Katherine MacAlister hears about the duo living out their dreams under canvas

Nicole & Martin’s Swiss circus sounds like a cross between Creation and Giffords, although admittedly I haven’t seen it yet.

It’s a novel concept either way, featuring ancient tales, traditional storytelling and circus tricks and one that’s instantly seductive. Because Nicole & Martin, whose circus it is, don’t pack up the big top and go home afterwards. Their wooden caravan is their home and the circus is their life.

More than that, everyone who comes across them falls in love with their shows, their passion and professionalism, their pride, their dedication to their craft and their commit-ment to keeping their version of the circus alive.

A far cry from the big commercial circus that hits town, Nicole & Martin’s vision is more primitive, bohemian and intimate, which is exactly why the North Wall Theatre in Summertown has booked it for three different shows running over three different days, starting today.

But their appearance here is no coincidence, and all down to the company’s director Kate Higginbottom who discovered them initially and persuaded them to come to England. Kate, from Oxford, told the pair straight away that her main objective would be to bring them to Oxford, but it has taken this long to organise.

“It is such a great act,” Kate remembers, ”singing, dancing, magic, acrobatics. It was brilliant so I went to meet them afterwards to try to persuade them to come to the UK.”

A year later Nicole & Martin rang her back, the result being a sell-out 200- seater show in Edinburgh where Kate translated the shows into English and the Swiss couple learnt their parts verbatim “including the coughing,” she laughs. “But I think it helps them to have some support here. Now they speak English, things are so much easier.”

So why does Nicole & Martin’s circus stand out? “Their shows have a really strong narrative and they always illustrate the story without much text. Their shows are very visual and charming. They have astonishing talent and profound skills which are passed down from generation to generation and are extraordinarily good at what they do. Plus each show is different, while the ethos stays the same.”

Practising every day and always working on their shows to keep them fresh has ensured that Nicole & Martin stay at the top of their game, selling out wherever they pitch up all over Europe, and Kate travels with them much of the time, both here and on the continent.

”I’m involved pretty much all year,” she admits. “But it fits in with my choreography and writing. It’s about finding a balance.”

Kate, who went to Phil and Jim’s Primary School in North Oxford and then Cherwell College, can’t wait to bring Nicole & Martin to Oxford, where she knows they will go down a storm in the St Edward’s playing fields opposite the theatre.

“They really bring the stories and the characters to life, with lots of surprises and delights. They give you goosebumps and make you laugh. It’s not like being in a normal theatre. It has a really special atmosphere and is very unique,” she promises. “It’s the perfect Oxford show.”

Perhaps the proof is in the pudding, return visits always selling out immediately. But for Kate it’s about more than ticket sales: “It’s a very medieval thing to do take a play out travelling. But I am so happy to be involved. I love every minute and am proud of what Nicole & Martin have achieved. Because they live like the characters in their stories. This is real life for them, they’re not playing at it.”

Swiss circus company Nicole & Martin will unpack their white tent at The North Wall from July 10-12 to present three European fairy tales: The Musicians of Bremen, Hansel & Gretel and The Fisherman & His Wife.

European Fairy Tales
The North Wall, Summertown
July 10–12
Tickets: Visit thenorthwall.com or call 01865 319450