Anna Thomson

Anna Thomson is a Darwin-based clown, theatre-maker, puppeteer, and physical performer. She studied Lecoq-based clown, physical comedy, mask and performance making at the John Bolton Theatre School in 2015 and at the London International School of Performing Arts (LISPA) Summer School 2018. She was a founding member of PO PO MO CO (2017-2019); Melbourne’s multi-award-winning physical comedy troupe, and her solo show Madame Nightshade’s Poison Garden won ‘The Risky’ Award for Experimental Performance (Darwin Fringe Festival 2019) and was nominated for Best Theatre (Perth Fringe World 2018). In 2019 she was selected for Performance Space’s residency Queer Nu Werk, ASSETJI’s Theatre-Making for Young People residency in Pakistan in 2020, and was a recipient of a six month residency at Concord Specialist School through the government-funded Creative Workers in Schools Program.

She has operated her business Anna Thomson Comedy (previously New Heights Circus) since 2011, offering interactive, roving entertainment and workshops for festivals and events. She works in theatre-in-education, as a facilitator and director of community theatre with young people and children from diverse backgrounds and abilities, and as a clown with the Starlight Children’s Foundation from 2016-2022. Anna has a love of satire and delights in creating and directing highly visual, physical and interactive theatre and comedy that explores environmental and social issues and stories, with children, young people and adults.