Image Credit: Alex Davies
failure
premiere season
17 - 25 July, 2026
FLING Studio, bega
what happens when we stop viewing defeat as a deficit and begin to embrace uncertainty?
Image Credit: Alfie Tait
FAILURE is a bold new contemporary performance work from FLING Physical Theatre developed in partnership with renowned Australian physical theatre company Legs On The Wall.
Combining aerial dance and contemporary physical theatre, FAILURE explores the emotional and physical terrain of risk, expectation and the fear of getting it wrong. Performed by a professional cast of local and guest emerging dance artists, the work examines failure not as weakness, but as a powerful creative force. Exposing vulnerability, resilience, and humour in the instability.
Ambitious, visceral and deeply human, FAILURE signals a significant artistic step forward for FLING Physical Theatre, championing fearless regional contemporary performance and the next generation of Australian artists.
FLING partnered with Legs On The Wall for this project, under their guidance the performers undertook advanced physical training in aerial skills pushing the limits of trust, endurance and control. The result is a high-intensity, visually arresting work that moves between raw athleticism and quiet human fragility.
At a time when perfection is increasingly performed and failure is often hidden; FAILURE asks what happens when we stop viewing defeat as a deficit and begin to embrace uncertainty. Through daring movement, immersive staging and emotionally charged performance, the work invites audiences into an intimate encounter with risk and perseverance.
Combining aerial dance and contemporary physical theatre, FAILURE explores the emotional and physical terrain of risk, expectation and the fear of getting it wrong. Performed by a professional cast of local and guest emerging dance artists, the work examines failure not as weakness, but as a powerful creative force. Exposing vulnerability, resilience, and humour in the instability.
Ambitious, visceral and deeply human, FAILURE signals a significant artistic step forward for FLING Physical Theatre, championing fearless regional contemporary performance and the next generation of Australian artists.
FLING partnered with Legs On The Wall for this project, under their guidance the performers undertook advanced physical training in aerial skills pushing the limits of trust, endurance and control. The result is a high-intensity, visually arresting work that moves between raw athleticism and quiet human fragility.
At a time when perfection is increasingly performed and failure is often hidden; FAILURE asks what happens when we stop viewing defeat as a deficit and begin to embrace uncertainty. Through daring movement, immersive staging and emotionally charged performance, the work invites audiences into an intimate encounter with risk and perseverance.
Image Credit: Alex Davies - from Creative Development at Legs on the Wall - March 2026
failure
early stage development with FLING Company
2025
Image Credit: young artists of FLING Company 2025
FAILURE has been developed in partnership with Legs On The Wall, with their support in skills development, production design, aerial infrastructure and artist exchange between metro Sydney and regional NSW.
In 2025 FAILURE began with FLING Company, our cohort of young artists 14 - 21yrs. They participated in a skills development week with 2 visiting Legs On The Wall artists Johnas Liu and Catherine Wait, followed by a creative development period and a sharing of excerpts in our double bill season August 2025.
Here we found first drafts, thematic concepts and an initial palette.
These landed with our regional audience of all generations. A palette of physical theatre, humour and intimacy, tiny textures and movement of scale. The visceral experience of a soaring performer and the play with risk, opening doors to contemporary performance for new audiences in our regional home, and beyond.
Acknowledging the scale and demands of the project, and the addition of Creative Australia support for a suite of emerging artist programs across the year, FAILURE in 2026 has pivoted to also involve early career professional artists in the project.
FAILURE is both a celebration of boldness and a call to action: to take the leap, to trust the process, and to discover what becomes possible on the other side of risk.
Blending powerful movement with striking aerial performance, FAILURE explores risk, resilience and the courage it takes to be seen. It speaks directly to young people navigating a world of pressure and expectation, offering a different narrative - one where falling, trying again, and pushing beyond comfort are not weaknesses, but acts of strength.
In 2025 FAILURE began with FLING Company, our cohort of young artists 14 - 21yrs. They participated in a skills development week with 2 visiting Legs On The Wall artists Johnas Liu and Catherine Wait, followed by a creative development period and a sharing of excerpts in our double bill season August 2025.
Here we found first drafts, thematic concepts and an initial palette.
These landed with our regional audience of all generations. A palette of physical theatre, humour and intimacy, tiny textures and movement of scale. The visceral experience of a soaring performer and the play with risk, opening doors to contemporary performance for new audiences in our regional home, and beyond.
Acknowledging the scale and demands of the project, and the addition of Creative Australia support for a suite of emerging artist programs across the year, FAILURE in 2026 has pivoted to also involve early career professional artists in the project.
FAILURE is both a celebration of boldness and a call to action: to take the leap, to trust the process, and to discover what becomes possible on the other side of risk.
Blending powerful movement with striking aerial performance, FAILURE explores risk, resilience and the courage it takes to be seen. It speaks directly to young people navigating a world of pressure and expectation, offering a different narrative - one where falling, trying again, and pushing beyond comfort are not weaknesses, but acts of strength.
