BIOGRAPHIES – THE CANDY BUTCHERS
Monday 19 Nov, 2012
Azaria Universe - show creator /performer
Azaria works across circus, physical theatre, drag, dance and
contemporary clowning to create an extraordinary body of work that sits
at the axis of contemporary circus and burlesque. Her performance
career spans over 20 years and has its roots in experimental feminist
performance art.
As an emerging artist her work was presented in cLUB bENT (Sydney and
UK), she performed with Penny Arcade (New York) and Vulcana
Woman’s Circus (QLD). In 2001 she was awarded the Queens Trust
Australian Young Achiever Award, which allowed her to train at The
Moscow Circus School in Russia. She was a core member of Rock ‘n’ Roll
Circus (1996-2000), has performed with Circus Monoxide, Gurlesque, The
Tiny Top and Sideshow Paradiso.
In 2006, Azaria toured with Australia’s flagship circus company Circus Oz,
performing trapeze and hula hoops, to Hawaii and New York- in a 6 week
sell out season on Broadway. Azaria was a featured artist with The
Famous Spiegeltent in their sell out show La Clique (winner Best Show
Brighton 2006, Dublin 2007 and Best Show Auckland Festival 2007/2009).
She was a core ensemble member of The Carnival of Mysteries for Melbourne International Festival.
Azaria performs with the multiple award winning sell out show The Burlesque Hour, the company has toured
internationally to Croatia, Slovenia, Italy, New Zealand, UK, Scotland, Japan and is bound for Shanghai, London,
Budapest and Hong Kong.
Media enquiries to:
Emily Gates
emily@strutnfret.com
03 9640 0028
Derek Ives – show creator /performer
Derek comes from a ‘new circus’ background. He was a founding
member of Rock ‘n’ Roll Circus (Circa) in 1986, where he was a core
performer and technical designer/rigger for 15 years. He has studied
clown and Buffon with Philippe Gaulier (France) & Angela De Castro
(London) and was a participant in the first Nanjing Circus training project
1984.
He has performed with, and rigged for Circus OZ, Circus Monoxide, Club
Swing, The Flying Fruit Fly Circus, The Famous Spiegeltent, Cirk Cirkor
(Sweden) and The Dream Menagerie. Derek performed with his
contemporary clown company, On Wild Duck at The Melbourne
International Comedy Festival in 2004 & 2005 (winner of the Herald Sun’s
Best Local Act in 2004). He currently performs with clown ensemble We
Three.
In 2007, Derek premiered his solo clown/buffon show Bucket of Love. A
core ensemble member of The Carnival of Mysteries for Melbourne
International Festival. Derek’s pioneering work in circus rigging and
apparatus design is legendary -examples of his research and development
of rigging systems and apparatus have become industry standard. He was head rigger for the National Institute
of Circus Arts 2001-2004. Derek has directed Rock ‘n’ Roll Circus, The Happy Sideshow in Dark Carnival, Trade
of The Trick (winner Best Circus Show Melbourne Fringe 2005) he also directs Ireland's Tumble Circus most
recently in France at La Fountinaue, the Centre for the Development of Street Performance in Brest. He has
spent two years as associate director at Circus Oz creating Steam Powered with Mike Finch.
Derek was Circus Director with Sally Richardson on a narrative driven, circus and physical performance
Nullarbor and attended the Arts Council International Directors’ LAB with Emma Rice.
Media enquiries to:
Emily Gates
emily@strutnfret.com
03 9640 0028
Jess Love - show creator /performer
Australian born Jess Love graduated from Melbourne’s National Institute
of Circus Arts with a Bachelor of Circus Arts in 2003. Her specialties are
hula-hoops, acrobatics, skipping, double trapeze and hoop diving. Since
graduating from NICA, Jess has been employed as a core performer with
Circus Oz (2006/2007) touring to Hawaii, New York, New Zealand, The
Sydney Opera House and nationally across Australia with the company.
Jess is a founding member of the multi award winning new circus company
The Candy Butchers. In 2004 she was given an honourable mention at the
Fringe Awards for Best Female Performer for her work in their debut show
A Circus Sweetmeat.
Jess has performed both in the UK and internationally with La Clique,
Circa!, Dislocate Physical Theatre, Gurlesque, Medium Rare, The Tiny
Top, Circus Monoxide, The Burlesque Hour and Duckie to name few. She
performed in award winning street duo Erratic-Crobatic for 3 years, has
her own solo street show The Jess Love Team, which has toured across
north America, the UK and Europe and in 2009 she broke the World
Record for the most number of hula hoops spun at one time, 115 in total.
Her first solo theatre show ‘And The Little One said…’ premiered in 2009, winning the ‘Circus Australia Award’
and was given an Honorable Mention for ‘Best Circus Show’ at the Melbourne Fringe Festival. In February 2010
it was nominated for ‘Best Circus Show’ at the Adelaide Fringe Festival. Jess is currently based in London and
touring with La Soiree.
Media enquiries to:
Emily Gates
emily@strutnfret.com
03 9640 0028
David Garner aka DJ – show creator /performer
After a childhood dedicated to gymnastics and judo, DJ Garner
completed a Diploma of Circus Arts at the National Institute of Circus
Arts (Australia) in 2003. His specialties are Chinese straps, and hand
balancing.
DJ is a founding member of the multi award winning company The
Candy Butchers, which has been performed in Melbourne, Sydney,
Tasmania, Adelaide, Pittsburgh and South Korea.
In 2006, DJ was handpicked by the creative team of Nigel Jamieson &
Garry Stewart to perform in the new work Honour Bound,
commissioned by the Sydney Opera House and Malthouse Theatre.
He toured with this company to Amsterdam, Prague, Vienna and
London.
In 2007 DJ played the role of Einstein in La Soiree, the resident show
of the Melba Spiegeltent (Australia).
DJ has performed across the globe with aerial theatre
company Dislocate (Australia) including Spain, Korea, Singapore, India
and Japan. He was a featured performer in the Asian Games Opening
and Closing Ceremonies in (Doha, Qatar) and has appeared in the
Edinburgh Fringe Festival as well as many festivals across Australia with independent works.
In 2010 DJ was a core member of Airbourne, the resident areal performance company of the Australian
Pavilion, 2010 Shanghai World Expo.
From 2010-2012 DJ performed with Cirque du Soleil in a feature aerial ensemble and understudy for David
Shiners “Clown Car” act in the arena spectacle Quidam.
Media enquiries to:
Emily Gates
emily@strutnfret.com
03 9640 0028
Stephen Burton - Show Director
Stephen has directed, trained and taught for Circus Oz, Bizurcus, Dislocate, The Flying Fruit Fly Circus, The
Ukulele Ladies, Rock ‘n’ Roll Circus, The National Institute of Circus Arts, Strut and Fret Production House, The
National Circus Conference, The Comedy Company, Belfast Circus Company, The Collapsable Man, Sydney
New Years Eve 2000, Commonwealth Games Cultural Program, Fina World Swimming Championships, Sydney
Olympics Opening Ceremony. He has worked as coordinator and advisor for large-scale outdoor events, film
and television.
The Candy Butchers Company
The Candy Butchers circus company was launched in 2004 when established circus practitioners, Derek Ives and Azaria
Universe, joined forces with two graduates from The National Institute of Circus Arts -Jess Love and DJ Garner. The
company’s inaugural production - The Candy Butchers: A Sweetmeat - won the ‘Most Outstanding Production’ award at the
2004 Melbourne Fringe Festival and the Green Room Award for ‘Best Independent/Melbourne Fringe Production’. The
show has since been performed over 70 times and seen by over 12,000 people in Australia, enjoying a sell-out season at the
Sydney Opera House Studio and an equally successful season at the Commonwealth Games Cultural Festival (Melbourne)
2006. The show has toured internationally to Pittsburgh in the USA and to Korea for The Chuncheon International Mime
Festival Chuncheon and The International Comedy Festival, Geoje.
With four shows in repertoire and one in development, The Candy Butchers are dedicated to maintaining an intimate
ensemble cast and to creating a strong repertoire of complementary works with great potential for sustainability. The
company is passionate about creating work which is innovative and demonstrates a high degree of excellence, both in terms of
creative concepts and circus skills, while remaining highly accessible to a general audience. They have successfully created a
unique voice within Australian contemporary circus, which can be encapsulated in their three key artistic goals:
-to embody deep philosophical themes;
-to harness and exploit the inherent quality of circus;
-and to entertain.
Media enquiries to:
Emily Gates
emily@strutnfret.com
03 9640 0028
The Candy Butchers - Company Biography
2004 August
2004 Sept - Oct
2005 March
2005 November
2005 December
2006 January
2006 Feb -Mar
2006 February
2006 March
2007 July
2007 September
2007 November
2008 May
2009 April
2009 June
2009 July
2009 October
2010 January February
2010 February
2010 March
2012 October
Media enquiries to:
Emily Gates
Creation: The Candy Butchers -A Circus Sweetmeat (self-funded)
The Candy Butchers - A Circus Sweetmeat Premiere season, Melbourne Fringe Festival,
North Melbourne Town Hall
Australia Council New Work Production Grant for The Candy Butchers - A Circus Sweetmeat
The Candy Butchers - A Circus Sweetmeat
Two week sell out season, The Studio, Sydney Opera House (extra show added)
Creation: The Dog & Pony Show (self-funded)
The Dog & Pony Show The Summer Festival, Hobart
The Candy Butchers - A Circus Sweetmeat Umbrella Revolution, Adelaide Fringe Festival
Australian Performing Arts Market Spotlight Season
The Candy Butchers - A Circus Sweetmeat Festival Melbourne 2006, Commonwealth Games
Cultural Program
Creation: Bucket Of Love (self funded)
Bucket of Love Melbourne Fringe Festival 2007
A Circus Sweetmeat USA tour, Pittsburgh.
A Circus Sweetmeat Korea Tour.
The Chuncheon International Mime Festival, Chuncheon and The International Comedy
Festival, Geoje, Korea.
Australia Council New Work Creation Grant for Blood Sweat Tears
Creation: And The Little One Said Jess Love solo show (self funded)
Blood Sweat Tears Creative Development 1
And The Little One Said Melbourne Fringe Festival
Blood Sweat Tears Creative Development 2
Tooth & Nail (Blood Sweat Tears) Rehearsals
And The Little One Said Adelaide Fringe Festival season
Tooth & Nail Premiere season, La Mama Theatre Melbourne
And The Little One Said Melbourne Comedy Festival season
A Circus Sweetmeat -remount
emily@strutnfret.com
03 9640 0028