HEAD-SHAKING, FURIOUS ACROBATICS KICK OFF FESTIVAL IN LAUNCESTON

Launceston residents can prepare to be spellbound and amazed today, with Brisbane-based international
troupe Circa kicking off their Tasmanian tour for Ten Days on the Island with a performance at Civic Square.

A free event, the performance of 21 Circus Acts in 20 Minutes is bound to leave audiences questioning the
limits of physical flexibility as Circa acrobats perform an impressive 21 circus acts in only 20 minutes against a
ticking clock.

Fast and funny, the troupe will rev the entertainment factor to its limits, before being welcomed to the city by
Launceston Mayor, Albert Van Zetten.

Circa will later travel onto Deloraine to continue its tour, which will take in Swansea, Hobart, Port Arthur,
Queenstown, Campbell Town, St Helens, Devonport & Latrobe before finishing in Burnie on 23 March.

Artistic Director of Ten Days on the Island Jo Duffy said the schedule of performances that Circa is undertaking
is in itself an impressive feat.

“A flurry of 21 circus acts performed in 20 minutes, 13 times in 12 locations over nine days is the kind of
amazing programme that typifies Circa’s fast, furious and funny approach,” Ms Duffy said.

Other family-friendly programme inclusions this year in Ten Days on the Island include the return of the
company that previously brought us the hugely-popular Dinosaur Petting Zoo, with more life-sized puppets in
The Dream of the Thylacine, and Shadow Dreams, a ground-breaking collaboration between Terrapin Puppet
Theatre and the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra (TSO).

“Not only is Shadow Dreams a world premiere event, it also utilises the NBN, so that it is presented
simultaneously in Launceston and Hobart,” Ms Duffy said.

“It is a story of two boys experiencing each other’s dreams, even though one lives in the city and the other in
the bush, and it is unlike anything ever undertaken in Tasmania, or even nationally, as it requires the NBN
technology that is only available in Tasmania.”

The Dream of the Thylacine from Erth Visual and Physical will bring the tale of the last known Tasmanian Tiger
to life in a 30-minute show that will present the community with an emotional connection to the Tasmanian
Tiger, and will feature animated custom-made puppets, which will be accurate, life-size reproductions.

All festival programme information and ticket sales are available at tendaysontheisland.com.

Terrapin Puppet Theatre was awarded an Australia Council Broadband Arts Initiative grant to support the
development and delivery of Shadow Dreams.

Ten Days on the Island Artistic Director Jo Duffy