Charles Brockbank

Joint Head of Juggling and Manipulation

Charles graduated from Circomedia in 2016 where his training
focused on combining technical juggling and comedy. He has worked
for a variety of successful circus companies such as Cirque Bijou, Gandini Juggling,
Desperate Men and Stumble Dance Circus as well as creating his
own work. This includes Shakedown, a bar flair stage show which
was performed recently at the European Juggling Convention as well
as for the Royal Shakespeare Company and at private corporate
events. Alongside fellow graduates Charles created Outside the Club
(Broken Box Collective), a trio juggling theatre show with a focus on
aesthetics and politics. They performed it at the Act festival in Bilbao
and will be premiering a full length version as part of Circus City in
Bristol. Since graduating Charles has taught specialist workshops and
masterclasses in juggling and slapstick to international students as
well as being a regular juggling teacher on the Circomedia BTEC
course. He is excited to work with students at degree level and bring
his skills to the course.

Charles Brockbank

Rod Laver

Head of Undergraduate Studies

Head of Vocational Courses

A World Record breaking Gentleman and Ping Pong juggler. For nearly 30 years Rod has been a unique and sought-after speciality artist performing all over the world in Cabaret, Variety and on TV including twice receiving standing ovations on legendary French TV show “Le Plus Grand Cabaret Du Monde”. He has won medals at World Juggling Championships in the USA, at the Paris Variety festival and a Herald Angel award at the Edinburgh Festival. He represented the UK at the inaugural “Kamiwaza” TV variety show in Japan and has set a world record on Chinese TV. He recently appeared at the iconic Berlin Wintergarten Theatre and was also one of the few British Jugglers to appear in the Karl-Heinz Ziethen book “The Virtuosos of Juggling.” He had a long stint as resident Juggler at the Hippodrome on Saturday nights in London’s West End and is Joint Artistic Director of the Decadent Rabbit cabaret. Alongside his performing career Rod is very proud to have been Head Juggling teacher at Circomedia since the early 90s. Until recently he held a similar position at the National Centre for Circus Arts in London before deciding to expand and concentrate on his Circomedia career by taking on the role of Deputy to the Head of Undergraduate Studies.

Rod Laver

Nicky Pearson

Head of Aerial

Nicole is Head of Aerial for Circomedia’s Academy. Nicole was head
coach for the Pendulum Flyers youth troupe in the USA, and she has
been teaching aerial to both recreational and professional students
since 2000.

During her 25 year career she has performed with two Cirque du
Soleil productions (OVO and AXEL); entertained worldwide as a
freelance aerial artist at events for the Royal families of the UK, UAE,
Malaysia and Belgium; at high-scale corporate galas and launches
(alongside such stars as Prince, Elton John, Seal and Katherine
Jenkins); at festivals (Goodwood Festival of Speed, Glastonbury and
the Henley Festival); on cruise ships (Costa Cruise Line); in
traditional circuses (Circus Flora, Circus Smirkus, the Zoppe Family
Circus) and theatrical circus shows (Pendulum Aerial Dance).

Nicky Pearson

Owen Reynolds

Joint Head of Juggling and Manipulation

Originally from Dublin, Owen was introduced to circus and performing at an early age through the Irish street theatre scene. Looking to pursue this as a career, he moved to Bristol in ’99 to study at Circomedia. Upon graduating, he discovered the immense possibilities of collaborative juggling, leading to co-founding “Spot the Drop” with fellow graduate Malte Steinmetz, and later “Freehand Juggling” with juggler and videographer Howie Bailey.

Upon relocating to London, Owen’s passion for teaching was ignited when he became a regular teacher at The Circus Space (now NCCA). For 15 years, he shared his enthusiasm with countless jugglers and led as Head of Juggling for two years.

While in London, Owen’s long tenure with Gandini Juggling began. Over the 20 years of touring with Gandini to more than 50 countries, Owen became a core member, contributing to the creative process of more than 20 productions. He was an original cast member in several of their hit shows, including “Smashed,” ”4 x 4: Ephemeral Architectures,” and “Akhnaten” (in conjunction with ENO and Improbable).

Back in the South West, his infatuation with all things juggling now spans three decades. Owen teaches on the BTEC and FDA courses at Circomedia while continuing to perform and create shows. His recent work includes an outdoor collaboration with ex-graduate and maker extraordinaire Matt Pang, titled “Those in Glass Houses…”

Owen Reynolds

Jono Ayres

Classes Manager

Youth Circus Coordinator

HE Module Leader

Designated Safeguarding Officer

Originally trained in Physical Theatre and receiving a BA (Hons) Degree from the University of Leeds, Jono has since been training and teaching circus for over a decade. Starting out working in the United States after completing his Masters Degree, he travelled and trained across the US, Canada, and Australia before settling back in UK. He teaches aerial, specialising in dynamic, solo, and doubles trapeze.

Jono works for Circomedia as the Youth Circus & Classes Manager, overseeing one of the largest Youth Circus organisations in the UK. He is the former Head of Aerial for Circomedia, and has taught on both Further & Higher Education courses, and continues to lead the teacher training module for the Higher Education degree.

Jono Ayres

George Fuller

HE Physical Theatre Teacher

George Fuller is an American (Chicago) performer and teacher based in the UK. He specialises in street theatre, mime, clowning, improvisation, contemporary circus, dance and cabaret. His circus experience includes touring with NoFit State Circus, Midnight Circus, Crashmat Collective, and Herbie Treeheads Dinosaur Circus. He is currently touring The Rest of Our Lives which is a contemporary dance performance with Jo Fong. This piece was commissioned by the RTN and supported by The Place. George, under the pseudonym George Orange, continuously tours his solo outdoor show ‘Man On The Moon’. For 11 years he has acted as artistic director of Mary Bijou Cabaret and Social Club which presents queer and feminist contemporary cabaret. George’s current show ‘The Rest of Our Lives’ was ranked as the 6th best 2022 dance show by The Guardian.

George Fuller

Rachel Kirby

BTEC Aerial Tutor

Youth Circus and Adult Classes Tutor  

Rachel started her circus career with the classic running away to join the circus. After studying Human Rights and Social Theory in London, Rachel ran off to Cornwall where she was taken in by a circus. They trained her up and she worked for them as an aerialist for some years. She went on tour with them as well as working for other companies and agencies around the UK and France, performing in a range of contemporary circus shows to corporate events. Rachel decided to take her training and studies further at Circomedia on the degree course where she studied Aerial, Acrobatics, and Hat Manipulation. Currently Rachel combines her teaching with performing. 

Ethan Leamon

Acrobatics Teacher

Ethan is a hand-to-hand teacher who specialises in dynamic
acrobatics and stylised flips. – As a student he studied on the BTEC
and FDA courses at Circomedia before continuing his training at
Codarts Circus arts in the Netherlands.

After working on acrobatic ensemble work for the company Many
Hands he has been focusing on raising the standard of acrobatics by
teaching people around the UK in schools, acrobatic conventions
and private tuition. Now Ethan is a core, advanced level member of
the teaching staff at Circomedia and looks forward to helping our
students fully achieve their potential.

Joanna Palmer

Aerial Teacher

Joanna is a practicing professional aerialist and performer. Her
diverse career spans 20 yrs and both national and international
stages. Her extensive experience includes performances with
traditional touring shows, such as Circus Roncalli and The
Netherlands National Circus, as well as engagements at esteemed
venues like The Barbican. Joanna’s repertoire extends to numerous
high-profile corporate events around the world.

Specialising in the art of corde lisse, Joanna is passionate about
merging the technical mastery of this apparatus with elements of live
art, installation, and theatre. Her innovative approach pushes the
artistic boundaries of traditional circus, resulting in performances that
are both creative and exhilarating.

Heather Parkin

HE Context 1 Module Co-ordinator

Tutor

Heather works in the admin team on admissions across the Circomedia courses and is Module Co-ordinator of Context 1 for the FdA. Heather gained a First-Class BA in English & European Literature and an MA in Shakespeare: Text, Influence & Creativity before studying at Circomedia from 1999-2001. Heather’s performance career has included corporate work, devised touring theatre, voice recording, traditional/contemporary circus, devised circus theatre and cabaret.

Heather acquired a brain injury in a car crash in 2006. She recently performed in Epic Minds (2022/3) directed by Nikki Kenward, a show which explored her lengthy recovery process. Previous teaching for Circomedia includes leading community circus workshops, adult aerial classes, voice and corde lisse to FdA students, history of circus and acting head of aerial on the BTEC course.