A popular circus show will kick off its summer season in the Murraylands after being forced to cut short its final New South Wales shows due to a council bungle.
Infamous Circus, produced by sixth-generation performer Bekki Ashton and the Ashton family, had been scheduled for a month-long run at Bulli Showground in Wollongong. But as the troupe set up its big top, staff were told the tent would need to be dismantled and re-erected between shows to accommodate an upcoming greyhound race meeting.
Performers say the requirement was physically impossible, leaving them no option but to abandon the season and leave the state with almost no time to rehearse for their Murray Bridge and Adelaide Fringe programs.
“It takes us two days to pack up and it takes us four days to set up, and every single person who is in the ring performing actually does the big top, which is everything from the erection of the big top to the lighting, the seating, all the props, all the equipment. That is all done by the performers in the ring,” Bekki Ashton told ARN’s Katie Wright.
With rehearsals disrupted and schedules thrown into chaos, many artists were left in limbo. The troupe has since relocated to a family property at Tailem Bend, where members are living in caravans and keeping their fitness up on a temporary trapeze rig while they wait to rebuild their full big top at Sturt Reserve.
The Rural City of Murray Bridge has approved and supported the troupe to stay set up in the city to rehearse ahead of their season at Sturt Reserve, before they move on to the Adelaide Fringe through February and March.
“Gotta give a shoutout to the council. We lost that three weeks of training practice to get the new numbers in, so the council are allowing us to go in early so we can get the big top up, so we can get two weeks of rehearsals in before we open on the 30th of January next year. So thank you so much to the local council for letting us do that,” Bekki said.
Infamous Circus says the Murray Bridge season in January will be bigger and bolder, featuring new acts and artists alongside members of the renowned Ashtons Circus family. The production remains the only show at this year’s Fringe offering both flying trapeze and the high-adrenaline Wheel of Death.
Infamous Circus blends burlesque, cabaret, acrobatics, comedy and live music, often described as “Moulin Rouge meets Cirque du Soleil” under the big top.
Show dates and ticket information for the Murray Bridge season will be released soon.
