Our Productions
We love working on creative projects, and typically have two or three ‘shows’ or special events per year. Our unique backgrounds across theatre, performance art and circus inspire our style, and absolutely everything we create has inclusivity at its heart and is completely interactive.
Some of our previous shows, like ‘The Pirates of Shieldfield’ or ‘The Elephant Cabaret’, are developed, designed and performed with our community classes and a team of professional artists from around the North East. Other shows, such as ‘Swings & Roundabouts’ or ‘Hold Your Own’, are pieces we’ve devised ourselves. Every show is designed for families and young people, has a story to tell, and a chance for the audience to join in with our circus magic!
If you’re interested in collaborating on a show, do get in touch - we love connecting with other artists and organisations.
Scroll down for some information on some of our past productions, and a video of some of the highlights of our Pirates of Shieldfield show!
PREVIOUS PRODUCTIONS
The Pirates of Shieldfield
Ahoy there, Pirates of Shieldfield!
The Pirates of Shieldfield tells the tale of a swashbuckling group of Pirates who’ve lost their crew in a series of unfortunate mishaps. With the help of the ship’s cat Yarrrrnsley, they set sail for Shieldfield - where apparently the best Pirates in all the land live! Will they survive the stormy seas, the alluring mermaids and the wrath of the ghost Captain haunting the ship? - And, more importantly, will they find the best Pirates that this mythical land of Shieldfield can offer?
The Pirates of Shieldfield was devised and designed by our community aerialists in All Ways Good Company classes, along with a team of nine North East based artists in circus, theatre and music. We also worked with the Shieldfield Youth Project and Christ Church Primary School to deliver workshops and offer free tickets to the performances.
The Pirates of Shieldfield was supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England.
Professional artist team: Ula Campbell, Lynn Campbell, Pete Challoner, Jayne Humphreys, Ziad Jabero, Emily O'Hare, Jane Park, Dora Rubinstein, Nathan White
The Late Shows
Shadow dancing on the walls of our Church Hall…
As part of the Ouseburn Late Shows, our amazing community aerialists offer 15 minutes of improvised aerial shadow dancing to the music of wonderful cellist Penny Callow.
Seeing the aerialists, aged from 6 to 70+, dancing through the air with their shadows is mesmerising, and perfectly pairs with the atmospheric solo cello echoing in the Church Hall.
This event will be returning in May, so watch this space for tickets and details!
Swings and Roundabouts
Dora has lost her elephant, Mr Large. Mum thinks he might be in the toy box, but Dora’s sure she left him by the swings in the park. You will let her know if you see Mr Large, won’t you?
Blending storytelling, aerial circus and acrobatics, in Swings & Roundabouts we transform three every-day trips to the park into extraordinary circus spectacles! Come join us in the park - perhaps you’ll help us find Mr Large - and have a go on the Swings & Roundabouts yourself, too!
Swings & Roundabouts was commissioned by Theatre Hullabaloo and premiered at the Hullabaloo in the Park festival in 2023.
Hold Your Own
Hold Your Own is about our family - and yours!
Hold Your Own was our first full-length piece, an interactive circus and theatre show for primary-age children and their grown ups. The show celebrates the diversity of what it means to be a 'family'. It explore our differences as well as what's universal. The funny stories, the weird traditions, the scary times we've had, and the wild adventures we've been on. Families attending will climb, play, move and fly together.
Hold Your Own has done two stages of R&D, supported by the Big Imaginations Artists Imagination Fund, Wonder Arts, Dance City, Moving Art Management and Cast Doncaster.
The Elephant Cabaret
Don’t talk about the Elephant in the room!
An ongoing research project with hiCraft, based at Northumbria University, culminated in this multimedia circus cabaret!
Students and teachers from All Ways Good Company performed alongside other circus professionals from across the North East, and projections captured by the ‘ele-cam’ - our 'Artefact in residence’ over the period leading up to the cabaret.
A collaborative, community project bringing together the circus community in the North East. Read more about the ele-cam from hiCraft’s perspective on their website, here.