National Circus Festival takes over Mullum in October

The National Circus Festival is set to turn Mullumbimby Showground into a festival wonderland in October, with a three-day explosion of joy, fun, laughter and community spirit at its very best.

The 2024 program is packed with world-class acts and fun for the whole family and on the venue’s doorstep in Uki, comes award-winning company and fringe favourites, Casus Creations – co-founded by the husband and husband team of Jesse Scott and Lachlan McAulay, who are back with their most daring and intimate work You & I – an empowering hour of skill and identity celebrating the loving relationship between two circus artists using high-level acrobatics, trapeze, magic and dance. This unashamedly authentic journey reveals a fresh narrative where gay stories are not consumed by tragedy but filled with conviction and acceptance.

Seven spoke to Jesse who is in the midst of several shows at this month’s Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

What do you feel is the difference between those old three-ring-lions-and-trapeze circuses, to the way we see circus now?

Yes it’s a vastly different thing now, for sure, I think especially in Australia – we’re so isolated from so many other places that we have been able to really form our own kind of unique style of contemporary circus. And even over here, when we talk to audience members and reviewers, they will always say that Australian contemporary circus is so unique and so Australian.

I think, that people’s perceptions of circus started with animals and sawdust, and that was really fun, and it was great, but it had just been going for so long – and circus was always on the outside of the arts world. It always sat ‘out there’, which, in a sense, was really good because the community was really strong, but the artistic practice was just dated.

A number of amazing companies within Australia in the last 15 years, Casus among them, have really paved the way for this new form of circus, and it’s worked. The international audiences dig it. They really want to see what we’re doing which has fueled the fire for us, which has fueled our art form, which has made us think outside the box, which has made us explore our art form – circus that is vast, and that has no boundaries, because you’re not stuck on a script. There’s so much that you can take from, to create new and amazing kind of forms and shows.

Hollywood would have us believe that those former circuses were full of outcasts and freaks and people who didn’t fit into society. Do you still feel like you don’t fit in, or are you feeling pretty comfortable?

I would say that circus is still a place for the misfits, because we as a community are so unbelievably accepting that anyone can be a part of it – if you’re a good person with a good heart, then you are accepted into our community. And we’re still quite a small community around the world, and so I think there’s some kind of power to having a group of misfits, because we tell some pretty incredible stories, and we band together and we support each other.

The biggest thing is the support that comes with circus. If you’ve got an idea, if you’ve got some crazy idea that you want to try, people will get behind you to help you do that, to take it to the stages of the world. But, as I said, in the last, kind of 15 years, circus is coming more into the mainstream. But, as an art form, we still don’t have a category in the government, even though some of the Australian contemporary circuses are some of the biggest arts exporters of Australia. You know, we’re touring nine months of the year internationally, all over the world, but we don’t get support. It’s terrible.

Old circuses were very much about storytelling but when I saw The Great Moscow Circus (56 years ago), it was about things that were spectacular. Has circus done a circle and come back to storytelling? 

Yes, especially contemporary circus – my kind of genre of circus where we’re trying to tell stories, but it’s also about connecting on a human level. A massive part of our shows is the human side of circus, and the fact that this is what we do, this is our passion, and we want to really deliver that to the audience and let them in on what we’re doing. And, there’s only so far you can tell a story with your physicality. If you don’t have a script, and you’re not really a theater-based show, then you can only kind of go so far with that. So it’s all about the connection of the acrobats on stage. We, as Casus, will always make sure that we are cohesive and a team that love each other. You know, it’s the people that are most important for me when I cast a show. It’s about the people. It’s not about the skill. If we’re going to tour nine months of the year together, live 24 hours, train together, work together, we’ve got to be good friends. And so that really shines across on stage for us. So there’s themes and things like that that we put within the show.

You and I, the show that we’re doing in Mullum just has yourself and your husband. Can it be hard if one of you is having a shit day?

Yeah, of course. But I mean, when we perform, it’s the best therapy session you can have, because it’s all about trust. And if you go on stage with someone that you’re having a bit of a tiff with, you have to let it be. You have to let it go, because they have to know that you’re going to catch them, and you have to know that they’re going to throw themselves at you in the right, correct way, because, if not injuries happen, and then the whole season’s over, your career can be over. And so you just have to let go of that kind of petty stuff and really focus on what it truly is to connect with the human – and that’s trusting them. And so that’s where it happens. And luckily enough for me and my husband Lachlan – we never fight. 

With so much physicality, are circus performers better at looking after their bodies than in the past?

Yes! I’ve been around circus since I was three-months-old (almost 38 years). My trainers, they would be chugging down cigarettes all the time. And drink. Beers and ciggies all the time, and doing incredible, incredible things. But it doesn’t last. You know, our bodies are our instruments, so we have to treat them well, some people don’t, and you don’t last long. Yeah, I guess that’s the thing. I suppose it’s not just the tricks that we do. It’s the lifestyle we lead. Because we’re traveling all the time, we have to make sure we have enough sleep, eat the right foods, you know? We still like to party, but circus performers actually like to be healthy – we just like that lifestyle. 

What do you think it means to the community, the local circus community, to have a national festival just down the road?

I grew up in the youth circus – the Flying Fruit Fly Circus. I had the privilege of having incredible trainers from all over the world come in and teach me. As a student I saw first-hand what a National Circus Festival can be like to the community, and it’s incredible. Those kids that are at Spaghetti get to see some of the best Australia has to offer. And not only that, we’re not just there to train them. We’re there to guide them, but also to become their friends, because they will come into the industry soon. And as I said, this community is so small. The trainers that I used to have are now some of my best friends, and some of my best friends are people that I’ve taught. I hire people I’ve taught, and people have hired me. So it’s like this beautiful trickle down. So I think for the kids, it’s an incredible opportunity. Circus brings joy. It brings good people. So for the wider community, it’s just going to be an incredible opportunity to see world-class circus at their doorstep. And I think for Australia, it’s just an amazing time for us to all to come together and just celebrate what we do. 

What’s the best circus act you’ve seen in the last 12 months?

Well, actually, I went to see a show last night here at the fringe called Rollercoaster, (ultra-modern, pop-punk juggling by Wes Peden). It’s a solo juggling show. I’m not normally someone who goes to juggling shows, but I really appreciate the skill because it is a lot of dedication and hard work. But, he just did it in the most unique, fun, joyous, creative way, just one guy on stage with so many different props,  and it blew my mind. I had biggest smile.

What aspect of performance do you enjoy the most?

It’s funny, because even to this day, I’m still always nervous before a show, and sometimes I’m backstage going, ‘Oh why do I put myself through this?’ Because live circus is so risky. Yeah, we’re putting our bodies on the line every day to do this. So it’s always, you know, things can go wrong, but that’s the beauty of life, isn’t it? Yes, we obviously train hard enough for it to not happen… 

But when you get on stage, it’s like you get to share your passion, your life, with people and make them happy. And at the moment, in the world we live in, some pretty horrible times, and so to be able to make people smile, and a lot of our shows will bring people to tears too, because it’s like, that’s the poetic kind of nature of our shows. And after the show, people come up say, ‘that has moved me’ or, ‘that is the most incredible thing I’ve seen’, thank you so much for giving me that moment,’ and that’s the tool I have. That’s how I can help the world, essentially.

What’s something you’re looking forward to on the festival program?

To be honest, I’m really looking forward to seeing a lot of the young, up-and-comers doing their cabaret spots. I really like to see the next generation. Also, what I love about Mullum is that a lot of the older generation will come and do their shows as well. Some would call me an ‘aging acrobat’, but I’ve still got a bit in me. But, you know, it’s good to see the older generation still kicking it on stage, and then the younger generation doing these incredible things. It reminds me that I still need to train!

How often is your mind blown?

Oh, a lot. You know, skills – it’s like the Olympics. This constant breaking of records. At circus it’s the same thing with skills. They’re constantly pushing, pushing, pushing skills.

You perform this show about a relationship with the actual person who is your actual romantic partner. Do you feel like you’re exposing yourself – do the two of you feel like you’re really bearing your souls?

Yeah, we’ve been together for 16 years. We started this company together with two other amazing acrobats, and when we created You and I, we decided we wanted to do a duo show – we asked ourselves, ‘how are we going to do this and feel comfortable to just be ourselves on stage?’ And we decided to just share our love, because it’s important. When we created it, there wasn’t as much representation in the media, but also there’s not much representation of soft, masculine love. The queer representation is so full of glitter and it’s over the top.

We wanted to show a softer side. We were really keen to put that on stage. And yeah, that makes us vulnerable. We weren’t sure how it was going to go, but people have responded really incredibly well. We’ve had so many people, young and old, just come up and thank us for being able to show them that there is that type of love out there. It’s a really beautiful thing to be able to do, and we’re so pleased to be able to share it with the world, but also bring it to our doorstep. You know, we live in Uki, so this is our community as well, so we get to share our kind of passion and our love story on stage. And hopefully it’ll move some young artists.

Are you proud that you’ve been able to bring that unconventional story to the public?

I’m beyond proud. I think it feels like when I do the show, and have those people, like young queer kids just coming up and going, you’ve opened my eyes to the fact that this can be my journey. And then older people say, ‘I can’t believe you can do that’. We’re super happy to be bringing this to the festival – it’s just a great opportunity for us to tell our story.

Are you having enough fun?

Am I having enough fun? I think sometimes I have too much fun. Sometimes it’s tiring!

The National Circus Festival is on at the Mullumbimby Showground from October 4 to 6. More information and tickets can be found at www.nationalcircusfestival.com.