Meet the Team

 

 

Meet our dedicated staff members, committed to making Warehouse Circus the best it can be!

Aleshia

Aleshia

Executive Director

Aleshia began managing Warehouse Circus in 2010 when it was a small community organisation of around 140 participants. Across the past nine years, Aleshia has enjoyed the challenge of helping to grow the company to provide circus to over 550 people per week in Canberra, while still retaining Warehouse’s community spirit and uniqueness.

Aleshia’s passion comes from knowing first-hand the impact youth arts can have on a young person’s life, their sense of belonging, self-esteem and love of life-long learning. When she’s not running a circus, Aleshia is the frontwoman of local original alternative rock band, Second Sun, and is currently busy recording the band’s third album. She is also the mum of an active two-year-old, soon to be a Warehouse Circus Tiny Tuck! Photo credit: Andrew MacLean Photography 

Ben

Ben

Business Manager

Ben has been involved with the Performing Arts since 2008, when he started performing with his local theatre company. Since then he has performed and done backstage work with a number of companies in Canberra and his hometown of Goulburn, including performing a show in the US for an international community theatre festival. Along the way he picked up some circus skills, mostly based around fire performance.

Ben has been at Warehouse Circus since 2017, when he took up the role of Finance Manager. Recently he has also taken on the Programs area. He is very passionate about circus and the performing arts, and the impact that the arts have on people’s lives.

Tom

Tom

Artistic Director

In 1995 Tom started juggling and still likes it. Since beginning his circus journey with Arena Street Theatre and Warehouse Circus, Tom has graduated NICA, formed a few companies, travelled the country and the world with Solid State Circus, CircaNICA and Circus Oz, and coached for Westside, Oz, Warehouse, the Sandflies and the Fruit Flies.
He has also made and toured a few of his own shows, one of which won a couple of awards, which was nice.
Tom’s favourite thing to practice is hat juggling (see below for evidence), and favourite things to teach are pass juggling, acrobatics, and equilibristics.

Ashley

Ashley

Head of Training

Ashley grew up in Dubbo and did gymnastics for 6 years and then went on to became a qualified coach and judge in many areas of the sport. When she was 9 years old she started doing circus and specialised in stilt walking and acrobatics.

At the age of 13 she quit gymnastics to do more circus classes. When she was 19 she was offered a scholarship to study tumbling and coaching at the International Academy of Physical Education in Denmark doing performance tumbling and parkour and performed in the Olympic stadium in Berlin with the academy.

She moved to Canberra and joined Warehouse Circus in March 2018 and is now the Training Coordinator.

Isaac

Isaac

Head of Social Circus and Projects Coordinator

Isaac’s role at Warehouse is running and organising the Spin Out classes, Jump start programs and Assisted Place students. He specialises in Circus for Disability, working with people with differing abilities to still engage and learn from Circus. He has a few years’ experience coaching Gymnastics, and a few more coaching Circus. He can teach a bit of everything in the Circus space, but acrobatics and manipulations are his strong points. Isaac’s passion is Circus for Life skills training!

Idris

Idris

Head of Performance

Discovering theatre early, Idris filled his childhood with the Arts and theatre classes, before undertaking full time productions at the Lieder Theatre in Goulburn. Idris began his study of Circus at Circo Arts in New Zealand in 2006, where he trained in basic circus skills. Idris continued his professional development, training as a Clown and Juggler at the National Institute of Circus Arts in Melbourne, completing his Bachelor of Circus Arts in 2009.

Idris has since become a full time performer and producer within the circus and comedy scene,
touring numerous shows globally to sold out audiences. Some career highlights include starring in a Vegemite TV commercial, performing for the crown prince of Brunei, and he holds several world records including longest two-man cartwheel.

Ellen

Ellen

Projects Administrator and Trainer

Currently a project coordinator and circus trainer, Ellen started circus with Aerialize in Sydney as a member of their Youth Troupe. Then completing a Cert III in Circus Arts at NICA alongside her final years of school and is currently studying at the ANU.

In the last couple of years, she has had the opportunity to work with the National Folk Festival, Catapult Youth Circus Festival, National Youth Circus Symposium, Sydney Festival, Solid State Circus and Corrugated Iron Youth Arts in teaching, performing and occasional hiding behind a desk. Specializing in all things aerials and enjoys teaching everything.

Sian

Sian

Trainer, Graphic Designer, and Online Content Manager

Known well in Canberra as the Circus Style Showgirl, Sian has been a performer her entire life!

Sian specialises in hula hooping, fire eating, and feats of sideshow spectacle. Her circus shows have taken her across the country, featuring at the National Folk Festival; Adelaide, Melbourne, Townsville, Perth, and Newcastle Fringe Festivals; and SO many more!

Siân’s taking a break from teaching to tour the country with her shows, but watch out when she’s in town for a wild and creative class!

Maisie

Maisie

Trainer

Maisie grew up in Wooragee, North Eastern Victoria, and was lucky to train at the Flying Fruit Fly Circus (FFFC) for 6 years, graduating in 2017.

As a member of their Performance troupe, Maisie was able to perform in places throughout Tasmania, Victoria and NSW and at local gigs like the Albury Galah Bar, also obtaining her Certificate III in Circus Arts and Certificate II in Sport and Recreation.

Eventually, she wound up performing for a while to move to Canberra to study at the ANU. Maisie joined Warehouse in 2021, and loves teaching classes where students can work to their strengths to find new ways of moving and playing.

Train with us, we’d love to meet you!