ROOKE's Interloper show comes to Princess Theatre

Tasmania's leading circus company, ROOKE, will return to the stage with Interloper, their striking performance of artistry on July 20.

Beginning with the arrival of an uninvited stranger, Interloper is a "metaphor for life" in circus form with acrobatics, hula-hooping, clowning and contemporary movement.

The contemporary group - which formed in Northern Tasmania in 2021 - boasts world-class artists with touring accolades in more than 35 countries and with some of the globe's biggest circus companies, including Cirque Éloize, C!RCA, Circus Oz and Les 7 Doigts de la Main.

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ROOKE is composed of artists Tony Rooke, Mieke Lizotte, Lewie West, and Conorand Freyja Wild.

The company's specialist hula-hoop artist, Ms Wild, who lives in Launceston, said the show began as a classic interpretation of a type of person.

"Classically, an interloper is someone who interrupts and arrives uninvited and that's where the original conceit for the show came from," Ms Wild said.

"We found that, during the process of the show, interlopers were a lot like life; stuff happens and throws you off course."

As a circus performance, the idea of a person who literally "jumps into the midst of things" is a golden combination of storytelling and choreography, and reflects the show's goal of inviting the audience into a world "of harmonious dissonance".

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In a behind the scenes preview of ROOKE's upcoming showing of Interloper at Theatre North on July 20, The Examiner witnessed two scenes from the 60-minute performance.

The comedic scene, Teacup, had Tony Rooke - the company's seasoned, 61-year circus veteran - thwarted at every turn as he tried to drink tea.

Married couple Lewie West and Mieke Lizotte jostled, flipped and danced in an effort to steal the tea from Rooke and each other, keeping the liquid un-spilt will performing incredible feats.

Mr West said the scene was emblematic of the show's unexpected turns that "take things like tea and brooms and give them a cheeky twist".

"There are some classic circus routines but we put a new spin on them like hula-hoops and diving through them in groups," Mr West said.

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"It's nice to be able to take everything we've learned from around the world and Australia and bring that to Tassie, our new home town."

In the second scene, a hula-hoop number performed by Mr and Ms Wild and Mr West and Ms Lizotte, the group displayed extraordinary trust, showing off rhythmic movement alongside daring flips and tucks.

Ms Wild said Interloper was part of ROOKE's wider mission to bring the circus to Tasmania, a place that "misses out on Australia's rich contemporary circus culture".

"Tasmania hasn't been a part of that yet," she said.

"We would like to change that."

Interloper will show at Launceston's Princess Theatre on Thursday, July 20, at 6pm with tickets available at the Theatre North website.

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