The last year has not gone quite the way we had planned here at NoFit State Circus, which will come as no surprise! Our tour had to be cancelled after it had barely begun, our circus training space in Cardiff had to be closed for months and countless projects had to be put on hold as we figured out what was going to happen next. But through all of that we’ve seen people come together and do some pretty incredible things as we pushed on and made things work the best way we could. So, join us now in a look back at some of the best bits of 2020, and enjoy our timeline graphic below.
In January LEXICON, our big top touring show, opened the year in style at the Roundhouse in London. Here we performed to more than 13,450 people over 3 weeks inside their iconic red brick big top in the heart of Camden. Unfortunately, the rest of the year’s performances in Cardiff, Cornwall, Birmingham, Cambridge and Prague could not go ahead as planned as the Coronavirus pandemic swept across the world. Likewise, BLOCK, our outdoor touring show and collaboration with Motionhouse was unable to start its busy tour of Europe, which was set to kick off with a run at Bluestone in Narberth, where LEXICON performed in the spring of 2019.
We had to close the doors to our specialist circus training space in Cardiff at the end of March, but thanks to support from the Arts Council of Wales were able to undertake a detailed pilot programme to develop new Covid-19 safety procedures to ensure the safety of class attenders and staff on their return to the building. It was wonderful to welcome people back and to be able to begin our new Diverse Circus classes, dedicated to children aged 5-18 on the autistic spectrum. We’ve been doing even more work with local communities and developing partnerships throughout the year and can’t wait to share more about an exciting upcoming Welsh circus project for 2021.
Throughout 2020 there have been countless changes to the way we have been able to deliver work, and to the way we and those around us have had to adapt. From our circus teachers organising themselves and volunteering their time to give free online classes to keep our community spirit alive, to refocussing the Transitions Micro Fund awards to support freelance professionals to make the most of lockdown. From turning our Summer Schools into an Online Summer Festival, to taking our Drum up a Circus projects R&D online to keep the collaboration going across Wales, Rwanda and Zambia. It’s been wonderful to see obstacles overcome, but we also can’t wait to be able to get together in person again soon!
This year more than ever we need to say a big thank you to everyone who has helped us through some of our toughest times. We were blown away by the generous donations from show and class bookers alike, and to their heart-warming messages of support. Our sponsors and funders have shown us incredible understanding and support, giving us time to adapt projects that could not go ahead as planned. We could not have done what we have without the help of Nick Capaldi and the team at the Arts Council of Wales, all of whom have been doing an invaluable job of keeping not only us, but the whole of the Welsh arts sector intact and ready to create another day. Likewise, we need to express our gratitude for the ongoing support from Arts Council England throughout such a difficult year.
As we now head into a fresh year, with Brexit official, and a new lockdown in effect across the UK, there are certainly still challenges ahead. But with more information, and new plans in place, we have great hopes for the coming year and what might be possible, more of which we look forward to announcing soon. But for now, take a peek at our end of year graphic to see more details of the projects and highlights from the year gone by.
