Contemporary Circus

Contemporary Circus is a multi-disciplinary performance style that incorporates traditional circus skills with the aesthetics of theatre - characterisation, storytelling, lighting and sound design, in order to convey a narrative or bring further expression to a performance.

The Presence

The Presence is an interactive digital production that tells the fantastical story of the life of an eccentric busker.

It is presented online in the style of a graphic novel. The Playlist can be found here:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEXZ60fV4TSZ4peSC9Gzea-vuIyYe2tnb

As the viewer, you can choose where the character goes by selecting from a series of linking videos, each tracing a different narrative thread.

Filmed in Clonakilty & locations in the surrounding countryside, the production was funded by the Cork County Arts Office & the Arts Council of Ireland.

The Presence premiered as part of Culture Night, September 18th 2020.

Written & Directed: Will Flanagan
Director of Photography: Maurice Supple
Narrator: Bryan Quinn
Editor: blue shed productions
Music: James Guilmartin, The Sisyphus Project; Sergi Cheremisinov, Lobos Loco, Neil Feeley.
Music Mixed & Edited by: PassePartout
Illustrations: Annie Hogg

The Presence of Absence

A fantastical exploration of a day in the life of an eccentric street busker. Incorporating classic circus skills, shadow art, digital technology and comic characterisation.

Premiered in The Graffitti Theatre, Cork City, June 2019.

Supported by The Circus Factory, the Clonakilty Arts Centre and Garter Lane Studios.

Writer & Performer: Will Flanagan
Directed by Nick Kavanagh
Lighting Design: Hanan Sheedy
Choreography Consultant: Guillaume Cousson

Torn & Restored,
the Persistence of Memory

Torn & Restored tells the story of a man who has locked himself off from the outside world and created his own reality from the scraps of society.

Torn & Restored is a fantastical portrait of isolation, self reliance and poetic eccentricity. It was premiered in situ, where it had been developed, in The Circus Factory, Cork City, Ireland.

Writer & Performer: Will Flanagan,
Choreography Consultant: Nando Tunon Hernandez
Video & Editing: Daniel McLarnon, Outer Entity Studios.
Music: Neil Feeley.

Supported by The Circus Factory, The Theatre Development Centre, Cork and Cork County Arts Office.

Firestorm

Three of Ireland’s most skilled fire performers present FIRESTORM. A family show with something for everyone. This spectacularly entertaining fire show has been enjoyed by families around the world from Ireland to Taiwan.

Firestorm brings its audience on a journey from epic showdowns to ridiculous fantasy, from intense fire choreography to the dreamlike worlds of illusion and imagination.

An explosion of fire, light, skill and the ridiculous.

Production: Alchemy Arts & Rogu
Performers: Will Flanagan, Guillaume Cousson, Ronan McLoughlin
Supported by Cork County Council