2006 – date Steve Cousins, Steve Mischief, Toothbrush Man or better known as the Balloonatic, was born in Wangi Wangi in 1978, near Newcastle, Australia. He became a fire performer and stiltwalker in 2001with an Edinburgh company called te POOKa. He then moved to Newcastle in 2006 where a year later he came up with… [Read More]
North East Circus History
These North East England circus profiles and notes are created from many 1st & 2nd hand sources, researched by the Family La Bonche. Including: documents & notes from Arthur Fenwick’s Scrapbooks held in the Tyne & Wear Archives; stories from NE based or visiting circus artists and NE circus communities, and documents from their personal archives; photos and articles from local newspapers; online research and, of course, some of our own stories too. The profiles form a time line from 1237 – 2013.
Let’s Circus
2007 – date Let’s Circus “The Circus that runs away to join you!” Let’s Circus was founded in 2007 by Helen Averley and Steve Cousins and is based in Newcastle upon Tyne. Helen’s daughter Freya makes up the third member of this small family circus. She has been performing since she was 10 months… [Read More]
Customs House
2002 – 9 Ray Spencer the director of Customs House is also known as Tommy the Trumpeter. He performed at Tommy’s picnics for 20 years until 2013. The Customs House was part of the South Shields Council’s Artistic programme and through it various circus initiatives were delivered. In 2002/3 A circus club was started in… [Read More]
Dream State Circus
2004 – date Dream State Circus was founded in the NE in 2004 by husband and wife duo Sophie & Jacob McGrath when they changed their name from Fairy Fire. Sophie is form North Shields, Jacob from Australia, Their early performances took a street-focus and they used acro-balance, fire and juggling with spoken comedy. They… [Read More]
Philipe Petite
Philipe Petit, famous as the man who walked on a wire between the twin towers of New York’s World Trade Centre (1974) visited Newcastle & Gateshead to plan a tight wire walk across the River Tyne from Newcastle Quayside to the Sage to mark it’s opening. He said “To me this is theatre in the… [Read More]
Fidget Feet
2005/7 Fidget Feet Aerial Dance were formed by Irish husband and wife team, Chantal McCormack & Jym Daly. Chantal trained at Dance City, before learning circus and aerial skills with Scarabeus in London. They returned to the North East and working closely with Customs House, South Shields. Fidget Feet developed their first aerial dance show… [Read More]
Cirque du Soleil
2007 to date Cirque du Soleil, from Canada has 19 shows touring world, but only one of each show at anytime. It has come to Newcastle with an Arena based show since c.2007, performing to a 4000 audience capacity. In 2013 they brought Alegria to The Newcastle Metro Radio Arena. They had 106 people on… [Read More]
Streets Of Durham Festival
2007 – date Streets of Durham was developed initially by Kate James from Visit Durham & Dream State Circus. The Festival Circus element was initially known as Streets of Play. When Dream State Circus moved to Australia, Steve Cousins of Let’s Circus took their place as programmers, working with Kate James and Alan Hillary Events…. [Read More]
Pheonix Aerial Club
2007 – date Phoenix Aerial Club. Based in Phoenix Martial Arts centre in the Ouseburn. It was founded in 2007 by Edd Muir, Vicki Carlin (Frayed Knot), Charlie Carpenter and Haylee May, and made necessary by the closing of The Buddle Arts Centre. Secured initially as a training space for professionals, it started to develop… [Read More]
Venues that also host circus – Newcastle & Gateshead
Since 2000 Dance City Although not a circus building, Dance City in Newcastle, has a crossover with Circus through aerial dance, and for the tendency for contemporary circus to fall in under dance as an associated art form. It has been the venue of several touring Aerial Dance productions, including shows by Fidget Feet and… [Read More]
