Legs on the Wall was established in 1984 by a collection of artists working in new forms of contemporary circus. In 1992 the company was formally incorporated as an association and by 2001 the company moved away from an ensemble led collective, adopting a management model with Debra Batton as Artistic Co-odinator and then Artistic Director of the company in 2003, a role she held until 2009. In March 2009, Patrick Nolan joined Legs as Artistic Director. In 2006 Simone O’Brien was appointed as Artistic Associate, a role that has developed emerging artist and educational initiatives, provided support to the Artistic Director and increased our capacity to accept more ambitious and lucrative large scale corporate events. The Company moved to its permanent home at the purpose built Red Box in 2004 and manages the venue on behalf of Arts NSW.

Legs on the Wall was instrumental to the development of the physical theatre genre in Australia, still a relatively new artform that draws on circus, acrobatics and dance for its skill base. The company draws its visual influences from a physical movement language and spectacular visual style, and looks to traditional theatre practice for its narrative and conceptual structures.

Legs on the Wall works presented by festivals are usually free to audiences. Legs is one of very few Australian companies that offer a high quality theatrical experience with layers of meaning and emotional impact to the ‘non theatre going’ audience. This is because physical theatre connects with audiences on a kinesthetic level, which can quickly find an emotional and imaginative response, challenging the dominance of the ‘head’

The spectacular scale of the work is produced with a proudly Australian aesthetic providing the public with an opportunity to participate in an event that reflects the values and contradictions of contemporary Australia. Most of these large works provide families with an opportunity to share an artistic cultural experience together.  Legs work has influenced many theatrical productions in Australia including Sydney Theatre Company, Company B and new work programmed by the Sydney Opera House.

‘Legs on the Wall blasts physical theatre into a new and triumphant dimension’ Sun Herald

While Legs on the Wall has created a body of work over the years, it has shifted and changed with the ensemble as well as directors, writers and choreographers invited to work with the company. Each new work takes its artistic flight without necessarily referencing the previous work.

Legs has two distinct strands of work: large-scale outdoor spectaculars, and more intimate experiences for audiences in conventional theatres. The company has a string of successful shows under its belt, from the classic show that first put LOTW on the international map All of Me (’94), through to the milestone productions of Under the Influence (’98), Homeland (’99), Flying Blind (’01), Runners Up (’02), Eora Crossing (’04), Four on the Floor (emerging Artist program – toured in ’05), On the Case (’06) and Bubble (’08).

Throughout its history, Legs on the Wall has been a major player in the Australian industry’s substantial contribution to physical theatre practice, and is at the forefront of the international marketplace.

“The company has become one of Australia’s busiest cultural exports, pioneering a style of performance that is particularly Australian and yet which communicates on a universal level… Their work brings great distinction to Australia’s performing arts at home and abroad.” Award Citation, Sidney Myer Performing Arts Awards