Apocrypha is a new work of alt-circus and physical theatre that journeys beyond the canon of mainstream culture, directed by Melbourne artist and provocateur Mitch Jones.
Inspired by cult cinema, sacred texts and the erotic novels of Jean Genet (poet, thief and queer icon), this stunning new performance explores the hidden secrets and stories of our bodies, finding moments of beauty among the outcast and the unholy. Experience a garden of ideas blooming with surreal imagery in this epic visual poem, reminiscent of Slava’s Snowshow, who Jones performed with on their Australian tour in 2023.
Apocrypha includes exhilarating, dreamlike sequences where a tightrope walker dances along rusty chains; an acrobat spins hula hoops that blacken his body with painted scars; a contortionist who handstands on a prison wall made of boulders and a clown wearing a cloak of nails who is trying to escape from his own skin.
Calling this style of performance ‘alt-circus’, Jones is interested in theatricality and grit rather than shiny spectacle or tricks. The moody atmosphere of his previous show AutoCannibal (2019) was compared to famous Swiss clown James Thierrée (ROOM, Sydney Festival, 2023).
About directing this new style of circus, Jones says “Melbourne has a great appetite for bold and contemporary art and Apocrypha reflects this hunger for mature and complex works of performance.” Jones adds that experimentation has been central to making this show, “We are pushing Australian circus in new directions by experimenting with apparatus and style, to create an alt-circus that is seductive and poetic.”
The high calibre cast includes Adam Malone (Circus Oz), Rindi Harradine (Barberoi), Kristian Santic (Love, Lust, Lost), Kyall Shanks (Chunky Move) and Chloe Fazikas, and is backed by an excellent local design team including Romanie Harper (set/costumes) and Bridget Chappell (sound).
With passion and poetry Apocrypha brings social outsiders onto the centre stage in a grand exploration of desire and counterculture that will linger long after the final curtain falls.
Reviews for AutoCannibal, 2019
‘Mitch Jones (is) a master of physical theatre’ – Jenny Valentish, The Guardian
‘Jones is a remarkable performer, and you can’t take your eyes off him…We don’t often see this kind of Artaudian excess on our stages’ – Alison Croggon, Witness Performance
‘AutoCannibal is an imaginative hybrid performance, crawling with dark and scintillating ideas’ – Cameron Woodhead, The Age
‘Original, bold and disturbingly amusing, AutoCannibal is must-see physical theatre’ – Lois Maskiell, TheatrePress
‘This is the kind of work that gives Melbourne its reputation for considered, influential independent theatre’ – Tim Byrne, Time Out
For almost two decades Jones has toured the world as a circus performer collecting dynamic artistic influences, including Russian mime, European physical theatre, contemporary dance, and Australian rock’n’roll circus. He has worked with and learned from many well-known companies, such as La Fura Dels Baus (Spain), Slava’s Snowshow (France), Circus Oz, Glastonbury Festival, and Snuff Puppets.
Apocrypha (a-) n. Meaning: Hidden writings, works outside the accepted canon of scripture, social outsiders who do not fit the norm.
Apocrypha
11 – 19 October
Darebin Arts Centre
401 Bell Street (corner Bell St & St Georges Rd), Preston
Tickets: arts.darebin.vic.gov.au or melbournefringe.com.au
