Irene Danner-Storm hailed from a family of circus performers. One of few Jewish families to own a circus business, the Lorch family would suffer greatly from the horrifying rise of antisemitism and the Nazis’ rise to power; the devastating climate leading to the beginnings of WWII. A decline in business and facing the possibility of being sent to a ghetto or concentration camp, Irene would be the first within her family to flee to the Althoff Circus as a means of survival. Inspired by Irene’s incredible story, performer and theatre maker Stav Meishar presents her solo show The Escape Act – A Holocaust Memoir, a production close to Stav’s heart, having trained in circus arts and being the descendant of Holocaust survivors, we learn more about how Irene’s story has impacted her both personally and professionally.

Courtesy of David White

Making choices for ourselves can very often impact on the lives of those around us, even if we don’t necessarily think it. Often times we’re faced with not only thinking of what’s best for us in the short term, but what would also be of great benefit in the longer term. We try our best to make decisions that make everyone happy, but does that fulfil our own happiness? Probably not as we’re always having to compromise, however if you operate by the principle of honesty, your happiness becomes the focal point. Exploring honesty and expectations, Directors and Circus Performers Nikki Rummer and Jean-Daniel Broussé discuss their show ‘Knot’, playing throughout August at the Assembly Roxy as part of this year’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe. 

Yablochkov Candle is an aerial exploration from Finnish performer Ilona Jäntti and an incredibly unique vocal performance from singer-songwriter Aino Venna. The live music complements the acrobatics perfectly, or should I say the acrobatics complement the music, for each art form is of equal importance throughout.

Stephen Mottram’s Animata is part of the London International Mime Festival, the festival concludes in early February and is in its 40th year. Mottram creates two pieces, the first at around 40 minutes and the other to finish at around 10 minutes. Both animations intelligently combine art and science to produce extremely thought-provoking works.

Courtesy of David Fisher.

The new puppet theatre company, Les Antliaclastes is lead by Patrick Sims; former creative director of Buchinger’s Boot Marionettes, and based in Maillet, France. The UK premier of Here Lies Shakespeare, supported by Institut Francais and Arts Council England, is currently being shown at Jacksons Lane Theatre as part of the London International Mime Festival.

Courtesy of Jacksons Lane Theatre.

It’s the beginning of the year which means 1 of the most exciting theatre festivals will make its way to the capital. The London International Mime Festival has been amazing onlookers for 4 decades, bringing the world’s of circus, puppetry, mask, visual and physical theatre to life. Making his return to the festival, Stephen Mottram has distinguished himself as one of the world’s leading puppeteers, pushing the boundaries with his exciting shows and creations. Read on to find out more about his work…

Two large circus tents have again been erected in the heart of The Meadows to form The Underbelly‘s Circus Hub and it’s always a hive of colour and activity. Families eating picnics, troupes rehearsing their acrobatic moves on the grass and the sound of rapturous applause coming from inside of the big tops and it sets the mood perfectly as you queue for entry to your show.

The Best Thing was the phrase that was constantly thrown at young women. ‘It’s the best thing for the baby, it’s the best thing for you; sign here.’  The Best Thing dives into the 1960s, charting the journey of a young woman whose life is changed irrevocably after vinyl records and rock and roll finds her along with a trendy young man. A fan of The Beatles and the like, we see this young lady, who we can hazard at being in her late teens, living life like most of us did during this period of time. She listens to unbearably loud music (for her father), she rolls up her skirt and gets immediately reprimanded, and apart from the usual parental disputes she is portrayed as a happy fun-loving girl.

We British love a good throwback, and as the audience at Jacksons Lane found themselves singing along to 90’s pop classics such as Peter Andre and the Spice Girls, it was evident that we also enjoy a good singsong too. It is this audience participation and blurring of the lines between stage and crowd, circus arts and storytelling that forms Throwback, a performance of aerial acrobatics, mind boggling feats and juggling, courtesy of rising stars of the circus scene, Silver Lining.