Winner of a Best Weekly Award for Circus and Physical Theatre
at Adelaide Fringe 2020, Transhumance takes a surreal journey
across the landscape of gender. Award-winning clown Ania Upstill
playfully explores what it means to be a trans human.
Previous reviews of Transhumance:
"“Transhumance manages to be both a deeply personal story of self-identification and a universal experience of gender paradigms.”
— Theatre Scenes Auckland
"This is a gentle piece of theatre that tackles some big, timely issues."
Brett Adams, TheatreView
"Gender has previously been defined in binary terms: female, male. Each has been regarded as an immutable absolute. Both buckle beneath a burden of societal expectations and culturally-assigned attributes. It is only recently that more representative words and definitions have entered common parlance. Transhumance’ traverses this newly-revealed landscape (one that has always existed but was seldom discussed). This production conveys its message delicately, without hectoring or preaching. It is a work of joy and playfulness – whimsical, witty and replete with wonder. And it is all the more effective for it." Johnathan Kingston-Smith
"I believe it’s so important to expose the ways in which society shapes us, right down to things that may seem innate, like gender. It’s important to be aware of the way these confines can be harmful, not just to individuals, but to us as a species. Transhumance tackles these issues, which run the risk of being uncomfortable, with ease and joy. It is a savvy piece that reminds us of the power of our choices and our freedom." Erin O'Flahtery Theatre Scenes
"A gentle yet virtuosic display of craft, exploring notions of gender performativity, and reminding the audience that clothing, in particular, is constructed and given purpose, rather than having any intrinsic meaning. There’s something about the clown’s perspective of the world that is ideal for unlearning our taught gender constructs. " Nathan