History
Hailing from the creative port town of Lyttelton, New Zealand, the Lyttelton Circus Theatre Company (LCTC) is a home for inventive physical circus theatre.
The LCTC began its life as ‘The Loons’ in 2006 when Mike Friend and Darryl Cribb took on the lease of 16 Canterbury Street, a working men’s club threatened with closure. Mike and Darryl turned the building into a theatre, adopting the local name for the building dating from the 1920’s when it was The Loons Garage. The Loons grand opening cabaret took place in March 2007 and sold out.
Over the course of the following five years the 8 member strong LCTC became nationally and internationally renowned for creating startlingly original shows fusing circus with theatre. The Company performed all over New Zealand to rave reviews and was invited to arts festivals around the country, leading to its signature show The Butler heading to London for a three week run at the Pleasance Theatre, Islington.
The Loons became a cultural and social hub of Lyttelton. In five years the venue staged over 400 events ranging from professional theatre to children’s shows, charity fund-raisers and community quiz nights.
In 2010 the Loons Theatre Trust was formed to embrace all the activities: the professional theatre, the community events, and education in the performing arts.
In 2011 Lyttelton was hit with an earthquake that destroyed a number of heritage buildings including the Loons.
Despite the loss of their venue, the LCTC produced a season of Macbeth as an outdoor post-apocalyptic adaptation in the rubble left from demolished buildings.
The show sold out to an extended season.
In 2016 The Lyttelton Arts Factory was born, and the trust became The Lyttelton Arts Factory Trust.
The LAF theatre's first full production was 'Road' using a exclusively local cast, including some of the original members of the LCTC company and was a sensation. The education program recommenced and shows became a regular feature at the new venue at LAF.
In 2023 the former LCTC members were asked to reunite to perform a much loved developing show 'Berlin Burlesque' last performed in 2012. The company unanimously said yes and plans were put into action to gather the cast in Lyttelton for the start of January 2024. The show ran from mid Jan - mid Feb 2024 with the company being renamed the Lyttelton Circus Theatre Company (LCTC).