Celebrating Albert and Friends
Role Up! Role Up! Join us for a celebration of circus and community!
On the special occasion of clown extraordinaire Albert the Idiot’s 80th birthday, we invite you to a family-friendly circus cabaret and pop-up exhibition celebrating his pioneering legacy of youth circus.
17:00 – Pop-Up Photography Exhibition
18:00 – Circus Cabaret
19:00 – END
For over 30 years Albert & Friends Instant Circus (A&FIC) “London’s Premier Children’s Circus” inspired thousands of young people through the power of circus.
We invite you to join our circus community in celebrating Albert with an evening of circus theatre, clowning and death-defying tricks including unicycling, juggling, acrobatics and more. Performers will include young people from the next generation of local circus talent (ANDCircus), old A&FIC members bringing back classic acts from their youth, as well as those who are now internationally celebrated circus performers and clowns (Ella the Great, The Flying Bazazi Brothers). Hosted by Ella Golt and Ali Eisa.
See our pop-up exhibition showcasing photographs from 35 years of the Circus’s history. Documenting young people performing on streets and theatres across London and internationally, including Riverside Studios, these photographs capture the creativity and personal experiences of young people who grew up, built life-long friendships and community through Albert & Friends Instant Circus.
Albert & Friends Instant Circus (1983-2018) was founded by Ian Scott Owens (“Albert the Idiot” and Artistic Director) and Petrea Owens (General Manager). The Circus had its roots in the parks of Hammersmith & Fulham, , where Albert taught children a wide range of circus skills and clowning for one week, and the following week they performed a show for the delight of their families and the local community. Over its 35 years, A&FIC grew into the largest youth circus charity in London, empowering young people to perform on the street, in theatres and festivals across the world, including over 20 years at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and tours to New York, Seattle, Beijing, Adelaide, Sylt, Hamburg, Tallinn, Ljubljana and Paris. A&FIC was based at Riverside Studios for over 25 years, becoming an integral part of the creative community which has flourished over the cultural centre’s 50-year history. A&FIC created an extensive programme of social circus, partnering with 5 European countries to develop a physical (circus) arts education curriculum, ‘CirSchool’, which it practised in schools, community centres and training centres across West London and the UK, encouraging young people to grow in confidence and self-awareness.
This event is generously supported by Riverside Studios as part of their 50th anniversary year.
NB: tickets are free but please book in advance, so that we can manage event capacity.
