With its roots embedded in the thriving bohemian and nomadic local arts scene, the origins of Brisbane’s (Queensland, Australia) contemporary circus sector dates as far back as the early 1980’s. The company that led the Brisbane sector to where it is today, Rock n Roll Circus, evolved from a series of street theatre and community theatre projects led by local collectives, The Popular Theatre Troupe and Street Arts Theatre. In order to understand the trajectory of the local circus sector at the time and Rock n Roll Circus’s trajectory, it is important to note that the Bjelke-Peterson government that held office from 1968-87 in Queensland was an extremely conservative, anti-socialist and Christian style of leadership. The impact this had on the city’s arts and culture and social structure created a need and a reaction from the arts sector and community which influenced a social ideology of radical reaction and political activism. Fortunately, although the State Government was incredibly restrictive for Brisbane artists, the Federal Government was the antithesis. In Challenging the Centre- Two decades of Political Theatre, Steve Capelin describes the philosophy and politics of the Popular Theatre troupe and the opportunities that they had under the Federal Whitlam Government and which in essence was the catalyst for a local circus sector emerging:

“The philosophy of the Popular Theatre Troupe set it apart from most other theatre groups at that time, in that there was a definite political motivation involved in mounting each of its productions. Because of the cultural vision of the Australia Council’s funding policies in the wake of the Whitlam expansion, we were enabled to say what we thought should be said about social and political issues which we considered important. We didn’t have to make box office the choice-determining concern that it was amongst bourgeois theatre companies. Context ruled.” (Capelin, 1995, p.46) ...