The National Institute of Circus Arts (NICA) is delighted to present the second-year student ensemble show, titled Fall With Me, directed by theatre-maker, Katie Cawthorne, showing 17 – 21 September at NICA National Circus Centre in Prahran.
Have you ever felt faintly aware of your heart beating amongst a hundred other hearts? Connected to those around you on a cellular level as though you’re all vibrating at the same frequency. Spines tingling; breath undulating; hearts beating in unison.
What does it take to share something as intimate as a heartbeat with a stranger. Does it take vulnerability? Openness? The willingness to see those around us, and to let ourselves be seen.
Much of our current human experience has become distanced from truth. We are fearful of vulnerability and how it might shatter the artifice that shields us. The armour we don to manage this experience and numb ourselves of our own heartbeat.
This cathartic performance is directed by Katie Cawthorne (Within These Walls, NICA, 2023), theatrical storyteller with an interest in the nuances of the human psyche and exploring how to convey complex experiences through a language unique to the body. Acts of teeterboard, hair hang, and Chinese pole will test the limits of our trust in ourselves, and the people on whom we rely.
With set design by Rachel ‘Stoz’ Stone (ON/OFF, NICA, 2023); costume design by Ki Martin (Within These Walls, NICA, 2023); sound design by Jesse Vivante (Metaphysical, National Gallery of Victoria, 2023); lighting design by Kris Chainey (ON/OFF, NICA, 2023); and wardrobe assistance from Melbourne Polytechnic Costume Design students.
Fall With Me searches for a world where we can feel safe to submit to our own heartbeat. Can we shed our armour and let ourselves be seen?
September 18 – 21
