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As a Tiger in the Jungle

Circus Xanti / Ali Williams Productions, Supported by NoFit State

"There was a tiger in the jungle behind her mother's house.

"Crocodiles were hiding in the muddy river. Human sharks passed by in lorries on their way to India, leaving behind a trail of lost children."

Nepalese artists perform their deeply personal story of being trafficked into the circus industry as young children, using the means of their enslavement to speak against it. Circus, spoken word, movement and ceremony are used to show how, against all odds, Renu Ghalan and Aman Tamang survived their childhood and created their own destiny. Loan TP Hoang, a Vietnamese-Norwegian circus performance artist, joins them in an inspiring, authentic, raw and heart-warming performance about life and circus, entertainment and reflection.

Produced through an international partnership between artistic directors from renowned companies NoFit State and Circus Xanti, As a Tiger in the Jungle will be a unique theatrical circus experience.

Supported by NoFit State, Pontio, Baerum Kulturhus, Porsgrunn International Theater Festival, Black-E, ChoraChori Nepal

Age Guidance: 12+

credits

Cast: Renu Ghalan (Nepal), Loan TP Hoang (Vietnam / Norway) and Aman Tamang (Nepal)

Text, Script and Direction: Sverre Waage (Norway)

Creative Producer: Ali Williams (Wales)

Music: Per Zanussi (Norway / Italy)

Musicians in studio: Harpreet Bansal (India / Norway), Sanskriti Shrestha (Nepal / Norway) & Per Zanussi (Norway)

Set & Costume Design: Rhi Matthews (Wales)

Set & Circus Rig Design: Tarn Aitken (England)

Lighting Design: Leif LePage (Wales)

Assistant Choreography & Circus Skills: Hanna Filomen Mjåvatn (Norway / Filipinos) & Mish Weaver (England)

Producers: Ali Williams (Wales) & Sverre Waage (Norway)

Contact

Ali Williams [email protected]

background

Inspired by the lives and destiny of our performers Renu and Aman's experiences as child circus slaves in India, the performance also highlights the story of other Nepalese children being trafficked into slavery in Indian traditional circus. Since 2002, when this was discovered, over 700 children have been discovered and rescued or released.

In 2013, Producer Ali Williams spent a year working as the Creative Director of Circus Kathmandu. Circus Kathmandu was a group of 13 young men and women who all were rescued from Indian circuses, including our performers, Renu and Aman.

Ali Williams invited director Sverre Waage to come to Kathmandu to meet the newly formed circus company. That was the start of a collaboration between Ali and Sverre, with the aim to build bridges between the developing circus environment in Kathmandu and the international community of performing art producers and programmers in UK, Norway and Europe.

The first achievement is the production and touring of As a Tiger in The Jungle, representing the international partnership of prize-winning director and play-writer Sverre Waage (Norway) and Ali Williams (Wales), co-founder and former artistic director of NoFit State.

Ali and Sverre have been working with the two Nepalese circus artists, Renu and Aman, over the last three years and for this project have integrated Loan TP Hoang, a Vietnamese refugee with her own story of a lost childhood. As a Tiger in The Jungle is a unique fusion of Asian and European performance, circus and music. Original music score composed by Per Zanussi.