In my humble opinion as an arts writer and reviewer, the best way to approach a Fringe Festival is to balance your tried-and-true favourite acts with artists who are new to the scene. Head First Acrobats firmly sit in that former category, returning year after year with hair-raising productions that audiences know and love.
Last year, the company debuted Elixir Revived in Perth. Since then, the show has toured multiple festivals and even picked up an award along the way. In 2026, they’re bringing Elixir Revived back to Perth alongside a brand-new family offering, All Star Circus. I spoke with performer, co-producer and co-manager of Head First Acrobats, Thomas Gorham, about the year that’s been for the company and what they’re bringing to Perth Fringe 2026.
Elixir Revived returns! Last year when we spoke the show was new but originally based on a similar show called Elixir. What have you loved about performing it?
Elixir Revived is a riot. It’s a full-blown party dressed up as a circus show. My favourite thing has been feeling the energy of the crowd all over the world as we take them on a journey. It’s such a privilege to be able to take people on this kind of wild ride every night. Every gasp and shocked face with each precarious stunt we pull off, it just really makes me feel incredible.
You took out the overall best circus award at Sydney Fringe in 2025, congratulations! What was it like receiving that recognition and love for the show?
Receiving that award was wonderful because we knew we had made a great show. And we were receiving a lot of love and appreciation from the crowds, but this was much more official. It was very validating to see that the judges and critics also felt the same way about the show.
It’s a big responsibility to headline a major festival, and to get that official stamp of approval was like “well done, you nailed it!”
Elixir Revived, presented by Head First Acrobats.
How’s the show changed and evolved this time round?
We have been running this show for over a year now. There are some new skills in each act that we have been working on, tightening little pieces here and there. I think perhaps only circus trained people would be able to tell the difference though in terms of skill set. For the rest it would just be “wow that’s awesome!”
A lot of what makes a good show is all about understanding the rhythms of the different skits, and we have been experimenting with different ways of delivering jokes and material. We have tightened up a lot of skits and we think the show gets a heap more laughs from start to finish now.
Turning our attention to your new family show All Star Circus, tell us a bit about what’s in store for audiences in this one?
All Star Circus is our all ages family show. It has something for everyone, from 5 to 105 years old. I’m super excited for All Star’s WA debut, and it looks like it’s on track for a sell out season!
If you only take your family to one circus show this Fringe World, make sure that you pick All Star Circus. It’s a super high level circus, with a whole variety of acts, and absolutely no filler. All Star is non-stop action from start to finish, and we try to inspire the kids to get out there and try the impossible, because that’s what we did, and now we live amazing lives as circus performers. Inspiring the kids is something we love to do.
All Star Circus, presented by Head First Acrobats.
What are some of the things you take into consideration when creating a circus show for kids? What do you find kids love the most in circus shows?
I’ve spoken with a lot of performers who watched All Star Circus, and they often say “why do you do such hard tricks, it’s just a kid’s show?”
And I think to myself… WHY NOT? Why should we dilute what we do just because the audience is young? If anything, they are the ones with the most capacity to learn what we are doing, so inspiring them should be the ultimate goal. To inspire and entertain people at the same time, there surely isn’t a better feeling in the world!
Last year you told Magazine 6000 that “The crowds in Perth are the most raucous, the most enthusiastic audience who enjoy the arts more than any city I have been to.” Do we still hold that title?
Hahaha! YES! Perth crowds are still the undefeated champions of cheer, and I LOVE that you have pride in that. Keep getting out there, keep watching shows and keep being the best audience in the world!
All Star Circus, will open at the De Parel Spiegeltent at The Pleasure Garden on January 24 and Elixir Revived will open on January 21 at the Aurora Spiegeltent.