WAREHOUSE Circus is a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to improving the mental and physical health of young people through the medium of social circus. Located in Chifley, they have been providing social circus classes in Canberra since 1990.

From an original concept by Nathan Anderson and an original story by Liv Hewson, Daniel Gunthorpe and Karla Conway, ‘Polarity’ tells the story of a town delinquent caught in a flood which forces him to face up to his past and gain the strength of character to survive.

The production has been given a great production design by Christine Nowak. The bare stage with chairs dangling from wires creates a sense of intrigue and expectation. Lighting design by Gillian Schwab gives the show a nice circus atmosphere and the sound design by director, Kon Kudo and Aleshia Johnson uses well-chosen music.

The young cast of 15 are breath-taking in their level of acrobatic, balancing and juggling skills. All the expected circus-type routines are presented along with many fresh and original moments and some good flashes of dark humour.

The show has been physically directed very well by Kon Kudo who keeps the show running at a fast pace. There’s a lot happening on stage but the director keeps a tight rein on where the audience focus should be.

Unfortunately, the story of the show is not clearly presented and you need to read the synopsis beforehand. I wasn’t given a program until after the show so I didn’t know what it was all about. I just settled back and enjoyed the circus presentation of these talented young people anyway.