Circa’s new paths to success

Executive Director Shaun Comerford says the company’s extraordinary growth is underpinned by one important adage: the art comes first.
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Balancing act: Circa’s stable leadership makes growth possible. From Circa’s Humans. Image Duncan McGlynn. 

Of course I had heard the stories about Circa. Consistently in festival delivery mode. Hundreds of performances a year around the globe – with a tiny staff. An Artistic Director who barely sleeps. 

But 10 months into my role as Executive Director, I’ve discovered that the real secret to Circa’s success is both simpler and more complex. By constantly asking, ‘what is possible?’ the company has pioneered a new approach to circus and arts leadership, management and producing.

These are challenging times for our sector and planet: scarcity of resources forces us to address issues around survival, rather than prosperity. At Circa we are lucky enough to have the opportunity to grow, but there are still many things we need to improve – from diversity to sector engagement to public visibility. In asking these questions, we acknowledge we don’t have the answers – but we do have the will to find them.

Circa by the numbers

Our numbers suggest a steady and consistent trajectory of growth.

In 2004, Circa’s ensemble was four artists with no international touring. Jump to 2009, and a seven artist ensemble premiered two new works and toured to six countries. At this point operational funding was 42% of income. By 2011, an ensemble of 14 toured to 13 countries. Annual turnover was $3.1 million (of which operational funding was 26.6%).

In 2018, Circa premiered seven new works and delivered 453 performance to a worldwide audience of 151,182 people. We employed 30 ensemble members and investment in artist wages was $3.1 million. Of $8.9 million in turnover, operational funding was just 8% of our income. A December season in Slovenia made Circa the first Australian performing arts company to have toured to 40 countries.

How did this happen?

Stability through adversity

In times where external factors are volatile, the internal stability of Circa’s leadership team has been key. The five people who lead our delivery, finance, operations, technical and marketing have a combined 37 years with the company. Finding and retaining the best people is pivotal.

Our Board, led by Chair Michael Lynch CBE AO, are engaged, well balanced as a collective and rigorous in their governance of the organisation. Their broad experience ensures that we pressure test each new concept, path or strategy, to produce its best possible version.

In 2019, Yaron Lifschitz celebrates 20 years with the company. The success of Circa under the leadership of Yaron is inextricably connected. An internationally renowned artistic visionary, and also one of the most astute and strategic business minds I have worked with, Yaron leads by example, collaboration and mentorship, and makes everyone in the company better at what they do.

The executive leaders who have worked alongside him throughout the years have each left their own mark and legacy.

The art comes first

An exploration of Circa’s achievements by the numbers tells only one (small) part of the story. We are underpinned and driven by an artistic vision. Our mission – to continually ask what is possible – has directed the company to genre-breaking collaborations with opera and orchestras, immersive and site-specific work in cemeteries and cathedrals. Circa’s physical vocabulary defies classification – it is unique and rich and ever-growing. 

Our diverse artistic program ranges from productions with three acrobats, such as What will have been and the family-friendly Wolfgang’s Magical Musical Circus, to our newest creation – the epic Leviathan, which premieres in 2020 and features 18 acrobats and 18 local community artists. Another world first will be Circa’s collaboration with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra to create a physical score for the towering masterpiece of symphonic repertoire – Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. Thinking big and taking the road less travelled is the Circa way.

Local to global, an ever-moving experience

If standing still is the same as going backwards, Circa’s perpetual motion is the antidote to stagnation. In just the next three months we will perform in Edinburgh, Cairns, Hull, Oxford, Manchester, Osaka, Hiroshima, Hyogo, Nagoya, Tokyo, Bathurst, Orange, Ipswich, Newcastle, Nimes, Brugge, Leuven, Vermont, New York, Beverly Hills, Montreal, Chalon, Groningen, Shanghai, Beijing, Melbourne, the Gold Coast and at home in Brisbane.

Our shows are built with touring in mind, and in 2018 the company travelled 3.7 million km. We have storage spaces in Europe and North America, which means that as our people traverse the globe, large production gear doesn’t have to. Our audiences are spread far and wide, and with this coverage comes an amortisation of financial risk across markets. If demand slows in one territory, it may increase in another.

ROI, economic impact and cultural value

Does success equal support? At the moment probably not. Despite an output of activity, audience size and turnover in excess of many of the Major Performing Arts companies, Circa sits within the small-to-medium funding framework. Increased funding and admission to the majors will benefit both Circa and the small-to-medium sector by reallocating funds to new and emerging companies and artists.

The case for increased funding for Circa is fairly logical: we deliver a return on government operational investment of 10:1. We invest heavily in arts and artists, and are one of the only non-MPA companies to employ a full-time ensemble.

We perform at some of the most prestigious festivals and venues in the world, and our work is critically acclaimed. It also sells really, really well.

We regularly engage with Australian consulates and embassies to support cultural diplomacy and engagement initiatives. Last year our export earnings were more than $2.2 million. 

While a review in the MPA framework is ongoing, we continue to make our case in the best way possible, through results.

We are in the process of writing a new strategic plan that will continue to ask what is possible. While we might not have all the answers, our role as leaders is to ensure that at Circa, everyone asks the question.

Shaun Comerford
About the Author
Shaun Comerford is the Executive Director of Circa.