A troupe of Albury-based Flying Fruit Fly Circus graduates have banded together to form their own company and now want to take their show overseas.
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The outfit, called Small Town Syndrome, had its genesis in the production Stunt Lounge, which performed sell out seasons at the Melbourne Comedy Festival and Sydney Opera House.
Now its members, all aged under 21, have their sights set on the Adelaide and Edinburgh fringe festivals.
Member Zach Johnson, whose focus is on acrobatics, said they will stage a show at AlburyLibrary Musuem on October 8 from 7.30pm to raise funds to help with travelling costs.
“It’s really a cabaret-circus performance of different acts we’ve all developed ourselves,” he said.
“It’s definitely a different experience creating acts yourself instead of working with a director or a producer, but it’s good thing to do, to create your own work, to explore your own creative impulses.”
Fellow performer Jess Mews, who moved to Albury from Western Australia to follow her dream in 2013, said the formation of Small Town Syndrome was encouraged by mentors at their college.
“We really wanted to make a company that could showcase young skill and perseverance,” she said.
“It’s about young people doing things that people wouldn’t actually assume they could do.”
But Mews admitted, as artists, it had also proved a steep learning curve in managing the business side of the company.
“It’s a challenge which we all thought would be hard,” she said.
“It has been quite challenging organising ourselves and running our first show at the LibraryMusuem as a company on our own.”
But Small Town Syndrome had risen to the occasion, and plans for the night were going swimmingly.
The Adelaide and Edinburgh fringe festivals are seen as a hub for exploring circus arts, and the group hopes to be exposed to the who’s who of the circus industry.
“Going to those kinds of festivals really gets our name out into the industry, and its a really great way to meet contacts and network partners that can further our careers,” Mews said.
The show on October 8 includes acrobatics, aerial acts and sideshow feats, with parental guidance recommended.
To book tickets, visit trybooking.com/MYGW.
