Contra Productions is the home of the work of performance makers Laura Murphy and Nicole A’Court-Stuart. The work we make, tour and support others to develop is deeply interdisciplinary, drawing on circus and choreographic practices alongside theatre, cabaret and film to create experiences that move between intimacy and spectacle.
Our practice is informed by our queer and neurodivergent leadership, as well as our shared passion for exploring the role virtuosic practices can have within live work. The shows we create are bold, provocative and thoughtful. We hold connection at the heart of our relationship with audiences and experiment with playfulness, vulnerability, and emotional depth in order to forge meaningful links with the people who see our work. We are passionate about contributing to critical discourse around circus practice and, in addition to our own creative output, produce public and industry presentations, speak about our research, and teach creative workshops.
Our first production, Laura’s solo show Contra, was awarded laureateship by European circus label circusnext 2018-20 and has since been performed 51 times across 12 countries with subtitles in three languages, building enduring relationships between the company and the wider European circus sector.
Our short research film, A Spectacle of Herself (2021), made in collaboration with film maker Holly Black and director Ursula Martinez, has been shown across multiple international platforms, including Cologne CircusDance Festival, The Lowry, Common(ing) Thread (NL/UK) & Vooruit (BE).
Our live project entitled A Spectacle of Herself is a co-production with Carré Magique and Cambridge Junction. It premiered in 2023 and has since been performed to audiences of over 6000 people in the UK, Belgium, Denmark, Germany and Romania. It won a Mary Dick Award ‘23 for innovative disabled-led work, a Lustrum Award ‘23 for unforgettable theatre, was longlisted for Arts Council England’s Digital Culture Awards 2025 in the Digital Inclusion category, and won the Innovation award at the Off West End Awards 2025.
Our practice is informed by our queer and neurodivergent leadership, as well as our shared passion for exploring the role virtuosic practices can have within live work. The shows we create are bold, provocative and thoughtful. We hold connection at the heart of our relationship with audiences and experiment with playfulness, vulnerability, and emotional depth in order to forge meaningful links with the people who see our work. We are passionate about contributing to critical discourse around circus practice and, in addition to our own creative output, produce public and industry presentations, speak about our research, and teach creative workshops.
Our first production, Laura’s solo show Contra, was awarded laureateship by European circus label circusnext 2018-20 and has since been performed 51 times across 12 countries with subtitles in three languages, building enduring relationships between the company and the wider European circus sector.
Our short research film, A Spectacle of Herself (2021), made in collaboration with film maker Holly Black and director Ursula Martinez, has been shown across multiple international platforms, including Cologne CircusDance Festival, The Lowry, Common(ing) Thread (NL/UK) & Vooruit (BE).
Our live project entitled A Spectacle of Herself is a co-production with Carré Magique and Cambridge Junction. It premiered in 2023 and has since been performed to audiences of over 6000 people in the UK, Belgium, Denmark, Germany and Romania. It won a Mary Dick Award ‘23 for innovative disabled-led work, a Lustrum Award ‘23 for unforgettable theatre, was longlisted for Arts Council England’s Digital Culture Awards 2025 in the Digital Inclusion category, and won the Innovation award at the Off West End Awards 2025.
Laura Murphy
Performer, Artistic Director
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Laura Murphy is a genre-defying queer performance maker from Bristol, who makes text-driven and dynamic physical performance about things that she thinks needs to be talked about. Challenging, intimate and spectacular, her work is a cross-disciplinary fusion of theatre, live art, aerial choreography, dance and verbal explosions.
Laura’s methodology involves asking her circus technique to serve the work rather than lead it, helping her to push the boundaries of what is expected from aerial work and what aerial disciplines are able to communicate within a theatrical context. Recent collaborators include Terry O’Connor, Scottee & Friends and Peaches. |
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Laura is a graduate of the University of Brighton BA and MA Performance and Visual Arts course and holds a PhD from the University of Sheffield. You can read her thesis, Deconstructing the Spectacle: Aerial Performance as Critical Practice, here.
Nicole A'Court-Stuart
Producer, Executive Director
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Nicole A’Court-Stuart is a creative producer and performance maker with a diverse background in circus, activism, academia and visual arts. Her queer and neurodivergent position pushes her to prioritise complexity, care and representation in her work. Nicole has 12 years’ experience as a freelance producer working with independent artists as well as world leading Extraordinary Bodies and Jacksons Lane. She is Artistic Director of Circus City Festival, where she works to bring innovative international circus programmes to venues across Bristol, to raise the profile of Bristol as a city of circus on a national and international level.
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Nicole is a freelance creative producer for independent artists and companies, and has worked on shows including Cockroach by Chloe Mantripp. Together with Laura, Nicole co-directed Olga Kaleta’s Period Drama (2024).
Nicole is trained in access and trauma informed facilitation, is an RD1st qualified coach, and recently completed her BSL level 1.
Nicole is trained in access and trauma informed facilitation, is an RD1st qualified coach, and recently completed her BSL level 1.