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Photo by Hazel B.
Some spotlights on a curious career:
1975-1985 – Performed children’s theatre shows at international festivals in more than 20 countries with his family, Reg Bolton, Annie Stainer & Sophie Bolton as ‘The Long Green Theatre Company’.
1980 – Learnt to ride a unicycle, aged 7 with the help of world champion unicyclist Sem Abrahams whilst performing at a theme park in Israel. 
1981 – Discovered a fascination for Origami during a visit to Japan with the original ‘Suitcase Circus’ show.
1984 – Won a ‘50 metres juggling on a unicycle race’ at the International Unicycle Convention in Syracuse, New York. He was the first junior across the line & even beat some of the grown-up riders.
1992 – Performed a whole range of skills including juggling, rola bola & tightrope walking, as the circus double for the lead role in ABC TV / Barron Films co-production ‘Clowning Around’.
1992-1998 – Provided circus skills units for W.A.A.P.A. (West Australian Academy of Performing Arts) for Acting, Musical Theatre & Dance Departments. Teaching acrobalance, juggling, stiltwalking, unicycling, diabolo, tight wire, devil sticks, rola bola & so on...
1993 – Represented Australia, performing with his family at the ‘International Circus Festival’ in Wuqiao China. Their act was one chosen to be included in the final showcase which was broadcast on China National TV.
1996 – Presented ‘Circus with a twist’ for P.E.A.C. learning centres.
1997 – Taught actress Naomi Watts to ride a unicycle while working on the movie “Under the lighthouse dancing”.
1998 - RTR Presenter & DJ for ‘Rhythm Trippin’, Drum ‘n’ Bass, Jungle & Hip Hop.
1999-2001 – As the first ‘Captain Starlight’ in WA, Jo helped the Starlight Children’s Foundation establish their ‘Starlight Express Room’ brightening the lives of kids at Princess Margaret Hospital for children.
2001 – S.A.E. Perth (School of Audio Engineering) Guest Multimedia Lecturer, Advanced Photoshop Design & Flash Animation Techniques.
2001-Present – Teaches circus skills & performance to students at ‘Total Theatre – The Annie Stainer School of Physical Theatre’.
Now – Performing & teaching throughout Western Australia with Suitcase Circus for Schools.
 Jo Bolton's Suitcase Circus
Living a childhood most of us only dream of, Jo Bolton grew up travelling the world and performing in his family’s Suitcase Circus.
“I made my stage debut at the age of three months- I was involved in some sort of performance from the very beginning. Mum and Dad were constantly directing and producing kid’s theatre, and circus was a part of that.
‘Suitcase Circus’ was a children’s theatre show performed by the Bolton family who took mime, westerns, Punch and Judy, marionettes and circus to children in more than 20 countries. The family moved to Australia in 1985 when Jo’s parents, Reg Bolton and Annie Stainer, accepted teaching positions at WA Academy of Performing Arts.
On ‘a break’ from circus, Jo joined the real world for a couple of years and during this time taught himself animation, web and graphic design. As the inaugural ‘Captain Starlight’, he helped establish the Starlight Express Room and Starlight TV channel at Perth’s Princess Margaret Hospital for children.
“The reason I’ve been able to teach myself things like web design and music, is because circus skills involve learning how to learn. For me, stilt-walking was a game I played with my Dad when I was three.”
Jo is keen to share his circus skills with schools throughout the state, offering anything from one-day visits through to workshop programmes which culminate in a student performance. He emphasizes that the skills encourage persistence and acceptance that it’s okay to make mistakes.
“The circus as we know it is around 200 years old, whereas the diabolo was used in China more than 2,000 years ago. Juggling, diabolo, hoops and spinning plates are all ancient games which have appeared in different countries in isolation throughout history.”
“During a workshop you’ll witness hundreds of successes. Circus Skills are inclusive and aesthetically beautiful. They develop co-ordination, balance, confidence, risk-taking and persistence. Every time I go somewhere I get instant feedback from teachers in the form of ‘Now look at that!’ as they watch their kids having a go.”
“For 99% of people, circus is ‘other’, and exciting. Children think to themselves ‘I couldn’t’ do that!’ and by the end of the day they find that with persistence, they can. And it will be accompanied by rounds of applause!”
‘Suitcase Circus’ offers specific workshops suited to each level of education and also provides Professional Development sessions for teachers.
By Sue Berghuis-Garde
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