New Victory Theater Presents 'Circus Oz: From the Ground Up Tour', Now thru 12/30

For the past 34 years, Circus Oz has performed to millions of people in over 26 countries across five continents, has broken box office records at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, and is considered the gold standard for contemporary circus all over the world. Now, these awe-inspiring Aussies will perform at The New Victory Theater for a record fifth time with the U.S. premiere of the Circus Oz: From the Ground Up Tour, (which comes with the warning "so funny you might wet your pants")! Circus Oz: From the Ground Up will run at The New Victory Theater, 209 West 42nd Street from today, November 30 through December 30.

While many of the acts are new, the spectacle is vintage Oz. Featuring live rock music and larrikin irreverence, musicians double as acrobats, acrobats double as jugglers, jugglers double as trapeze artists and everyone's a comic. Two Indigenous performers from the company's Blakrobtics Indigenous Master Class program are the newest talents to join the 14-member Circus Oz ensemble, one of whom is a State air guitar champion! The show, which will embark on a seven-city U.S. tour following New York, is driven by the theme of construction – construction of a new custom-built Circus Precinct for the company in their home town of Melbourne, and construction of a society where everyone is welcome.

"The theme of the show takes us back to our own identity," said Mike Finch, artistic director of Circus Oz. "What does it mean to be Australian? We're all really into the idea that we're still building it from the ground up into a diverse community of people," he added.

The show's imagery, set and costumes is inspired by the famous Charles C. Ebbets 1932 photograph, New York Construction Workers Lunching on a Crossbeam. A huge construction beam that facilitates the aerial performances and other dare-devil stunt mastery will span The New Victory stage.

Circus Oz: From the Ground Up is directed by Mike Finch with tour direction by Ed Boyle. Lighting design is by Jenny Hector, sound design by Chris Braun, costume design by Circus Oz founding member Laurel Frank and rhythm choreography, with permission from Torres Strait elders, by Ghenoa Gela. All the music is created and performed by the rockin' Circus Oz band.

The cast includes Hazel Bock, JEREMY DAVIES, Ghenoa Gela, Kai Johnson-Peady, Flip Kammerer, Bec Matthews, Stevee Mills, Carl Polke, Ania Reynolds, Ruby Rowat, Luke Taylor, Mason West, Shane Witt and Dale Woodbridge, with special appearances by rigger Chad Albinger

Following its run at The New Victory Theater, Circus Oz will continue its From the Ground Up Tour with performances in Tacoma, WA (Broadway Center for the Performing Arts), Los Angeles (UCLA) and Berkley, CA (Cal Performances), Las Vegas (Smith Center), Cedar Falls, IA (Gallagher Bluedorn Performing Arts Center), West Lafayette, IN (Purdue Convocations) and Urbana, IL (Krannert Center for the Performing Arts).

Performance Schedule: 28 performances

Fri 11/30 7pm
Sat 12/1 2pm and 7pm
Sun 12/2 12pm and 5pm
Fri 12/7 7pm
Sat 12/8 2pm and 7pm
Sun 12/9 12pm and 5pm
Fri 12/14 7pm
Sat 12/15 2pm and 7pm
Sun 12/16 12pm and 5pm
Thu 12/20 7pm
Fri 12/21 7pm
Sat 12/22 2pm and 7pm
Sun 12/23 12pm and 5pm
Wed 12/26 2pm
Thu 12/27 2pm
Fri 12/28 2pm and 7pm
Sat 12/29 2pm and 7pm
Sun 12/30 12pm

Circus Oz: From the Ground Up is for the whole family. The age recommendation is 5 and older, and will have a running time of 1 hour and 40 minutes, including one intermission.

Tickets for Circus Oz at The New Victory Theater (209 West 42nd Street) cost $36, $22, $14 and $11 for Members and $55, $33, $21 and $17 for Non-members based on seat locations.

Theater-goers who buy tickets for three or more New Victory shows qualify for free Membership benefits, including up to 35-percent savings on tickets all season long. To purchase tickets online, visit NewVictory.org, and to purchase by phone, call 646-223-3010. The New Victory Theater box office (209 West 42nd Street) is open Sunday and Monday from 11am-5pm and Tuesday through Saturday from 12pm-7pm.

For more information, visit www.newvictory.org.

Circus Oz was founded in 1978 as an amalgamation of two already successful Australian groups, Soapbox Circus and the New Circus. The principles that were at the heart of the original Circus Oz philosophy are still reflected in their performances today: collective ownership and creation, gender equity, a uniquely Australian signature and team-work.

The founding members of Circus Oz loved the skills and tricks of traditional circus but wanted to make a new sort of show that a contemporary audience could relate to, adding elements of rock 'n roll, popular theater and satire. They wanted it to be funny, irreverent and spectacular, a celebration of the group as a bunch of multi-skilled individual women and men, rather than a hierarchy of stars. Above all, they didn't want to take themselves too seriously. They sewed and welded together their own circus tent, got together a collection of old trucks and caravans and went on the road. Circus Oz was a fresh and original voice in circus and the company was immediately popular with Australian audiences. Within a few years, they began to tour internationally, with visits to New Guinea and Europe.

In the mid-1980s, new contemporary circus and physical theater troupes began to appear across the world, in the wake of Circus Oz. It was at this time that Circus Oz itself underwent a major skills development phase through intensive training with acrobats from China's Nanjing Acrobatic Troupe. Many of the skills learned over the years from the Chinese, such as pole-climbing and hula-hoop, continue to flavor the show, albeit reinterpreted and presented in a distinctly Circus Oz style. As new waves of people have joined Circus Oz over the years, they have embraced the company's co-operative style and philosophy and made it their own.

The overall tenor of the performance has remained consistent over the years. There are usually 11 to 13 performers (normally with at least two specialized musicians) who present an intimate spectacle of unrelenting energy, humor, multi-skill playing, surreal imagery, grace and strength, fully integrated with a live and original musical score. Circus Oz remains at the forefront of international contemporary circus. Its performances today are as distinctive and dynamic as its touring program. The Circus Oz show is continuously revitalized with the injection of new ideas, skills and people.

An independent, nonprofit organization, The New 42nd Street was created to assume long-term responsibility and oversight for seven historic theaters between 42nd Street and 7th and 8th Avenues. The projects of The New 42nd Street include: The New Victory Theater, a performing arts theater devoted to kids and families; the New 42nd Street Studios, a state-of-the-art, 10-story rehearsal studio/office/theater "complex", and The Duke on 42nd Street, an intimate 200-seat black-box theater that opened in 2000 and is available on a rental basis to international and domestic nonprofit and commercial performing arts organizations to present their work.