Katherine MacAlister learns that Strike!, a cross between circus and theatre, offers something completely different as downtrodden staff rebel against conformity

Sometimes it’s good to step out of one’s comfort zone and try something different, and this is exactly what Oxford Playhouse aims for when it searches high and low for the most innovative and contemporary performance groups on the planet.

Whether it’s French street dancers, jugglers or beat boxing, the Playhouse continues to surprise.

Strike! looks set to follow suit. A cross between circus and theatre, Keziah, its originator, was determined to include a narrative in this, her latest show, to give us a story to follow, rather than just movement.

So while you can expect aerial stunts and high-flying acrobatics, Strike! is themed around rebuilding your life, getting out of the rat race and surviving in modern society.

“People get so caught up in modern life so this brings with it a physical liberation to show people a work/life balance and demonstrate how much we depend on each other.”

Fine tuning their circus skills and fitting them into the narrative was one of the challenges Keziah faced, devising the show with the help of the performers themselves.

“Every performer has brought in new skills and all have theatrical backgrounds so it’s been a very collaborative process. And as circus is still a very alternative way to live, it’s very fitting for this piece really with its anti-nine-to-five message,” she says.

As Strike’s cast of five office workers, are buried (quite literally) under an ever-increasing workload, and finally fight back, as shown by their increasingly ambitious stunts, it is the perfect marriage.

“Circus is, if nothing else, always honest,” Keziah agrees, “but Strike! is also funny, exciting and fun, not just a social commentary.”

SEE IT
Strike! is at Oxford Playhouse tonight. 
Book at 01865 305305 or oxfordplayhouse.com