"Hooper's aerial straps routine is frantic, astonishingly quick and impossibly dexterous.
To watch it is destroying."
Rebekah Ellerby, A Younger Theatre
Be Subservient To My Ambition
WORK IN DEVELOPMENT
Be Subservient To My Ambition is a pursuit of power embodied through a woman’s ambition to ascend.
Subverting the inherent masculinity of vertical space (high-rises, steeples, hierarchical systems) and the associated patriarchal structures, Be Subservient To My Ambition redefines verticality through a woman’s radical act of ambition, suspension and endurance - exploring the perpetual negotiations of power with self, audience and society.
Performed entirely on straps, this work pairs an exceptional circus-informed physical performance (Bridie Hooper) with a multi-channel composition (Kelly Ryall), to create an intimate, immersed, live-art experience.
Staged at the center of a circle, the action unfolds on a single set of straps, surrounded by audiences in close proximity. A multi-channel soundscape envelops the space, immersing the public as they gather to observe the pursuit of this singular body as it twists, turns, coils and glides in a relentless effort to ascend. This intimate arrangement offers a rare proximity to offering a rare proximity to circus and a powerful perception of the tangible efforts of the body at work.
Currently in development with an anticipated premiered in 2025.
CREATIVE TEAM
Lead Artist- Bridie Hooper
Directorial Eye- Susie Dee
Composer- Kelly Ryall
Lighting Designer - Jenny Hector
Costume- Libby McDonnell
Please contact Bridiehooper (at) gmail.com to learn more about the work.
Photo: Jessica Connell
Photo: Jessica Connell
Photo: Jessica Connell
Photo: Jessica Connell
Photographs by Jessica Connell
Be Subservient to My Ambition is supported by the Australian Government through the Australia Council for the Arts, its arts funding and advisory body. We are grateful to have received additional support from Women's Circus, the National Institute of Circus Arts (NICA) and Circus Oz.
