Perth Voice Interactive

ARTISTIC director at CircusWA hopes patrons of the upcoming B’Spoke performance see the show for what it really is. 

Jo Smith wants the audience to think: “I just went to see an incredible show, I was entertained and I applauded at the end”. 

The show celebrates the experiences of young people living with disability but Ms Smith says these young people are often misunderstood in society.

They are perceived with sympathy and as poor things with disabilities she says.

“But there is nothing poor, or sad, or unfortunate in any of this.

“They are these magnifice nt young people who are being supported on a stage to be seen and to entertain.”

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Ms Smith says the five storytellers in the show will explore their relationship to life, their body and the idea of being strong.

Talking about her aspirations for the show, she said finding a space to perform had been a challenge. 

“Finding a main stage that is affordable is incredibly hard for a youth company,” she says. 

Ms Smith says booking a space for a couple of days of production would cost around $20,000.

But as a show involving young people with disabilities, she says the company requires more than just a couple days.

“We just need someone who has the knowledge and ability to be generous and that was Fiona Degrais at Bunbury [Regional Entertainment Centre],” Ms Smith says, thrilled that the executive director of the non-profit venue offered a heavy discount on CircusWA’s booking.

Although the performance isn’t showing in the metro area, Ms Smith is excited to take the team on a road trip down south. 

She says the first and most important outcome is what emerges as an experience for the young people on stage. 

“What they get out of it is learning a new language of engagement with a community of people they don’t normally engage with.”

B’Spoke
BREC & CircusWA
July 4 – 5
Bunbury Regional Entertainment Centre

by CINDY CARTOJANO