Thrills and Spills: The precarious life of Circus Monoxide

Abstract

Circus Monoxide is a regional touring company that travels around in a double decker bus painted with black and yellow diagonal stripes taking its off-beat brand of circus off the beaten track to small-town Australia. Monoxide was originally formed under the banner of Precarious by a group of students enrolled in the theatre media course at Charles Sturt University in Bathurst in 1994. The company gained popularity at 'Mountain Madness', a cabaret initiated as a social and cultural antidote to the Tooheys 1000 car races. Monoxide was so successful that it applied for funding from the Australia Council, received $20,000 and bought a vehicle of its own.