CIRCUS OZ

Circus Oz's mischief and mayhem - Carl Polke and Dale Woodbridge

 
Circus Oz are in Perth for their latest show. Circus Oz musical director Carl Polke and acrobat Dale Woodbridge.
Picture: Matthew Poon Source: PerthNow
From: PerthNow.com.au
By Kristy Symonds
August 28, 2013
MISCHIEF and mayhem are their middle names. Meet Circus Oz musical director and performer Carl Polke and performer Dale Woodbridge.
Meet Circus Oz musical director and performer Carl Polke and performer Dale Woodbridge.
Polke first joined the company 20 years ago in Sydney and, much to his horror, even recognises an Oz show poster plastered on the wall of His Majesty’s Theatre from the same year.
While Woodbridge, on the other hand, began his rollercoaster ride with the troupe of tricksters just last year in Melbourne.
Polke towers over Woodbridge with a twirling moustache and long silver strands spilling out of his top hat.

 

Circus Oz are in Perth for their latest show.
Picture: Matthew Poon Source: PerthNow
He says getting to goof around on the job, composing "a hell of a lot of music" and travelling the world makes for a pretty good gig - that’s why he’s done two stints with the company, from ’93-’98 and from 2009 to now.
“Performing is enjoyable and it’s great fun to create work and put it on stage,” Polke said.
“You see a hell of a lot of the world and interesting parts of it too.”
Plus, it doesn’t get old when each of the shows in the quirky circus’s 35 year history is a once-off that embraces improv and encourages the performers to play on stage.
“Whenever we go into a different theatre, invariably certain things have to change because the spaces are always different ,” he said, explaining they sometimes find themselves scrambling to work things out 30 seconds before a show.
“(But) you’ve got to have your head on your shoulders -  you need to know what’s going on and pull it off professionally really and look like a goose at the same time. We all enjoy it.”
Woodbridge, who quit his job as a legal secretary and took up dancing at age 20, agrees.
“I just thought there’s got to be a little bit more (out there),” Woodbridge said.
“I was like ‘who says these have to be my memories when I’m old? I’m just going to go out and throw myself into something completely different’.”
After studying at the Aboriginal Centre for Performing Arts he got a gig with Circus Oz through the BLAKflip program for indigenous performers and now relishes the opportunity to let go a little on stage.
“I would find it difficult to merge back into the dance world because of how serious it is and how fun circus is - it’s just two completely different worlds,” he said.
“There’s room for mistakes in circus. You’re allowed to make mistakes and sometimes those mistakes become hilarious comedy or it might be a beautiful moment within the show.”
Cranked Up, which builds on the themes of their previous show From The Ground Up aims to deliver stacks of laugh-out-loud moments, gravity defying acrobatics, graceful aerial acts and a live band.
read more:
http://www.perthnow.com.au/entertainment/circus-ozs-mischief-and-mayhem-carl-polke-and-dale-woodbridge/story-fnhocr83-1226706033754