By: Glenn Roberts

Flipside Circus won two Matilda awards at the 2018 Matilda Awards -Best Circus or Physical Theatre Work and Best director for We Live Here.  We live here tells the story of the people of children’s hospice Hummingbird House.

The Matilda judges hailed it as “a unique collaboration of physical theatre, circus and recorded verbatim stories”.

“Intricately nuanced production which utilised a strong ensemble, excellent skills base, transformative design, stunning direction and detailed, touching performances.”

“For many, this work offered one of those divine experiences in the theatre. Where an inexplicable moment in time and space lands with such emotional resonance that it transcends all language as a way of connecting us to each other,” the judges said.

On the other hand, Natano Fa’anana and Bridget Boyle won Best Director for their work on the show, with judges describing it as “elegant and nuanced”.

In addition, judges said that they created an “incredibly strong visual narrative that seamlessly combined forms of circus and recorded narration to portray real stories”.

Likewise, debase productions, Flipside’s tenant, won the Gold Matilda award for its 20-year record of theatre excellence, national and international touring. As well as for its use of comedy to address social issues in a way that was in tune with its target audience.