Common Ground

The spoof documentary, Common Ground, is a satire on the world of contemporary circus which takes you behind the scenes of a creative, chaotic rehearsal room. Follow director Victoria Dela and comedy writer Athena as they search for a new Global Majority star to rebrand circus for the 21st Century.

The aspiring cast members Rafiq, Lou, Ayesha, Eric and Shane audition and navigate the ups and downs of the creative process, all whilst showing off their skills in Cyr Wheel, Pole Artistry, dance, Chinese Pole and acrobatics.

Developed and created with an all-Black Creative team from Upswing, Common Ground utilises text and physicality to breakdown the frames we place other bodies in, drawing out the clash of identities that exists in each of us and why it is so hard to find ‘common ground.’ The film uses a mix of comedy, circus artistry and music to directly confront the difficulties we have talking about race and culture.