PERFORMERS TAKE TO THE AIR IN A ‘FRENETIC CELEBRATION’
Formed in Adelaide, Australia in 2009, Gravity and Other Myths is built around a core of childhood friends who met in circus school. The last time the troupe came to town, in 2015, the company performed a sold-out run at the Cultch’s York Theatre. For Backbone, Gravity’s new show, 10 acrobats toss each other around and just generally engage in what the press release describes as a “frenetic celebration of human interconnectedness (that) will test the limits of strength: physical, emotional, individual, and collective.” We talked to performer Jascha Boyce about the show.
Q You’re a co-founder of Gravity and Other Myths. How many performances have you missed since founding the company?
A I’ve stepped out a few times because I have a whole bunch of other projects. Maybe 30 or 40 shows, altogether. I sometimes have a season or two off. But we’ve done over 500 shows. So not that many. Q Is there a lead creative type on the shows or is it fully collaborative?
A It varies show to show. A Simple Space was collaborative, with a core team of five directing and then added performers. This (Backbone) is the first time we’ve ever worked with a director (Darcy Grant). He’s a close friend of ours, part of the family. So it wasn’t the traditional way a director would work with an ensemble. Q A Simple Space was very interactive and intimate, with performers close to the audience. Is that the case with Backbone?
A It’s been created for a bigger venue. So we’re a little further away, but we try to recreate that intimacy. It’s more productionheavy. We wanted to create a show that’s very different. It’s not as simple as A Simple Space, it’s more complex. A Simple Space is built around games; each scene there’s a clear competition based on something we played together as kids. Backbone is exploring strength in all of its different forms:
the strength of the team, the strength of the individual. Q Every performance, every rehearsal, is basically a trustbuilding exercise. How does that affect the relationships in the company?
A We have a unique situation; we started in recreational circus schools together, when we were eight or nine. So the trust aspect comes naturally, because we’re such good friends. Even performers we didn’t grow up with are part of the community in Australia, so we’ve known each other for a very long time. We do everything together. Q Is it hard for outsiders to break through?
A It can be. We try to be aware of that. We try to be welcoming and bring people into our little world. We love playing board games and card games, which is a really easy way for people to break into our little group. Q You are a “flyer.” But you also get to toss people around, because there are some smaller acrobats in the company, is that right?
A It’s true. I used to be on base when I was young because I was bigger than the boys, but then we all went through puberty. I’ve been a flyer for years. But now I get to be a base for other performers. So I get the best of both worlds.