I was the director for the creation of The Sexual Health Circus; a new ‘circus in education’ show created to enhance young people’s experience of sexual health education through the engaging media of circus!

The performance was an interactive circus show with clear messages and morals about sexual health that highlighted key RSE curriculum topics including consent, gender identity, self-pleasure, pornography, contraception, healthy and unhealthy relationships, nudes and pleasure. The use of interactive and visually engaging ‘circus in education’ encourage curiosity as well as critical thinking.
In March 2019, a team of talented circus artists created the first “Sexual Health Circus” show in Bristol. As a new form, we firstly explored the potential of circus skills to explore sexual health themes and relationship dynamics. Contemporary circus as an art form that is perfectly suited to using skills to create a spectacle, atmosphere and build credibility with the audience. Circus is also able to represent situations such as communication and consent through the safe enactment of partner acrobalance. Circus is also good at metaphor; a hat routine with multiple hats representing different types genders.
 
I led the devising process aiming to incorporate the skills and the ideas of the artists Jess Herman, Jacob Hirsch-Holland, Emily Ball and Winston Pyke. The creative process was also guided by Theatre-in-Education consultant, Jackie Clementines and Circus Theatre Consultant, Gwen Hales. The content was steered through youth consultations with young people from the Creative Youth Network and Off the Record. The project producer, Jess Herman is a sexual health educator ensured the sexual health content met the needs of the national secondary school’s Relationship and Sex Education curriculum. The project was further supported in this capacity by specialist Sexual Health providers Brook. A one-hour performance followed by an anonymous question session was tested in three secondary schools across Bristol in this pilot phase of the project. There was also one sell-out public performance at the Ashton Court Arts Mansion on Saturday 30 March.
ABOUT ME

I am a New Zealand performance artist, director, teacher and producer based in the UK. With over twenty years’ experience, my passion lies in physical theatre, circus and street arts. Participation has formed the centre for my work, whether by involving community & artists in the creative process or creating work that asks the audience to become involved. I enjoy the power of the arts to inspire and for people to be active participants in theatre, empowering them to realise their own creative potential.

My skills are many and varied and span arts and event management, production, design, teaching and performance. I am proficient in marketing, PR and business development, with skills in administration, web design and office management. My project management skills incorporate planning, budgeting, tour management & reporting. I am also a teacher, choreographer and director of dance, physical theatre and circus.

My portfolio of work has taken place across the globe, from New Zealand and Australia to the UK and Europe, from Central and South America to the islands of the Pacific.