IT’S OK to be wild, free and silly sometimes.
Brisbane circus performer, Julian Robert, has made a career out of it.
Since learning to juggle oranges at the age of eight and attending circus school in New Zealand at 17, the self-confessed ‘big kid’ has paved his own path with whimsy acrobatics and clowning around.
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READ NOW“I’ve done a lot of touring to schools in regional areas with question and answer time afterwards and mostly the kids’ questions were cute and hilarious but sometimes they were full on,” Robert said.
“One time, a 14-year-old boy asked me: ‘How come you’re allowed to do this (act silly)? I guess he had gone through his whole life thinking he just had to go to school and tuck his shirt in.
“I didn’t realise our message of ‘doing what you want to do’ was going to be such an important part of this for me but it really is.”
Robert, of Hoopla Clique company, shares his fun-filled philosophy in children’s comedy adventure, Chores.
The story is simple: two brothers have to clean their messy bedroom before they can ride their new bicycles.
Showing at Fringe World next month, it features juggling, unicycles, acrobatics and a giant-sized whoopee cushion.
“The real reason the show is funny and people like it is because of us – because we are actually having fun,” Robert said.
“It’s like a chaotic out-of-control show but we have complete control over it.”
The importance of cleaning one’s bedroom is also at play in the theme.
“We haven’t got the data back yet to prove that the show makes kids want to clean their rooms but hopefully it will,” Robert said.
THE ESSENTIALS
What: Chores
When: February 6-11 and 13-15
Where: The Gold Digger at Fringe Central, Northbridge
Tickets: fringeworld.com.au