From The Barber’s Shop, by Circus WOW, directed by Heidi Hillier (Thirroul Seaside Festival, Thirroul, NSW: 1 April, 2006.)
In 2006 and then again in 2007, Heidi Hillier one of the initial members of Circus WOW directed a team of WOW performers to stage a set of circus presentations in a small barber’s shop in the main street of Thirroul, often described as one of Wollongong’s ‘northern coastal villages’.
Whilst street and outdoor performances are standard fare for the many festivals occurring annually throughout the Illawarra, shopfront performances are rare. The Circus WOW performances in Larry Dixon’s barber’s shop window at the beginning of April in both 2006 and 2007 attracted crowds that spilled from the pavements directly outside the small shop and across Lawrence Hargrave Drive. Under the title of The Barber’s Shop in the 2006 Thirroul Seaside Festival, Circus WOW’s free installation event immediately set itself apart from the typical tourist-centred events at the Thirroul Seaside Festival.
—Excerpt from Circus WOW, Women of Wollongong’s Community
Circus: The politics of the site-specific by Janys Hayes