Jarred Dewey

What do you do in your day-to-day life?
Well I’m a costume maker by day and circus artist by night, so it really depends! I’m either on tour living out of a suitcase or at home in Melbourne working on a myriad of different projects. I can usually be found cycling around the city from fabric store to fabric shore, banh mi in hand dusting off the crumbs just in time to train some acrobatics in the studio.

Why do you do it?
I honestly can’t imagine a world where I am not being creative. It’s a literal force that drives me to do what I do. I can’t ignore it. The feeling of creating, training, growing and learning is so deeply satisfying.

What do you love about the city you live in right now?
I have spent the last 15 years touring internationally (more than 40 countries) and Naarm/Melbourne is still one of my favourite places in the world. I love the quality of life here, the emphasis on arts/culture and the multicultural soul of the city. It brings everything I value into one place.

What’s the best thing about being part of the LGBTQIA+ community?
One of the best things about the LGBTQIA+ here in Melbourne is its sense of community and creativity. It inspires me daily to see these amazing queer people showing up for one another, creating a sense of community and witnessing their creative ingenuity.

In your opinion, what is the most misunderstood thing about the community?
How much we all benefit from queer people and queer culture! Diversity is key for a healthy society.

Do you have an LGBTQIA+ icon/spokesperson that you look up to and if so, what do you love about them?
I have so many from John Waters to Thierry Mugler, but I need to take a moment to shout out to my local queer circus legends such as Moses, Jess Love and Mark Windmill, who paved the way for queer circus artists like myself to work in the industry so authentically.

How do you define happiness?
Happiness to me is feeling content, loved and inspired. If you love what you do and you have a sense of connection to a community, I think these values come naturally… Also a giant bowl of laksa… :)

Are you happy with your work/life balance?
This is a hard question to answer! As a circus artist, I am so privileged to get the opportunity to tour all over the world but this means I am often away from home and partner for months at a time. Australia doesn’t offer the same kind of long residency circus work as Europe does, so I am often away for six months at a time – which means it’s six months of solid work even when I’m not performing. I do however find the time to take a much needed holiday when I can ;)

What is the best lesson you've ever learned?
TRUST THE PROCESS! It’s literally my mantra. When you’re deep in the process and you can’t see the what it is yet and you start to double guess yourself – just persevere.

What is your spirit animal?
My spirit animal would have to be a well pampered domestic cat. Nimble, well fed and aloof. Meow.

Jarred Dewey will appear in 'Decadence: 10 Years Of Yummy' at Melbourne Fringe from 1 October, 2025.