Catherine Woodger is a performer with a particular interest in comedy, percussion and outdoor theatre. She has performed nationally and internationally at a variety of festivals and events.

As a percussionist, Catherine has focused on live outdoor entertainment - from shaking tambourines around the Blue Lake at Jenolan Caves in the middle of winter, to playing 44 gallon drums on the deck of a navy ship for Australia Day celebrations. She was a founding member of the all - female percussion group Nightflight to Venus which appeared at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games, the Sydney Opera House Anniversary Celebrations and numerous community festivals and corporate events. Catherine climbed atop a scaffolding tower to play percussion in Nigel Jamieson’s ‘Kelly’s Republic’ at the Sydney Opera House forecourt in 1998.

Catherine co-produced and directed the finale to the Viva La Gong festival in Wollongong 2004. It utilised the combined talents of professional and community performers to create an indoor / outdoor site specific work which drew on the cultural histories of local community groups. Her interest in the landscape as performance space is developed through her work with Circus Solarus, who create large-scale imagery (puppets, lanterns, site decorations) for events such as the Alice Desert and Southside Festivals.

Catherine has run a number of Drama projects for young people, focusing on the creation of comic characters through improvisation and research around a given theme. In 2002 she worked with Indigenous students from Coonamble High School, using drama games, music and improvisation to develop a group devised performance for Croc Fest, which was held in Moree later that year. As a teacher for the ‘R U Serious?’ project in Kiama 2005, Catherine directed young performers in their development of street theatre characters for the inaugural Invent Australia festival.

With Circus Solarus, Catherine has performed fairy tales for audiences in the Middle East, street theatre for Singapore and comic characters for numerous events in Australia, including regular work at Darling Harbour, The Rocks, Sydney Olympic Park as well as festivals such as Spike Fest, Sydney Festival, Sydney New Years’ Eve celebrations, Australia Day, Byron Bay Bluesfest, Blacktown Festival and Alice Desert Festival.

Catherine has also enjoyed working with other music and performance groups including Circus Monoxide, The T’Bags, Sydney Aerialize Theatre and Song Dynasty.

PERFORMANCES

Circus Solarus Festival Entertainment 1997 – 2005

Southside Festival, Port Kembla
Alice Desert Festival, Alice Springs
Sydney Festival, Sydney Olympic Park
R U Serious? Youth street theatre project, Kiama.
Lord Mayor’s Picnic. Sydney New Year’s Eve Celebrations. City of Sydney
‘Illuminati’ Viva La Gong, Wollongong.
Spike Fest. Community parade workshops and performance, Gosford
‘Poseidon King of the Sea’. Collaborative performance with Aerialize Sky Theatre,
Dubai Summer Surprises Festival, U.A.E.
Cosmic fantasy - Street theatre performances, Singapore.

Nightflight To Venus 1995 - 2002

Sydney Olympic Games
International Tall Ships convention, Darling Harbour, Sydney
To India with Love, Sydney
Beat it! Sydney Town Hall
Ignite - relighting of Olympic cauldron

Song Dynasty 2003 - 2004

Battle of Vinegar Hill, Sydney
Redfern Festival
Nyngan Public School – percussion workshops

Extended Limbs 1995-1996

The T-Bags 1998

Kelly’s Republic 1998

EDUCATION

Bachelor of Arts (Theatre Theory and Practice) 1999
University of Western Sydney

Graduate Diploma in Education 2000
University of Western Sydney