Circus, theatre and masked ritual combine to create a story of mythological transformation

Zinnia Oberski

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GENRE: Circus, Performance Art
THEME: Eco feminism, Female Power, Rituals, Speaking Bodies
LANGUAGE: Language No Problem
Attention: a lot of sensory stimuli (light and/or sound), Smoke / Fog machine, This performance may contain nudity
Toilet for wheelchair users: yes, Wheelchair accessible: yes

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AWARDS & PRESS:

Made in Scotland showcase 2022
Autopsy Award Scotland 2022
Jury’s Choice Award at FinFringe 2024
Mind Blown Award at Reykjavik Fringe 2024

“Sensual, kinetic and tactile, Dreams of Small Gods is a beautiful consideration of the power of folklore and an absolutely mesmerising intervention into the genre of physical theatre.” ☆☆☆☆☆ The List, 2020

“If you’re looking to experience a beautiful piece of aerial artistry or a performance that explores what lies beyond (or rather, within) the human, Dreams of the Small Gods brilliantly provides a spectacular display while inspiring an embodied connection to human and non-human spirituality.” ☆☆☆☆ Theatre Weekly 2022

” A labour of love founded on extensive research and inspired by classic mythology, folklore and faerie-tales. Bringing it all together is Oberski’s distinctive skill as a powerful acrobat and poignant conceptual artist.” ☆☆☆☆ Everything Theatre 2022

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‘Dreams of the Small Gods’ is a captivating live performance about the triple nature of woman; as animal, as human and as goddess or spirit being.  

During the show the audience sees the solo female performer morph from animal into human. In the human incarnation she is visited by the horned mask – ‘Magnus’, who calls on her to transform herself. With his help she becomes a mythological creature, part human, part animal and part primal deity.  

Inspired by the timeless wisdom of faerie-tales, mythology and ancient cultures, Dreams of the Small Gods blends aerial circus, performance art and masked ritual to create a surreal, hypnotic world. In a requiem for wisdom lost, it questions human ideas of holiness and profanity and explores the relationship between humans, animals and those we name as our gods.  

Biography

Performer and maker Zinnia Oberski has an extensive background in circus. She uses elements of physical theatre, dance and performance art to break the traditional circus aesthetic of the superhuman and focus on a strength that can only be accessed through vulnerability. Zinnia’s physical work is a communication which is less literal than words and therefore well suited to conveying ideas that relate to the subconscious or the animal brain. She is a 2011 graduate from Circomedia (BTEC) and a 2016 graduate from ACaPA, Fontys (BA). 

credits

Concept, creation and performance: Zinnia Oberski Dramaturgy: Ellie Dubois Movement: Tina Afiyan Breiova, Mele Broomes Producer: Chris O’Reilly Sound design: Chris Gorman Light Design: Ian ‘Cookie’ Brooks 

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