloist and ensemble member, before that it was Circus University in Melbourne from 2004, years of random acrobatic performance, gymnastics in the UK and Australia and general adrenalin junky tendencies.
If someone was to play you in a movie, who would it be and what would the title of the film be?
Haaa!!! A young Japanese anime character called Miyu and the movie would be called 'Miyu's battle in the sky' - I'll leave the story line with you.
Fav moment in the show and why?
There is one prop that is being built through the duration of the show and ends up ….I'm not going to tell you what happens to it, but this is my favourite moment!
Best advice you've received about career and why?
Have the courage to do what you want to do. The rest will fall into place.
How important is it to spend time in silence? And what kind of preparation do you do for this show?
In the research phase we have spent a lot of time thinking about what this means (Silence) both individually and to the show. Personally to get myself prepped for the show, I go for a solo exploration in my body, with my eyes shut and in silence. There's lots of noise to be found in there and plenty of stimulus. Each time the journey is different!
Why should people come see this and what do you want them to say as they leave?
Why should you come? To see Casus embark on the next chapter after 'Knee Deep' and witness 70 minutes of intense acrobatics, emotional, human connection and see if you can share the silence with us. Perhaps the cheesiest thing I have heard anyone say coming out of a Casus show was, 'that wasn't circus, it was poetry'…. I'd like if it if someone said that about 'Finding the Silence' and they were lost in the experience.
Anything else readers should know?
Just a little on the new circus movement… I believe that circus as a genre is really coming into its own and can sit independently from theatre, dance and other art forms. For years there has been a sense of needing to smother circus with a narrative, or explain why that performer is now throwing six balls in the air. I like to think that it's enough to do something because you can! A ballerina doesn't explain a pirouette with a narrative. Not that we should shy away from storytelling, as this is also something very interesting, but the physical narrative that a circus show creates is something intriguing in itself.
'Finding The Silence' runs from August 15-23 at Judith Wright Centre.
