OBSERVER: NICA – Proteus


The National Institute of Circus Arts presents the third-year student ensemble show, titled Proteus, co-directed by international artists Sage Bachtler Cushman (2010 NICA alumna) and Hugo Oliveira,from June 18-28 at the NICA National Circus Centre in Prahran.
Directed by Sage Bachtler Cushman and Hugo Oliveira, with a postmodern deconstructionist point of departure, a peculiar world sets in.
Voyaging through the city’s architectural spaces, micro and macro spaces unfold into an expanse of connective pathways, seclusive rooms and celebratory lairs.
Audiences will be offered microcosmic glimpses into a civilisation inhabited by a collection of modern oddballs. Within these intimate settings, Proteus builds momentum while meandering through life circumstances.
The fragmentation of shapes and reconfiguration of form transpires through set, costume and design, rendered through circus, movement and theatre.
In this dimension, mutable and ever-changing forces drive perpetual transformation.
NICA’s third-year ensemble will showcase their skills across double Chinese pole, hula hoops, aerial rope, teeterboard, roue cyr, and more.
A distinguished 2010 alumna, NICA proudly welcomes Sage back on home soil to co-create with the next generation of global circus artists, paving the way for a bold reimagining of the industry. With a shared repertoire of accolades,
awards, and professional recognitions, Sage and Hugo are said to bring a directive approach grounded in the observation of human nature, revived through physical language.
Their nuanced integration of circus, theatre, and movement is said to create a distinctive artistic dialect that ‘evokes a visceral, intuitive response’.
Event Details
Season: June 18 – 28 (preview June 17)
Time: 7:30pm evenings and 2 pm matinee
Venue: NICA’s Guang Rong Lu OAM National Circus Centre, 39-59 Green St, Prahran,
Duration: Approx. 80 minutes
Tickets: $15 – $40 plus booking fee. Discounts for groups, concession, Mob tix and under 30s.
Seating: General Admission Bookings: nica.com.au/performs
Parental guidance recommended. The show may contain references to adult themes, loud music, smoke haze, and mild sexual references.
Cheryl Threadgold