About Us
Our Vision
We aspire to be a values-driven performing arts company that is collaborative, irreverent, culturally distinctive and sustainable. Circus Oz is a place where people are proud of their work, and where the company is proud of its people.
Artistically, we aim to balance intimacy and accessibility with experimentation and innovation. Our work is a direct expression of our creative community, connecting with audiences of all ages and backgrounds, across Australia and around the world.
Our Values
At the heart of everything we do are:
- Innovation with accessibility
- Multi-perspective, multi-generational collaboration
- Irreverence and humour
- Democracy and social justice
- Love, care and respect for one another
These values don’t sit on a shelf—they shape how we work, who we work with, and what we put on stage.
What We’re Working Towards
People & Leadership
Circus Oz is a multigenerational community of creative workers who share a vision, debate ideas robustly, respect each other’s roles, and actively support skills development, exchange and leadership at every level.
Creating Work
We make work that is exciting, irreverent and innovative work that reflects our values and emerges from deep creative collaboration between skilled, diverse artists and makers.
Presenting Work & Connecting with Audiences
We perform in both theatrical and non-theatrical spaces, creating experiences that connect through character, spectacle, physicality, comedy, music and story—meeting audiences where they are, and inviting them a little further.
Resilience, Adaptation & Sustainability
We are focused on building a secure future for Circus Oz through entrepreneurship, adaptability and strategic partnerships so we can keep taking creative risks for generations to come.
A Proudly Irreverent Legacy
Circus Oz was born in Melbourne in 1978, emerging from the union of two radical performance collectives—Soapbox Circus and the New Circus. From the beginning, the company set out to reinvent circus for contemporary audiences: all-human, politically awake, musically loud, physically daring, and joyfully irreverent.
A New Kind of Circus
The founding artists loved traditional circus skills but wanted something more immediate, more human, and more Australian. They rejected star hierarchies in favour of collective creation, gender equity, and ensemble power. Rock ’n’ roll, satire, popular theatre and live music were stitched directly into the DNA of the work—sometimes literally, alongside a self-built tent, patched-together trucks and a convoy of caravans heading out on the road.
The result was a fresh, fearless voice in circus—funny, spectacular, and never taking itself too seriously. Audiences responded instantly.
Touring the World
Circus Oz has since toured to more than 27 countries across five continents, performing everywhere from Broadway and 42nd Street to remote Australian communities, refugee camps in the West Bank, and a glass opera house in the Brazilian rainforest. Along the way, the company has reached over four million people, broken box office records at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and represented Australia at countless international festivals.
Shows have been adapted and translated into multiple languages, including Hindi, Mandarin, Japanese and Danish—proof that physical storytelling, generosity and good timing travel well.
Innovation & Influence
In the mid-1980s, as contemporary circus companies began emerging worldwide, Circus Oz deepened its physical practice through intensive training with China’s Nanjing Acrobatic Troupe. Skills such as pole climbing and hula hooping became hallmarks of the work—reimagined through the distinct Circus Oz lens of humour, musicality and ensemble play.
Alongside founding company members, each new generation of artists has embraced and reshaped the cooperative ethos, ensuring the work stays alive, responsive and relevant.
Values in Action
Circus Oz has always believed circus can—and should—stand for something. The company has a long-standing commitment to social justice, accessibility, tolerance and human kindness. Over the years, Circus Oz has worked closely with charities and Indigenous communities, delivered community classes and workshops, mentored emerging artists, and raised more than $500,000 in support of refugees and asylum seekers.
Still Evolving
Today, Circus Oz performances typically feature an ensemble of 11–13 performers, including specialist musicians, creating an intimate, high-energy collision of acrobatics, comedy, music and surreal imagery. The work continues to evolve—fuelled by new skills, new voices and new ideas—while staying true to the spirit that launched it in 1978. Still all-human. Still irreverent. Still proudly Circus Oz.
Forty-Five Years of Momentum
Since our inception in 1978, Circus Oz has spent over 45 years redefining the possibilities of human performance. As a global cultural ambassador for Australia, we have taken our unique brand of contemporary circus to 27+ countries across 5 continents, proving that the language of circus is truly universal.
2025
Non Stop - Australia (Melbourne)
KaBloom - Australia (Melbourne)
2024
Smash It - Australia (Melbourne)
KaBloom - Australia (Melbourne)
2023
Non Stop - Australia (Melbourne)
2020
Neon & Bubblegum - Australia (Melbourne)
Aurora - Australia (Wonthaggi, Casey)
2019
Precarious - Australia (Warragul, Sale, Frankston, Geelong, Alice Springs, Darwin, Bathurst Island, Melville Island, Katherine, Karratha, Perth, Mandurah)
Aurora - Australia (Melbourne)
Model Citizens - Colombia (Bucaramanga, Bogotá)
Rock Bang - Australia (Hobart, Launceston, Devonport)
Neon & Bubblegum - Australia (Adelaide, Darwin)
2018
Model Citizens - Australia (Parramatta, Bendigo, Casey, Horsham, Warrnambool, Mildura, Launceston, Hobart, Canberra, Shoalhaven, Port Macquarie, Tamworth, Dubbo, Wellington, Orange, Wollongong); Germany (Munich); Spain (Madrid)
Rock Bang - Australia (Melbourne, Sydney)
Tutti - Australia (Melbourne, Perth)
Neon & Bubblegum - Australia (Melbourne)
2017
Model Citizens - Australia (Melbourne, Dandenong, Ballarat, Shepparton, Geelong, Colac, Apollo Bay, Lavers Hill, Brisbane, Townsville, Rockhampton, Mackay, Cherbourg, Kilkivan, Gold Coast, Lismore, Wyong, Penrith, Griffith, Wagga Wagga); China (Xuzhou)
Straight Up - USA (Pennsylvania, Blacksburg, Fayetteville, Iowa City)
Chasing Smoke - Australia (Melbourne)
2016
Twenty Sixteen - Brazil (São Paulo); Australia (Melbourne, Sydney, Warrnambool, Horsham, Mildura, Swan Hill, Tanunda, Adelaide, Alice Springs, Darwin, Geraldton, Mandurah, Bunbury, Albany, Launceston, Hobart, Darebin, Frankston, Bendigo, Boort, Warracknabeal, Sea Lake)
But Wait… There’s More - Australia (Sydney)
2015
But Wait… There’s More - Australia (Sydney, Melbourne, Sale, Dandenong, South Morang, Shepparton, Wangaratta, Albury, Wagga Wagga, Wollongong, Canberra, Parramatta, Bathurst, Orange, Dubbo, Tamworth, Port Macquarie); USA (Seattle, Urbana, Manhattan KS, Princeton); Canada (Montreal)
2014
But Wait… There’s More - Australia (Sydney, Melbourne, Ballarat, Frankston, Hobart, Warragul, Geelong, Newcastle, Brisbane, Rockhampton, Mackay, Gladstone, Townsville, Cairns, Lismore, Penrith); USA (Davis, Danville, Boston); Canada (Montreal); Palm Island
2013
Australia (Mildura, Shepparton, Albany, Mandurah, Bunbury, Geraldton, Alice Springs, Port Lincoln, Port Pirie, Whyalla, Noarlunga, Renmark, Mount Gambier, Warrnambool, Perth, Darwin); Arnhem Land (Oenpelli, Maningrida, Ramingining, Gapuwiyak, Yirrkala, Gove); USA (Tacoma, Los Angeles, Berkeley, Las Vegas, Cedar Falls, West Lafayette, Urbana)
2012
Australia (Orange, Penrith, Tamworth, Dubbo, Canberra, Parramatta, Wollongong, Albury, Wagga Wagga, Griffith, Mildura, Frankston, Warragul, Dandenong, Melbourne, Sydney); USA (New York, Princeton, Fayetteville, Davis, Salt Lake City)
2011
Australia (Melbourne, Mackay, Townsville, Cairns, Rockhampton, Gladstone, Brisbane, Gold Coast, Newcastle, Port Macquarie, Launceston, Hobart); Spain (Madrid)
2010
Australia (Sydney, Adelaide, Melbourne, Mount Gambier, Renmark, Murray Bridge, Port Pirie, Whyalla, Port Lincoln, Alice Springs, Hermannsburg, Imanpa, Darwin, Bagot, Binjari); USA (Berkeley)
2009
Australia (Geelong, Frankston, Melbourne, Parramatta, Port Macquarie, Launceston, Hobart, Mildura, Griffith, Brisbane, Penrith, Bathurst, Orange, Canberra); USA (Berkeley, Austin); New Zealand (Auckland, Nelson)
2008
Australia (Wujal Wujal, Kuranda, Cairns, Townsville, Mount Isa, Palm Island, Rockhampton, Gladstone, Nambour, Gold Coast, Newcastle, Melbourne); UK (Edinburgh, Cardiff, Northampton, Woking, Brighton); Italy (Milan)
2007
Australia (Perth, Newman, Broome, Fitzroy Crossing, Turkey Creek, Kununurra, Darwin, Alice Springs, Port Lincoln, Whyalla, Port Pirie, Renmark, Sydney, Melbourne); New Zealand (Christchurch, Taranaki, Wellington); China (Hong Kong); USA (Pittsburgh, Galveston, Berkeley, Arcata); Mexico (Monterrey)
2006
Australia (Canberra, Adelaide, Mildura, Hobart, Frankston, Geelong, Griffith, Wagga Wagga, Newcastle, Parramatta, Bathurst, Orange, Melbourne); USA (Honolulu, New York)
2005
Australia (Sydney, Brisbane, Cairns, Townsville, Mount Isa, Rockhampton, Nambour, Melbourne); UK (London, Milton Keynes, Bristol, Nottingham, Brighton, Cardiff); Austria (Vienna); Germany (Hamburg)
2004
Australia (Sydney, Adelaide, Renmark, Mount Gambier, Whyalla, Port Lincoln, Port Pirie, Alice Springs, Darwin, Melbourne); USA (New York); UK (London)
2003
Australia (Sydney, Canberra, Geelong, Ballarat, Parramatta, Campbell Town TAS, Melbourne, Frankston); USA (New York)
2002
Australia (Sydney, Brisbane, Nambour, Gladstone, Rockhampton, Townsville, Mount Isa, Cairns, Melbourne); Brazil (São Paulo)
2001
Australia (Bathurst, Orange, Ballarat, Mildura, Geelong, Frankston, Renmark, Port Pirie, Whyalla, Mount Gambier, Launceston, Hobart, Bunbury, Geraldton, Esperance, Melbourne); Austria (Vienna); Spain (Barcelona); Germany (Berlin)
2000
Australia (Sydney, Melbourne); UK (Stoke-on-Trent, Leeds, Norwich, Chichester, Woking, Reading, Southampton, Milton Keynes, London); Austria (Vienna); Korea (Seoul); Turkey (Istanbul, Ankara); USA (New York)
1999–1990
Extensive touring across Australia, USA, Europe, Asia, South America and New Zealand including Germany, Colombia, Brazil, Japan, Thailand, Sweden, Denmark, Israel, Netherlands, Ireland, Hong Kong and Singapore.
1989–1984
National touring throughout Australia alongside early international tours to the USA and Europe.
1983–1978
Circus Oz forms and tours Australia, Europe and Papua New Guinea. 1978 — First performances in Melbourne and Adelaide
Performers
Musicians
Production
Qualifications and Experience
Regina Hill works with the First Peoples Assembly of Victoria. She is the Managing Director of Regina Hill Effective Consulting Pty Ltd and Effective Philanthropy. She has worked as a consultant for over 20 years, having been employed as a lawyer before working as a commercial consultant with a leading global consulting firm, AT Kearney, and then setting up her own consulting practice and co-founding Effective Philanthropy. She has worked across government, not for profit and philanthropic sectors, including extensive work within the professional and community arts sectors and works with the First Peoples Assembly of Victoria. Regina has experience as a Director with both commercial and for purpose organisations. Regina is currently a Director of for purpose organisation Collaboration for Impact. She has previously been the Chairperson of the Women’s Circus and a Director of the Archie Roach Foundation. Regina has an MBA, LLM, LLB (Hons), and a BA.
John is the Managing Director of John Paxinos & Associates Pty Ltd, specialists in developing financially sustainable arts organisations. He established this firm in 1988 to provide management, consulting and financial services in the arts and cultural sector. In 1992 he co- founded Auspicious Arts Projects Inc, a not-for-profit organisation that provides a management partnership for Independent Artists. John has an MBA and was a co-founder of the Chartered Accounting firm, Paxinos & Habash Arts Tax in 2016. John began his career in Arts Management in 1980 when he was appointed General Manager of the Murray River Performing Group and Flying Fruit Fly Circus in Albury-Wodonga, a role he held for six years.
Spenser Inwood is a founding member of ‘A Good Catch’ a company that has created and toured award winning shows such as Casting Off and Zoë. As a young performer she spent 10 years training, creating, and touring with the Flying Fruit Fly Circus, Spenser directed her first show “What do I want?” in 2013 at The Women’s Circus. She has recently directed ‘Monumental ‘for Spaghetti Circus which was presented at the National Circus Festival. Spenser is currently and has been a member of the Circus Oz ensemble, touring extensively both nationally and internationally from Arnhem Land to Munich, and Frankston to Bogota. Her passions include leadership, performance and collaboration. Spenser prides herself on holding and supporting the artistic big picture while attending to the intricacies of performance.
Bryce has worked in entertainment law since 1984. Before that he was a waiter at the Last Laugh while Circus in my Soup were performing. He is currently now at marshalls + dent + wilmoth lawyers and is the head of the Entertainment Department. Bryce has been a recipient of the John Howie Award for Outstanding Leadership, Achievement and Service to the Victorian Screen Industry for his many years of service as entertainment lawyer and producer. He has extensive credits as an Executive Producer of Australian films. He has considerable governance experience in independent arts and cultural organisations across the visual arts, theatre and film.
Dans Maree Sheehan is a respected independent producer and arts leader. She began her training in lighting design at the Victorian College of the Arts before relocating to New York in 2003 to complete a Master of Fine Arts at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. Over 12 years in New York, she worked with leading companies including Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and Elevator Repair Service returning to Australia in 2015 to work with Back to Back Theatre and Circus Oz. Now working independently and through Parrot Ox Productions and Club House Productions, Dans represents a range of companies and artists across Australia and the US.
Rockie Stone is a physical performer and multi-award winning contemporary theatre-maker. As much at home hand-standing on fellow acrobats or balancing on a tower of chairs as she is hanging on ropes and trapezes, Rockie has toured to all corners of the glob showcasing her work as well as touring and performing with Circus Oz, Circa, Matador, Finucane & Smith and Rock ‘n Roll Circus. Rockie has directed for Slipstream Circus, Westside Circus and is a co-founder of Company Here and Now.
Get In Touch With Circus Oz
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Our team is ready to help bring the magic to life.