Westside Circus’s Spilt Milk is a vibrant and poignant piece of performance art touring to regional Victorian schools. Although created for 9 to 15 year olds, the themes are universal and as an adult I was captivated by this piece that transcends age and genre with its powerful storytelling.

Westside Circus has been proffering circus art to engender confidence and self-esteem in young people for over ten years. The company has expanded its workshop program, with the formation of a professional troupe in 2007. Spilt Milk is their first production.

Thematically the show explores depression, anxiety and estrangement. These may be seen as bold themes to present to school-aged children, however, Spilt Milk is never patronizing. The show effortlessly balances that delicate line between comedy and drama, as it demonstrates how trust and solidarity inspire self-confidence and improved human relations.

Debby Maziarz, the Creative Director and founder of Westside Circus says that she always approaches a show with an idea – rather than a set of tricks – to translate into performance. She asked the performers to share stories and ideas to flesh out the notion and quality of depression. She also explored it from a physiological standpoint: What does the brain look like? How does it work? What kinds of messages do we get?

The resulting work is a series of vignettes that present challenging situations for each character.  The first nameless character (Cleo Cutcher) is introverted, laconic and disconsolate, believing her friends ignored her at her birthday party. Tomboy Tank Girl (Christy Flaws) faces identity pressure to be more effeminate.  The inner dialogue of loud and energetic Rock God (Luke O’Connor) convinces him that his peers don’t like him. And Mystic Juggler (Sacha Fawkes) feels dejected as he, too, is ignored by his friends. Throughout the piece we witness the characters struggle and finally regain a sense of self.

The primary circus style drawn upon for Spilt Milk is adagio, involving one flier and one base.  Adagio works extremely well in physically expressing themes. For example frenetic and bold movements express fragmentation; while more tranquil states of being are demonstrated with slow and graceful acrobalance. The need for trust in human relationships is poignantly shown as a character falls backward into her friend’s arms.

A three-layered tower of scaffolding gives both anatomical and philosophical value to the piece. The performers move with agility around the scaffolding to demonstrate the movement of thought and its transience states. It also highlights how we can become limited and stuck in our beliefs. This was never more apparent when the performers dismantled the scaffolding into cubes and moved oppressively within the singular space. The design is ably supported by Amanda Fairbanks vibrant costumes and Ania Reynolds dynamic music.

With such awe inspiring storytelling skills, this professional troupe has a very bright future indeed, especially as the company plans to present future shows to broader audiences.