“Because I was a pretty small 11 – 12 year old, I was a perfect kind of candidate for being thrown around, and never said no to anything, so I was always up for it. I did quite a lot of juggling, unicycling too, that sort of thing; but the majority of it was just being thrown around in the air, pretty much,” he laughs.

The softly-spoken Canberra native started his career in a youth circus, having seen an ad for the group in the paper (“There wasn’t much to do when I was 11”) but unlike some, he wasn’t an instant convert to the circus arts.

“I didn’t like it all that much at first, for the first couple of weeks; but suddenly I fell in love with it,” O’Keeffe tells MCV.

“I can’t remember what actual moment it was that changed my mind, but it just suddenly became the thing that I was loving; and I haven’t stopped since. Eventually we ended up taking over and running the youth circus. Then we moved to Melbourne and started up our own little business, and now here I am at Circus Oz.”

Based in a Port Melbourne warehouse, Circus Oz is renowned around the world as a company whose exuberant productions balance larrikin humour with daring physical feats, and entertainment with social justice.

This year, the iconic Australian institution celebrates its 30th birthday with a brand new show, which premieres under the company’s Leunig-inspired big top in Birrarung Marr this week.

According to Circus Oz Artistic Director Mike Finch the company was tempted to present a greatest hits package to mark the occasion; but instead, an all-new show has evolved.

“We definitely could have pulled a best-of together, but we really did also want to make a show that we really felt great taking around the world; so what we’ve ended up is that we’ve got a really amazing new cast, really. There’s probably four or five of the continuing mob, but we’ve got six new performers, and they’ve brought a really fresh energy, so the show is really new.”

Which is not to say that fans of Circus Oz should be worried about the company losing touch with its past.

“There’s a couple of classics, and we’ve revived one or two acts, but only a couple. I’d say probably 75 per cent of the show is new,” Finch says. 

O’Keeffe, who has spent the last couple of years teaching children’s and adults’ classes at Circus Oz, says he is thrilled to be a part of the show at last.

“This is my first time in the actual show. It’s incredibly exciting for me.”

So what does his act entail?

“Being thrown around, a bit of juggling here and there, a few tumbles on the floor and lots of being upside down.”

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