Graduate Stories

Ciaran Innes – BA (Hons) Graduate 2025

When did you first discover circus?

I was taken to a trad circus when I was a little kid, and I remember seeing a guy in the German wheel and my mum said, “Isn’t that cool?” And I went, “Yeah, I could do that!”. And she went “Go on then!”

I saw a street performer not long after that, who did Diablo, which I was really into, and he rode a giraffe unicycle and juggled a machete, a flaming torch and a sickle. He was really punk and made everyone laugh loads. And I remember being quite moved by that.

I was about 12 when I started spinning fire. I think I was about 10 when I started learning with the props, so at least I practised a bit!

Then [before going to Circomedia] I trained at Instituto Nacional de Artes do Circo, a circus school in Portugal for a year, which was challenging but rewarding.

What made you decide to study at Circomedia?

I was actually in Portugal, and they said, “why didn’t you go to Circomedia?” And I said “what’s Circomedia?”. So it was through studying at another circus school that I found out about it, which was a shame because I would have totally come sooner. I’d love for more people in schools to hear about this career path.

What was your favourite thing about training at Circomedia?

The best thing is being able to train around a range of professional artists. In my first year, through training with professional artists I got a lot of work, which then spring boarded me, and gave me enough experience to walk into work as soon as I finished training.

It’s so inspiring to be around the people there and have access to the space.
The opportunities you get out Circomedia are the kind of things you just can’t replicate through trying to discover your own path in circus.

Yes, you can be very successful and get to a very high level, but being at Circomedia gives you such a range of skills and experiences. That are so invaluable, even if they don’t feel like it at first.

How has your training shaped your current professional life?

When I joined, I was adamant that I wanted to make a range of ground acts and there were times that that hindered me, but now it’s actually become the best thing ever! And the professionalism. I got a really nice comment off the manager on my last job saying, “you’re not only outstandingly professional and adaptable and you just got on with everything, but you’re also really nice to get along with in a cast and crew”. I thought, wow, I definitely needed the Circomedia experience to become like that.

What have you been up to since graduating?

I performed a range of festivals that I really wanted to go to. I was flown to Switzerland to be an Acrobat in a mediaeval show! And then I did six weeks of shows in Blackpool, which was a bit of an honour because Blackpool used to be a very prestigious circus place in the UK. And then I just sat back and looked at my bank account that looked better than ever and booked a holiday!