Yaron Lifschitz, Director and Stage Designer
Lifschitz is a graduate of the University of New South Wales, The University of Queensland, and The National Institute of Dramatic Arts (NIDA), where he was the youngest director ever accepted into its graduate director’s course. Lifschitz has directed over 60 productions including large-scale events, opera, theatre, physical theatre, and circus.
His work has been seen in more than 40 countries and across six continents by over 1.5 million people and has won numerous awards including six Helpmann Awards and the Australia Council Theatre Award. His productions have been presented at major festivals and venues around the world including the Brooklyn Academy of Music, the Barbican Centre, Les Nuits de Fourvière, Chamäleon Theatre and all the major Australian festivals. He was founding Artistic Director of the Australian Museum’s Theatre Unit, Head Tutor in Directing at Australian Theatre for Young People and has been a regular guest tutor in directing at NIDA. He is currently Artistic Director and CEO of Circa.
Jethro Woodward, Composer and Sound Designer
Woodward is a Melbourne-based composer, musical director, arranger, musician and sound designer recognised for his expansive and highly layered film, theatre and dance scores. A multi Green Room Award winner and Helpmann Award nominee, he has worked with some of Australia’s leading and independent companies including Malthouse Theatre, Melbourne Theatre Company, Sydney Theatre Company, Belvoir St Theatre, and Melbourne Symphony Orchestra.
A composition graduate from the Victorian College of the Arts, Woodward draws upon his detailed understanding of contemporary music and its uses in live performance, including innovative uses of technology, combining live instrumentation with pre-recorded, electronic, musical and sound elements into a seamless flexible and responsive score. He is also a guitarist and singer, and was the composer of Rapture at Sydney Festival 2021.
Libby McDonnell, Costume Designer
McDonnell is a designer and choreographer and currently Head of Design at Circa. She has a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Honours) in Visual Art from Queensland College of Art, Griffith University, and an Associate Degree in Dance from Queensland University of Technology. Her professional career includes performing and making independent dance work, as an Artistic Director of Ballet Theatre Queensland and Choreographer for Blue Roo Theatre Company.
For 11 years she has worked with the team at Circa to imagine, develop and deliver their productions locally, nationally and internationally. During her time at Circa she has designed costumes for over 30 productions, co-directed three main stage productions and led many of the company’s engagement projects including the pilot of the CircAbility programme.
Alexander Berlage, Lighting Designer
Berlage is an award-winning director and lighting designer. He has worked for Sydney Theatre Company, Opera Queensland, Circa, Birmingham Royal Ballet, to name a few, and is co-artistic director of the Old Fitz Theatre.
His smash-hit, sold-out production of American Psycho won nine Sydney Theatre Awards including Best Direction of a Musical, Best Production of an Independent Musical, and Best Lighting Design of an Independent Production. His production of Cry-Baby won four Sydney Theatre Awards including Best Direction of a Musical, and Best Production of a Musical. Berlage holds a Bachelor of Dramatic Art (Production) and a Master of Fine Art (Directing) from The National Institute of Dramatic Art, Sydney.
Marty Evans, Associate Director
Evans came to circus by a more roundabout route than most. After watching nothing but circus videos during his lunchbreaks at Australia’s only nuclear reactor, Evans left behind his published scientific career, embracing his physical sports background to pursue a career in circus.
His first taste of circus came at the University of Sydney in 2010 as he tried to entertain himself during free periods by learning to throw people into the air and trying to catch them again. Evans trained at the National Institute of Circus Arts in Melbourne. He is a fiercely determined and hardworking hand-to-hand base that enjoys exploring new challenges and techniques. He joined the Circa Ensemble full time in 2015.
Rani Luther, Dramaturg and Associate Choreographer
Born in Melbourne, Luther’s professional dance career began with the German Kiel Ballet Company in 1995. She has danced with Netherlands Dance Theatre 2, Netherlands Dance Theatre 1, The Australian Ballet Company, Sydney Dance Company and Melbourne Ballet Company.
Her choreographic creations include Lunar for Queensland Ballet’s inaugural season of Synergy, Heartstrings for the Australian Ballet Company’s Bodytorque season, From. To. Here. for Queensland Ballet’s Bespoke season, and Butterfly Effect for Thomas Dixon Centre’s inaugural season of Encore. In 2019 Luther was appointed Ballet Mistress and Creative Associate for Queensland Ballet and in 2022-2023 Creative Associate for Queensland Ballet and Thomas Dixon Centre.
Circa
Based in Brisbane, Australia, Circa is at the forefront of the new wave of contemporary Australian circus – pioneering how extreme physicality can create powerful and moving performances. It continues to push the boundaries of the art form, blurring the lines between movement, dance, theatre and circus.
Under the direction of circus visionary Yaron Lifschitz, Circa features an ensemble of exceptional, multi-skilled circus artists who have been a regular fixture at leading festivals and venues in New York, London, Berlin and Montreal with seasons at Brooklyn Academy of Music, the Barbican Centre, Les Nuits de Fourvière, Chamäleon Theatre as well as major Australian Festivals. Circa is committed to fostering the next generation of circus artists and runs public circus classes and regular circus programmes with communities. Since 2004, it has toured the world, performing in more than 40 countries to over 1.5 million people.