Our Work in 2024
In 2024, Acrobatic Conundrum brought 2 monumental projects to stage. THREADS brought 10 performers together (9 acrobats and a sensational musician) to weave an epic movement poem about the lines that tie us together and lead us through life. Gemma Wilson wrote in the Seattle Times the performance was "visual harmony, ... lovely, singularly breathtaking."

The Circus of Second Chances beguiled audiences in Seattle, San Juan Islands, Philadelphia, Boston, Brattleboro, and New York–where it was heralded as The Best Show To See With Your Family, by Mommy Poppins. Everywhere we go, audiences linger to share with us, and everyone who works with us counts it as one of the most important performing experiences of their life.

An audience member wrote us after the show: "I cried the whole way home. Take that as a compliment please -- it means you cracked my heart open and I also had plenty of belly laughs. Your movement was beautiful, beyond words. And the stories you told were so human-honest ... and particularly poignant for me at this time in my life. For starters, I am 1 year into my second chance after a brain injury."

We are aiming to do 30 more performances of the Circus of Second Chances in 2025, in Seattle, Portland, Gig Harbor, and New York City. We're also bringing back THREADS to Seattle's 12th Avenue Arts in October, with a redeveloped script but the same world-class rope virtuosos, and our monumental rope wall.

Community Support
In our 12 years in which we’ve had the honor to make circus art, we’ve learned that despite any box office success, every sustainable theater company depends on a network of donors who believe in the importance of their project; who trust in the power of art and the intercessors who wield it. Acrobatic Conundrum is no different and has been honored to receive huge support from the communities it serves in the form of personal donations and in-kinded resources.

We want to continue to  make courageous art and to dream whimsically while still paying our performers (70% of budget), covering a portion of our administrative costs (15% of our budget), and affording everything else: rent, insurance, travel, equipment, scenography, costumes, spike tape, 3 miles of climbing rope, giant wooden spools, juggling whisks, seedless and seeded organic lemons and gluten-free flour mix. In order to do this, we need your help.

Against a Backdrop of Stars
In addition to covering the basic overheads of running a circus, we are fundraising to purchase the materials to create a bespoke net of lights to hang behind the backdrop of the Circus of Second Chances. The backdrop will be literally woven into the fabric of the show using pixel mapping. With our brilliant lighting designer's Bryce Bartl-Geller's direction, the color and brightness of each bulb will be choreographed, bringing more magic to the world of the show. It will be a backdrop of constellations, birthday candles flickering out, stars twinkling, a talk show sign for Emma, a tally mark for each of the nine ways we didn’t die, this backdrop will wow audiences and help terry, Melissa, and Emma bring laughter and tears to our future audiences.

Please help us spread the word on our campaign via social media and your personal networks. Despite having sold out shows and a growing fan base, we depend on the personal contributions of our patrons of the arts. 

Thank you!