Ra Ra Zoo: История современной цирковой труппы

Ra Ra Zoo was an English based contemporary circus theatre company, active (August 1984 September 1994), a seminal group who created self devised physical theatre performance for theatres using comedy and circus skills. Founded by Sue Broadway, Stephen Kent, David Spathaky and Sue Bradley while they were all working and staying together at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in August 1984. In 2018, the UK Guardian newspaper named them as one of the 25 most influential aspects of the 250 year history of circus in the West. The first public performance was at the infamous Tunnel Club hosted by Malcolm Hardee in the East End of London. Notably, the normally vocal audience were unusually silenced by a wordless version of their signature teacup act. Their first full show at the Battersea Arts Centre was as part of the London International Mime Festival in January 1985, their first theatre show, sub titled, "Juggling With A Social Conscience". They subsequently toured internationally for ten years playing in theatres notable to Africa, South America, Australia and extensively in Europe. Their show under the joint Artistic Direction of David Spathaky and Sue Broadway combined the ethos of 'alternative' comedy of the 1980 with a 1970s revival of circus skills, variously called 'Neo circus or new variety by them or contemporary circus' by other people, it largely promoted a reinvention of circus focusing on human skill and generally without presenting animal acts. Their background in street performing, The Amazing Mendezies and in the influential Circus Oz (of which Sue Broadway was a founding member) gave the show an irreverent, fast paced, avant garde, surrealist feel.

Although generally politically opposed to recorded media, the company performed on television on programs for young people such as No. 73, Blue Peter, guest spots on The Late Late Show and elsewhere. They also featured on a broadcast pilot for C4 with Spike Milligan The Last Laugh before TVAM. Dave Spathaky and Sue Broadway appeared together on TV shows worldwide, several times successfully beating their own world plate spinning record.

In early days they played on the emerging 'New Variety' and alternative cabaret circuit and were the very first performers on stage at the newly reopened Hackney Empire in East London on 9 December 1986. They subsequently played several successful seasons there with their full length shows.

Their extensive touring was sometimes partly funded by the British Council but also self produced. They represented the UK at World Expos in Vancouver, Canada, in 1986 and in Brisbane, Australia, in 1988.

Ra Ra Zoo's last full show to date 'Cabinet of Curiosities' toured in 1993/4 and like their first full show (in 1995) was in the London International Mime Festival (in 1994), the last show of that tour was at the Liverpool Everyman also in 1994.

In 2011 founders Dave Spathaky, Sue Broadway (with musician Thom Podgoretsky) performed at the Cork Midsummer Festival and the Glastonbury Festival but have currently no plans for new Ra Ra Zoo productions in the pipelines but an online project in 2020 called 'Clown Power Live' at: http://zoological. ie, during the anthropause, contain collaborative elements between Sue Broadway & Dave Spathaky.