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David Bowie loved the circus, and we love David Bowie.

Jacksons Lane pays its respects with a once-in-a-lifetime night of spectacular sound and vision that we think will blow your minds. Performers from across the globe come together to celebrate Ziggy, the Thin White Duke, and maybe even Jareth the Goblin King as they choose their favourite Bowie look and song for a night of spaceman-inspired circus that’s out of this world.

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We have introduced a Pay What You Decide policy for Postcards Festival 2016shows.

You can attend the shows without paying for a ticket beforehand, but tickets can be reserved in advance (max 4 per booking). When the show finishes, you will have the opportunity to make a donation – either by cash on the door or card at the Box Office.

This summer sees the return of Postcards Festival. For two weeks in July, Highgate will be home to a whole host of weird and wonderful acts as we present an eclectic mix of circus, cabaret and extraordinary performance.

What’s more, Postcards 2016 is breaking the mould: for the first time at a London festival, all ticket prices are up to you with the launch of our new Pay What You Decide scheme! Tickets can be reserved in advance (maximum four per booking) and after the performance you’ll have the opportunity to make a donation, either by cash on the door or card at the Box Office.

This summer sees the return of Postcards Festival. For two weeks in July, Highgate will be home to a whole host of weird and wonderful acts as we present an eclectic mix of circus, cabaret and extraordinary performance.

What’s more, Postcards 2016 is breaking the mould: for the first time at a London festival, all ticket prices are up to you with the launch of our new Pay What You Decide scheme! Tickets can be reserved in advance (maximum four per booking) and after the performance you’ll have the opportunity to make a donation, either by cash on the door or card at the Box Office.

An absurd and comic duet of circus, Cul de Sac explores the sometimes gentle, sometimes brutal nature of human relationships. Featuring world-class juggling, dance and acrobatics, performers Gemma Palomar and José Triguero take us through a cycle of love, irritation, pain, euphoria, caresses and carelessness as they journey beyond the stereotypical male-female relationship. Combining astonishing physicality with evocative imagery and humour, Cul de Sac is at once entertaining, troubling and touching, light and dark.

An absurd and comic duet of circus, Cul de Sac explores the sometimes gentle, sometimes brutal nature of human relationships. Featuring world-class juggling, dance and acrobatics, performers Gemma Palomar and José Triguero take us through a cycle of love, irritation, pain, euphoria, caresses and carelessness as they journey beyond the stereotypical male-female relationship. Combining astonishing physicality with evocative imagery and humour, Cul de Sac is at once entertaining, troubling and touching, light and dark.

Where do books come from? Using the ideas of stories, characters, and their wild imaginations, JL Circus will be taking you on a beautifully bonkers adventure through books! Be amazed as Jacksons Lane’s young circus people weave their stories through acro, hula-hoop, juggling and drama skills in a fun, engaging performance for the whole family.

A circus show like no other! Max lives on a trampoline, with only his little pet bird for company. Every day his life is the same, but Max decides he wants a new life. Follow the two friends in their funny, bouncy daily routine, with breathtaking trampoline skills and hilarious clowning. A brilliant and unique new show for all the family.

Ages 3+

After three years of training together at Circomedia in Bristol, a new group of performers are ready to enter the real world. Now it’s time for the last ten standing to make their mark.

Ten is a combination of acrobatics, aerial, juggling and physical theatre presented with a twist. Join them for an evening of contemporary circus, laughs, and possibly some tears as they celebrate one journey coming to an end – and many more that are only just beginning.

A work-in-progress family friendly performance combining aerial circus and physical theatre. Join a princess like no other as she embarks on the biggest journey of her life – to the Moon!

With two performers and many more characters, this brilliantly comical story-telling performance explores the role of gender stereotypes within children’s theatre.

For ages 4+

Sandy and Bruno met in the seventies. She was fame hungry, he was doomed to follow her. As one hit wonders, this is a story of their big come-back. With Sandy’s determination and Bruno’s blissful devotion to her, they are here; not by popular demand, but by sheer defiance. With striking aesthetics and a rousing soundtrack, The Band is a quirky, humorous display of desperate ambition and blind affection.

Sandy and Bruno met in the seventies. She was fame hungry, he was doomed to follow her. As one hit wonders, this is a story of their big come-back. With Sandy’s determination and Bruno’s blissful devotion to her, they are here; not by popular demand, but by sheer defiance. With striking aesthetics and a rousing soundtrack, The Band is a quirky, humorous display of desperate ambition and blind affection.

‘si ça vous dérange pas?’ Is a show about identity. A collective of acrobats, aerialists and jugglers from eight different countries come together for 60 minutes to explore what brings us together and what pushes us apart. The ensemble have spent the past two years working and training together at Le Lido, Toulouse, a circus school which places the artist at the centre of what concerns them. Driving for artistic autonomy and authenticity, Le Lido searches for what makes each artist unique.

‘si ça vous dérange pas?’ Is a show about identity. A collective of acrobats, aerialists and jugglers from eight different countries come together for 60 minutes to explore what brings us together and what pushes us apart. The ensemble have spent the past two years working and training together at Le Lido, Toulouse, a circus school which places the artist at the centre of what concerns them. Driving for artistic autonomy and authenticity, Le Lido searches for what makes each artist unique.

Tweedy is the comedy and slapstick legend and star of Gifford’s Circus, Cirque Berserk and the Cheltenham Everyman pantomime! Not knowing who he is anymore, Tweedy gets a job in a Lost Property Office to try and find himself. In this one-man family show, Tweedy illustrates an impressive repertoire of comedic talents which have made him one of the most respected and popular clowns the country has to offer. Tweedy will never get too big for his pants; his pants will always be too big for him. “The best clown I have ever seen.” The Independent.

For ages 3 to 103.

Tweedy is the comedy and slapstick legend and star of Gifford’s Circus, Cirque Berserk and the Cheltenham Everyman pantomime! Not knowing who he is anymore, Tweedy gets a job in a Lost Property Office to try and find himself. In this one-man family show, Tweedy illustrates an impressive repertoire of comedic talents which have made him one of the most respected and popular clowns the country has to offer. Tweedy will never get too big for his pants; his pants will always be too big for him. “The best clown I have ever seen.” The Independent.

For ages 3 to 103.

Tweedy is the comedy and slapstick legend and star of Gifford’s Circus, Cirque Berserk and the Cheltenham Everyman pantomime! Not knowing who he is anymore, Tweedy gets a job in a Lost Property Office to try and find himself. In this one-man family show, Tweedy illustrates an impressive repertoire of comedic talents which have made him one of the most respected and popular clowns the country has to offer. Tweedy will never get too big for his pants; his pants will always be too big for him. “The best clown I have ever seen.” The Independent.

For ages 3 to 103.

Tweedy is the comedy and slapstick legend and star of Gifford’s Circus, Cirque Berserk and the Cheltenham Everyman pantomime! Not knowing who he is anymore, Tweedy gets a job in a Lost Property Office to try and find himself. In this one-man family show, Tweedy illustrates an impressive repertoire of comedic talents which have made him one of the most respected and popular clowns the country has to offer. Tweedy will never get too big for his pants; his pants will always be too big for him. “The best clown I have ever seen.” The Independent.

For ages 3 to 103.

Arriving with a caravan of hobby horses, two acrobats transform an empty stage into a charming circus ring with the help of a band of musicians. Making its London debut as part of Jacksons Lane’s Sirkus Finnish showcase, Around is a magical show that combines incredible skill, beautiful artistry and live music. Juggling, sword swallowing, hula hooping, acrobatics, clowning and a guitar-playing monkey will surprise and delight little ones and their families in this captivating spectacle.

For ages 4+

Arriving with a caravan of hobby horses, two acrobats transform an empty stage into a charming circus ring with the help of a band of musicians. Making its London debut as part of Jacksons Lane’s Sirkus Finnish showcase, Around is a magical show that combines incredible skill, beautiful artistry and live music. Juggling, sword swallowing, hula hooping, acrobatics, clowning and a guitar-playing monkey will surprise and delight little ones and their families in this captivating spectacle.

For ages 4+

Arriving with a caravan of hobby horses, two acrobats transform an empty stage into a charming circus ring with the help of a band of musicians. Making its London debut as part of Jacksons Lane’s Sirkus Finnish showcase, Around is a magical show that combines incredible skill, beautiful artistry and live music. Juggling, sword swallowing, hula hooping, acrobatics, clowning and a guitar-playing monkey will surprise and delight little ones and their families in this captivating spectacle.

For ages 4+

Arriving with a caravan of hobby horses, two acrobats transform an empty stage into a charming circus ring with the help of a band of musicians. Making its London debut as part of Jacksons Lane’s Sirkus Finnish showcase, Around is a magical show that combines incredible skill, beautiful artistry and live music. Juggling, sword swallowing, hula hooping, acrobatics, clowning and a guitar-playing monkey will surprise and delight little ones and their families in this captivating spectacle.

For ages 4+

Making its UK premiere as part of our Sirkus Finnish showcase, Taival blends contemporary dance, circus and visual theatre to paint a bold and blistering portrait of the human body. The multi-disciplined, hyper-talented cast explore themes of control, manipulation, beauty and pain, using light and sound to manipulate the barrier between artist and audience. A physical, versatile, vibrant piece of contemporary circus.

Fresh from their appearance in the London International Mime Festival, Silver Lining present their brand new cabaret night inspired by historical women from Anne Frank to Rosa Parks to Madonna. With the full force of their trademark energy, this all-female cast overcome obstacles and perform amazing feats in a celebration of strength, wisdom and female legacy.

Fresh from their appearance in the London International Mime Festival, Silver Lining present their brand new cabaret night inspired by historical women from Anne Frank to Rosa Parks to Madonna. With the full force of their trademark energy, this all-female cast overcome obstacles and perform amazing feats in a celebration of strength, wisdom and female legacy.

Jacksons Lane’s annual short-form circus residency programme returns for the third year, with up to ten artists sharing our theatre space to experiment with new work and ideas. Expect the latest in cutting-edge contemporary circus from new and emerging companies and solo artists in the end of week showcase.

Daisy is doing her best to keep her chin up and her head down – but as the first anniversary of her mum’s death approaches she begins to realise grief isnʼt something she can put aside indefinitely, and whether she’s willing to admit it or not, things aren’t fine.

From the silly to the sublime to the scary to the ridiculous, Daisy wrestles (sometimes literally) with her grief – Ian, a 6-foot invisible bald guy with a lot of luggage – eventually discovering that by letting him into her world she is able to reconnect with the memory of her mother.

Combining physical comedy with striking aerial acrobatics and an original, constantly moving aerial set, the debut live show from She Said Jump draws on theatre clown, circus and puppetry to tackle the themes of grief and bereavement with a light and playful touch.

Suitable for ages 8+

How to survive in a world that seems to tip over at any moment?

Two persons, castaways, stranded on the beach of their imagination meet each other, get to know each other, get to trust each other. Together they loose and find balance, using simple, seemingly worthless objects: a wooden board, a cardboard tube, a rope, driftwood. Exploring their limits, they quest for a common equilibrium.

La fin demain is a creative piece of optimism in these strange times. A call for complicity and simplicity.

Zirkus Morsa is known for their fresh, simple and poetic approach to circus arts and stunning balances, both in a figurative context as in their amazing hand to hand technique on the rola bola.

After moving from Germany to London over ten years ago to live and work in a more diverse community, renowned sword swallower, circus artist and dazzling burlesque artist Livia Kojo Alour learned that life-long feelings of self-hatred and otherness are part internalised racism and part survival techniques. With a successful career under her stage name MisSa, but tiring of playing someone else full-time, Black Sheep has been long in the making, serving as a candid autobiographical work and a euphoric reclamation of Livia’s identity and ongoing fortitude.

Black Sheep is a story about a Black woman finding love and a testament of personal strength, developed through transcending the white gaze, overcoming institutional racism and leaning into radical vulnerability. Securing her place as a pivotal UK Queer Black voice while telling her story via a heady mix of physical theatre, spoken word, song and sword swallowing, Black Sheep is timely, unsettling and deeply personal.

Suitable for ages 14+

After moving from Germany to London over ten years ago to live and work in a more diverse community, renowned sword swallower, circus artist and dazzling burlesque artist Livia Kojo Alour learned that life-long feelings of self-hatred and otherness are part internalised racism and part survival techniques. With a successful career under her stage name MisSa, but tiring of playing someone else full-time, Black Sheep has been long in the making, serving as a candid autobiographical work and a euphoric reclamation of Livia’s identity and ongoing fortitude.

Black Sheep is a story about a Black woman finding love and a testament of personal strength, developed through transcending the white gaze, overcoming institutional racism and leaning into radical vulnerability. Securing her place as a pivotal UK Queer Black voice while telling her story via a heady mix of physical theatre, spoken word, song and sword swallowing, Black Sheep is timely, unsettling and deeply personal.

Suitable for ages 14+

After moving from Germany to London over ten years ago to live and work in a more diverse community, renowned sword swallower, circus artist and dazzling burlesque artist Livia Kojo Alour learned that life-long feelings of self-hatred and otherness are part internalised racism and part survival techniques. With a successful career under her stage name MisSa, but tiring of playing someone else full-time, Black Sheep has been long in the making, serving as a candid autobiographical work and a euphoric reclamation of Livia’s identity and ongoing fortitude.

Black Sheep is a story about a Black woman finding love and a testament of personal strength, developed through transcending the white gaze, overcoming institutional racism and leaning into radical vulnerability. Securing her place as a pivotal UK Queer Black voice while telling her story via a heady mix of physical theatre, spoken word, song and sword swallowing, Black Sheep is timely, unsettling and deeply personal.

Suitable for ages 14+

Following their sell-out, award-winning show Enter The Dragons, A&E Comedy (Abigail Dooley and Emma Edwards, “a brilliant comedy coupling” Total Theatre) return with a spell-binding, surreal and darkly hilarious tale, directed by Cal McCrystal.

“I think they are amazing!!” Phoebe Waller-Bridge

Witch Hunt weaves a cautionary fairytale for our time. It celebrates the wisdom of the witch, unpacks the notion of predator and conjures a world of coven-ready weird sisters.

“Watch out, there are wild women about.  Knicker-Wettingly funny” Total Theatre

A ritualistic voodoo brouhaha designed to enchant and hex the pricks and predators; imagine Vic and Bob doing The Crucible.

Using buffoon, puppetry and magic and armed with a ‘wiccan’ sense of humour, A&E Comedy ask “can we use witchcraft to take down the Patriarchy?” Yes we can!

Following their sell-out, award-winning show Enter The Dragons, A&E Comedy (Abigail Dooley and Emma Edwards, “a brilliant comedy coupling” Total Theatre) return with a spell-binding, surreal and darkly hilarious tale, directed by Cal McCrystal.

“I think they are amazing!!” Phoebe Waller-Bridge

Witch Hunt weaves a cautionary fairytale for our time. It celebrates the wisdom of the witch, unpacks the notion of predator and conjures a world of coven-ready weird sisters.

“Watch out, there are wild women about.  Knicker-Wettingly funny” Total Theatre

A ritualistic voodoo brouhaha designed to enchant and hex the pricks and predators; imagine Vic and Bob doing The Crucible.

Using buffoon, puppetry and magic and armed with a ‘wiccan’ sense of humour, A&E Comedy ask “can we use witchcraft to take down the Patriarchy?” Yes we can!

UTOPIAN (t&c’s apply) is a surrealistic circus pop-culture queer positive experience. And it’s

absolute trash. Joined by their accomplice, Symoné takes you on an expedition inspired by

raves and power play, with a big pink pole, 6 inch skates, and gender nonconformity.

Join the world of psychedelic pilgrimage. You’ll be safe with us.

WARNING: This show may or may not contain autobiographical references about cults.

Suitable for ages 16+

Content warning: sexual content, nudity, drug references and language.

UTOPIAN (t&c’s apply) is a surrealistic circus pop-culture queer positive experience. And it’s

absolute trash. Joined by their accomplice, Symoné takes you on an expedition inspired by

raves and power play, with a big pink pole, 6 inch skates, and gender nonconformity.

Join the world of psychedelic pilgrimage. You’ll be safe with us.

WARNING: This show may or may not contain autobiographical references about cults.

Suitable for ages 16+

Content warning: sexual content, nudity, drug references and language.

What are little girls made of?

They are made of the forest floor, the blood of the moon cycle, the fluttering of wings and the turning of keys. They are made of sweat, howling notes and desire. They are made of night scented stock – heady and sweet, the lily and the rose, the knife and the rope.

They are made of all the tales our Mothers told us.

And all the ones they didn’t dare.

Using circus as a physical vocabulary, the award-winning Proteus will translate the fever dream style of Angela Carter’s macabre fairy tales to the stage. The Bloody Chamber is a heady, erotic, and surprisingly funny re-phrasing of some of the most famous folk and fairy tales in Western culture.

At a moment when women and men across the country confront the double standards of safety, sex, and the fears of what goes bump in the night, Carter’s incendiary caustic take on fairy stories as cautionary tales could not be a more formidable challenge to the status quo.

What are little girls made of?

They are made of the forest floor, the blood of the moon cycle, the fluttering of wings and the turning of keys. They are made of sweat, howling notes and desire. They are made of night scented stock – heady and sweet, the lily and the rose, the knife and the rope.

They are made of all the tales our Mothers told us.

And all the ones they didn’t dare.

Using circus as a physical vocabulary, the award-winning Proteus will translate the fever dream style of Angela Carter’s macabre fairy tales to the stage. The Bloody Chamber is a heady, erotic, and surprisingly funny re-phrasing of some of the most famous folk and fairy tales in Western culture.

At a moment when women and men across the country confront the double standards of safety, sex, and the fears of what goes bump in the night, Carter’s incendiary caustic take on fairy stories as cautionary tales could not be a more formidable challenge to the status quo.

Ready for a show that’s not just for kids?

This is a circus cabaret, and it’s for the whole family.

Brain Fools are bringing their fantastic circus friends on stage and showcasing their many talents. You’ll see performers juggle, spin, fly high in the sky and dazzle with amazing feats!

There will be family-friendly acts and exciting acrobatics. With a fabulous compère to keep you entertained between acts.

Brain Fools is led by Finn and Toffy, recent graduates of National Centre for Circus Arts.

Suitable for ages 3+

Ready for a show that’s not just for kids?

This is a circus cabaret, and it’s for the whole family.

Brain Fools are bringing their fantastic circus friends on stage and showcasing their many talents. You’ll see performers juggle, spin, fly high in the sky and dazzle with amazing feats!

There will be family-friendly acts and exciting acrobatics. With a fabulous compère to keep you entertained between acts.

Brain Fools is led by Finn and Toffy, recent graduates of National Centre for Circus Arts.

Suitable for ages 3+

Four different bodies collide. A show about how things need to fall apart before they can fall into place.

Their lives are different, but one thing unites them: there’re frustrated with their bodies changing, ageing, breaking, no longer obeying. They climb, hang, balance, slide, collapse, hold and hug. They examine marks life has left on their bodies. Film and audio fragments mirror these marks in the wounds inflicted on our planet. These characters are fighting the grind of what’s expected. And you might feel inspired to do the same.

Delicate is BSL interpreted, audio described and captioned. Delicate is presented by Extraordinary Bodies and co-produced with Figurteatret i Nordland and Theatre Royal Plymouth.

Four different bodies collide. A show about how things need to fall apart before they can fall into place.

Their lives are different, but one thing unites them: there’re frustrated with their bodies changing, ageing, breaking, no longer obeying. They climb, hang, balance, slide, collapse, hold and hug. They examine marks life has left on their bodies. Film and audio fragments mirror these marks in the wounds inflicted on our planet. These characters are fighting the grind of what’s expected. And you might feel inspired to do the same.

Delicate is BSL interpreted, audio described and captioned. Delicate is presented by Extraordinary Bodies and co-produced with Figurteatret i Nordland and Theatre Royal Plymouth.