Image: Keiran McNamara

Statera Circus

BOOP

Statera Circus is a joyful, adventurous, and inquisitive circus and physical theatre collective dedicated to uplifting young people through captivating circus performances and immersive community initiatives.

Our founding members – Karina Schiller, Dylan Singh, Aleshanee Kelso, Tomas Correia, and Anette Lindroos – have received training from world-renowned instructors at the National Institute of Circus Arts and the Flying Fruit Fly Circus and performed all around the world with companies like Circus Oz and Casus Circus. Our ensemble is predominantly female, with a rich diversity of identities, including Indigenous, culturally and linguistically diverse, neurodiverse, and LGBTQI+ individuals.

This year, we’re beyond thrilled to present BOOP, a circus extravaganza for the whole family.

    ABOUT THE PROJECT

    Our work is driven by the philosophy that art should be shared and accessible to all. We fight to create open and inclusive engagement activities for young people, developing trust within the community and building a long-term audience base. We connect with young people through joy, navigating failure and identity in a globalised world. We use our touring show BOOP and its linked workshops to create transformative spaces for metropolitan and regional audiences.

    BOOP is an absurdist narrative circus piece; it uses comedic characters, circus stunts, embedded accessibility and a theatrical supermarket setting to tell relatable stories for young people. It looks at finding your place in the world, and revels in the lack of sense life makes. To create BOOP, Statera engaged at-risk youth through a collaborative creative development process. This simulated conversations between the artists and the young people about identity and belonging, which informed the work that Statera created. Teenagers often have anxieties that prevent them from presenting their authentic selves. In our linked and show-informed workshops, we navigate these challenges by creating safe spaces to allow young people to feel empowered through physical circus skills and show critique – this process helps to build ongoing relationships with communities creating a legacy that lives well beyond our time in that community.

    BOOP is a way for families to connect with the young people in their lives and sparks conversations about navigating anxiety and positive images of self-confidence. The show is best for mixed-age families, focusing on kids 10+ years of age (although it is beloved by kids under that age too)! This is a show that engages the whole family, as one grandma remarked rolling in her wheelchair, “We’re all MAD here!”

    BOOP is a 50-minute show that is fully self-contained and can be easily toured by van or plane. It has no rigging requirements and an easy technical file to be used by the venue technicians.

    “Imaginative, clever, funny and upbeat. The likes of which I dare say you won’t have seen before.” – The Blurb

    “The performers have a mission to entertain young people with circus skills while having enough theatre skills to capture and dissolve their concerns and anxieties.” – The Advertiser

    Karina Schiller
    karina@stateracircus.com