Triple threat in the big top
Image: The cast of Circus Oz's new TWENTYSIXTEEN show.
IN one of the first circus shows he performed in, Dale Woodbridge-Brown can recall hearing high school students in the audience hurling homophobic slurs in his direction.
He was playing an unintentionally flamboyant construction boy who was pretending to be a 鈥榣adies鈥� man – despite the fact his natural mannerisms didn鈥檛 lend themselves to that.
As an openly gay Kamilaroi man, he said experiences like that have been uncommon but they aren鈥檛 unfamiliar.
鈥淭here weren鈥檛 a lot of blackfellas in Circus Oz back then, and I was scared to do my act,鈥� he told the 17c起草社区.
鈥淏ut I had a queer director at the time who said to go back out there, look them in the eye, and do it again.
鈥淪o I did, and now I have a line in the show I like to use, that I鈥檓 a triple threat 鈥� I鈥檓 gay, Indigenous, and adopted.鈥�
Despite performing onstage as an acrobat with Circus Oz for the past five years, Woodbridge-Brown didn鈥檛 develop his passion until more recently.
鈥淚 didn鈥檛 have an interest in performing until I was 20,鈥� he said.
鈥淢y whole family鈥檚 sporty so I played a lot of sport in high school, and I was never into the arts.
鈥淏ut I was a bit of a groover growing up so I gave dancing a go… I joined the Aboriginal Centre for Performing Arts and eventually auditioned for Circus Oz.
鈥淚 always thought I was going to be a dancer, and I was starting to get really good at it but dancing never fulfilled everything I wanted, but with the circus I get to be funny and silly and show off some really cool skills.鈥�
Both Woodbridge-Brown鈥檚 circus team and family have both been incredibly supportive of his queer identity.
鈥淲henever I see a queer performer I get excited and want to work with them,鈥� he said.
鈥淐ircus culture is quite accepting of queerness and drag and a lot of that is intertwined with the circus.
鈥淭here are probably some people who don鈥檛 like it but they鈥檙e staying in the shadows where they belong.鈥�
When it comes to his large family – which comprises of nine sisters and a brother – he said they鈥檝e been nothing but supportive of his sexuality.
His parents, when he came out to them at 19, were already one step ahead of him.
鈥淢y dad鈥檚 my best friend and so is my mum,鈥� he said.
鈥淲hen I came out I had a boyfriend, and I was like mum, dad, you know Paul鈥檚 not actually my 鈥榝riend鈥� right?
鈥淢y parents responded by saying they were already at the party and had been waiting for me to come along.
鈥淚 have nine beautiful sisters who are all really supportive and a brother and I鈥檓 a little bit of a golden child, because I鈥檓 always doing something crazy.鈥�
Inspired by the drag queens he鈥檚 encountered through his time in the circus, Woodbridge-Brown said he loves to experiment with his look, but said it would be too hard to commit to being one.
鈥淣owadays I鈥檓 onstage with a pink beard, eyelashes, and short-shorts,鈥� he said.
鈥淎nd in my hometown of Mungindi everyone loves it when I鈥檓 back in town, but if I was to go to another community as flamboyant as I am, wearing sequins as I like to, I鈥檇 probably get faced with ignorance.
鈥淚 know there are still quite a few homophobes out there, so through my performances I鈥檓 trying to make sure everyone鈥檚 okay with what I鈥檓 performing, while also informing them.鈥�
While many people with queer sexualities face discrimination and marginalisation from the broader community, and others face this discrimination for being from a culturally or linguistically diverse background, queer people of colour face both.
As a gay Aboriginal man, Woodbridge-Brown believes they鈥檙e two separate forms of discrimination.
鈥淚 think that in my eyes [being discriminated against for being Aboriginal] would have to do with the race thing rather than the queer thing,鈥� he said.
鈥淲e are still quite a racist country and we鈥檙e getting better but very slowly, however I don鈥檛 think gay Aboriginal people are discriminated against any more or less than a gay person or an Aboriginal person, it鈥檚 just for a different reason.
鈥淭his may not be everyone鈥檚 view but I don鈥檛 like to give those kinds of things a platform.
鈥淚 like all of the work people do to get rid of racism and homophobia but if I feel someone attacking me because of my race or sexuality, I pay it no mind… not because I鈥檓 scared, but because I think they鈥檙e living in the dark ages and I feel sorry for them.鈥�
He recalled seeing a meme recently of an interracial heterosexual couple holding a placard that read: 鈥榦nly recently our marriage was illegal too, be on the right side of history.鈥�
鈥淚 think we need to wear a sticker saying to be on the right side of history, and education is key,鈥� he said.
Woodbridge-Brown is currently gearing up for a new Circus Oz show, TWENTYSIXTEEN, that will see turbo-charged acrobats bringing incredible new skills to the flying trapeze, the Chinese pole, and the unicycle adagio.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a whole bunch of people doing extraordinary things and showcasing what Australian talent can do,鈥� he said.
鈥淲hen I first started the shows I was doing were all thought out already; the themes and the set design were already in place.
鈥淲hereas with this one we鈥檙e creating it from scratch, and it鈥檚 celebrating humans being super human.鈥�
As someone who used to be a lot more introverted, he added that the circus has changed the way he sees himself, and helps audiences who may feel different to feel accepted and celebrated.
鈥淐ircus celebrates the freak in all of us,鈥� he said.
鈥淚 was a shy kid and now I鈥檓 not so shy, and slowly my journey of becoming a circus performer has gotten queerer and queerer.
鈥淚 have a group of friends who are all queer Indigenous performers and we do cop a bit but sometimes if people don鈥檛 understand, they just won鈥檛 understand.鈥�
Circus Oz鈥檚 TWENTYSIXTEEN season will run from June 15 to June 10 in Melbourne鈥檚 Birrarung Marr (between Federation Sq and Batman Ave). Tickets cost between $22 and $95, available from ticket master.com.au or 136100.
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