Flying Fruit Fly Circus

The Flying Fruit Fly Circus is Australia's national youth circus and the only full-time circus school in Australia. It is on the Murray River in the twin cities of Albury-Wodonga right on the Victoria/New South Wales border. In partnership with the Victorian Department of Education, the students/young artists in years 3-9 are able to attend the selective entry Flying Fruit Fly Circus School where they undertake educational studies to complement their circus training, which is uniquely incorporated into the curriculum. The Flying Fruit Fly Circus regularly performs in Australia and internationally at major arts centres, regional theatres, corporate events and festivals.

The Flying Fruit Fly Circus was one of the productions of the Murray River Performing Group, initially an ensemble of nine artists, set up mostly by graduates the Victorian College of the Arts Drama School, including Robert "Bomber" Perrier, who was the artistic director from the outset, Lloyd Suttor, Mark Shirrefs and Ian Mortimer (Mort). The group began full-time operations in 1979, the International Year of the Child. Within four months the group had conducted workshops and performed in over forty venues, written two shows, performed street theatre directed by Mort, organised 171 circus training sessions and produced the first Flying Fruit Fly Circus event involving 117 performers aged from seven to seventeen. Mark Shirrefs and Ian mortimer went to local schools and introduced skills to local kids, some of whom are still active in Circus, Michael Ling has spent 18 years with Circus Oz.

In 1979 On the Outside, a show about unemployed youth, was designed as a full-scale theatrical performance for high school. Lloyd Sutler, the Murray River Performing Group's resident writer, wrote the script. Performed inside an octagon made of three-inch agricultural piping on a big yellow mat, the show involved a mixture of naturalism, Brecht and satire.

In the same year Heap, written by Mark Shirrefs was performed by Mark, Boris Conley, Mort for the upper three grades of Primary School. Lloyd Sutter and Mark Shirrefs also worked with local writers Dotty Simmons and Barbara Connyngham. Three of the pieces developed by this work were produced in 1979 and 1980.

Mort continued teaching a small group in the craft of street theatre as sidewalk Circus, these included Michael Ling, Mark Barlow (Strauss) Cathy and Herby, and many others. Once the kids had been introduced to Circus as a valid profession they did not want to stop.

Pixi and Jim Robertson who had been traditional circus performers and founding members of Circus Oz—and teachers for the first Fruit Fly Circus event—stayed on as teaching staff and invited Micky Ashton of Ashtons Circus to join them. Micky stayed until the end of his long life.

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