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| Flying Fruit Fly Circus | |
|---|---|
| Name | Flying Fruit Fly Circus |
| Formation | 1979 |
| Type | Youth circus company |
| Location | Albury, New South Wales, Australia |
| Leader title | Artistic Director |
Flying Fruit Fly Circus is a youth circus company based in Albury, New South Wales, Australia, founded in 1979 as a community arts initiative. The company combines acrobatics, circus arts, theatre and physical performance to train young artists and present national and international productions. It operates a residential training centre and touring ensemble that collaborate with schools, festivals and cultural institutions.
The company was established during the late 1970s community arts movement alongside organisations such as the Australian Council for the Arts, Australia Council for the Arts-funded companies, and regional initiatives in New South Wales and Victoria. Early collaborators included artists from Circus Oz, educators associated with University of New South Wales performing arts programs, and youth development advocates from the Country Arts Support Program. Fundraising and governance involved partnerships with the New South Wales Department of the Arts, local councils including Albury City Council and stakeholders from the Murray River region. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s the company toured with support from agencies such as the Australia Council and engaged with festivals like the Melbourne International Arts Festival and the Adelaide Festival. In the 2000s, strategic alliances with institutions including the Victorian Arts Centre and collaborations with companies such as Cirque du Soleil-associated trainers informed curriculum expansion. The organisation weathered funding changes, incorporated a residential training facility co-located with educational partners, and expanded its role in national youth circus networks like Circus Oz-linked initiatives and the National Institute of Circus Arts.
Governance is provided by a board drawn from regional arts leaders, education professionals and community figures linked to institutions such as the Regional Arts Australia network and the Albury Wodonga Business Council. Artistic leadership has included directors with backgrounds at Circus Oz, the National Institute of Circus Arts and overseas companies like Les 7 Doigts de la Main. Operational management interfaces with funding bodies including the Australia Council and state arts departments. The company maintains a residential campus adjacent to secondary schools and tertiary providers such as Charles Sturt University and collaborates with secondary education authorities in New South Wales and Victoria. Staff roles span artistic directors, pedagogues trained at institutions like the Victorian College of the Arts, physiotherapists familiar with elite youth training such as those linked to Australian Institute of Sport, and administrative personnel experienced with producing for venues like the Sydney Opera House and the Queensland Performing Arts Centre.
Programs target adolescents and young adults drawing on models from the National Institute of Circus Arts, youth company systems used by Sydney Theatre Company and vocational pathways akin to those at the Victorian College of the Arts Secondary School. Curriculum includes aerial techniques influenced by training at Cirque du Soleil schools, tumbling and acrobatics with methodologies from the Australian Institute of Sport youth programs, and devising practices resonant with approaches at Belvoir St Theatre and Griffin Theatre Company. Partnerships extend to local schools, the NSW Department of Education and regional arts organisations for outreach in towns along the Murray River corridor. The organisation runs intensive residencies, certificate-level vocational workshops and pathways into tertiary programs at the National Institute of Circus Arts and international exchanges with academies such as the École Nationale de Cirque and Centre National des Arts du Cirque.
Productions blend physical theatre, music and circus staging akin to works presented at the Sydney Festival, Adelaide Festival Centre and international festivals including the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and Venice Biennale. Repertoire has included ensemble-devised shows, narrative-led works staged at the Hamer Hall and site-specific performances at riverfront precincts in Albury and Wodonga. Collaborations have involved composers and dramaturgs from institutions like the Australian Music Centre and playwrights associated with Bell Shakespeare and Opera Australia for cross-disciplinary projects. Technical production standards align with presenters such as the Arts Centre Melbourne and touring logistics have utilised networks including the Regional Arts Victoria circuit.
The company has toured nationally to venues such as the Sydney Opera House, Melbourne Town Hall and regional theatres supported by Country Arts SA and Regional Arts NSW. International tours have included appearances at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, cultural exchanges in China, and residencies at training centres like the National Circus School (Quebec) and the École de Cirque de Bruxelles. Long-form residencies have been hosted in partnership with municipal councils including Albury City Council and arts precincts such as the Murray Art Museum Albury for community-integrated projects.
Alumni and staff have gone on to roles with major companies and institutions including Circus Oz, Cirque du Soleil, National Institute of Circus Arts, Bell Shakespeare, Sydney Theatre Company and international ensembles such as Les 7 Doigts de la Main. Former directors and pedagogues have held positions at the Victorian College of the Arts, Australian Institute of Sport performance teams, and creative roles in festivals like the Melbourne International Arts Festival and the Adelaide Festival. Graduates have also joined performing arts faculties at universities such as Charles Sturt University and conservatoires including the Victorian College of the Arts.
The organisation and its productions have received acclaim and awards from bodies such as the Australia Council, state arts awards in New South Wales and industry recognition at festivals like the Melbourne Fringe Festival and the Sydney Festival. Touring invitations to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and cultural diplomacy engagements have been cited by arts funding bodies including the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade as markers of international standing. Peer recognition includes commendations from the National Institute of Circus Arts and regional arts networks such as Regional Arts Australia.
Category:Performing arts companies of Australia Category:Circuses