PHILLIP PSUTKA - Co-Founder
Phillip Psutka is the President, Director & Co-Founder of TriCity Centre for Circus Arts and the professional circus company Articus Productions. In addition to juggling and stilt walking, his main circus disciplines, Phillip brings a wealth of knowledge and experience from his theatrical background, including show creation, writing, directing, acting, and stage combat. Originally from Kitchener-Waterloo, he has performed with the Stratford Festival, CBC Radio, Humber River Shakespeare, the Toronto Fringe, as well as the Toronto and Dundas Buskerfests. Through his experience with The Shakespeare School (Stratford Festival) and DuffleBag Theatre, he has worked with kids and young adults as an actor, director, and instructor.
He has helmed numerous award-winning productions, including: WEIRD (Playwright, Director, Fight Director), which toured to theatres, schools, and festivals from 2015-2020 and showcased at Ontario Contact 2018; ROUGH MAGIC (Playwright, Actor, Fight Director); SHIPWRECKED (Playwright, Actor, Fight Director); and THE LUMBERJACK SHOW, THE AERIAL PIRATE SHOW and CAMP ARTICUS -- Articus’ three critically acclaimed outdoor touring productions.
He is the recipient of the Rapier Wit Award (Fight Directors Canada), a Tyrone Guthrie Award (Stratford Festival), as well as several arts grants for the development and production of his original plays WEIRD and ROUGH MAGIC with Articus.
He is also the creator, host, composer and producer of the podcast Dark River: Spooky Stories of a Small Town, which features original haunting short stories about a fictional small town in Northern Ontario at the turn of the century, and can be found on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and many other platforms.
He graduated from the University of Windsor’s BFA in Acting program with Distinction and is an Advanced Actor Combatant with Full Distinction (FDC).
Instagram: @phillippsutka, @darkriverpodcast, and @articusproductions
LINDSAY BELLAIRE - Co-Founder
Lindsay Bellaire is the co-owner of the TriCity Centre for Circus Arts. She has been training in circus arts since 2010, when she began training under Jeff Coulter in Windsor, Ontario. Soon after, she moved to Toronto and began training at the Toronto School of Circus Arts, where she eventually landed her first teaching position. She then opened her own studio (with partner Phillip Psutka) in Muskoka, before moving to Kitchener-Waterloo in 2017 to manage the aerial program at Brass Butterflies. In 2018, she attained her Instructor of Circus Arts certification from l’Ecole Nationale de Cirque in Montreal and opened TriCity Circus here in Waterloo Region.
Lindsay’s first and biggest love is aerial silks, with their endless possibilities for wraps, transitions, and exciting new pathways. Her secondary apparatus is aerial hoop. She is also a classically trained actor, with a BFA in Acting from the University of Windsor, and she uses her theatrical training to create shows and acts that fuse theatre with aerial arts.
Lindsay also co-owns and performs with Articus Productions, a theatrical circus company that provides high quality circus entertainment for events and festivals, and produces shows that blend theatre and circus arts. She enjoys the camaraderie and relationships that develop through each show, knowing that each performer has their part to play while coming together to create an exciting experience for the audience. Although a brief tour to China with Creativiva was one of her most exciting (and challenging) experiences, she is most passionate about creating and producing shows and acts under her own company. Her most rewarding experience has been performing as one of the witches in Articus’ production, WEIRD.
Instagram: @articusproductions
NATASHA GARCIA - Director, Owner, & Instructor
As a child, Natasha took ballet and jazz classes and has always enjoyed expressing herself through movement. She was first introduced to circus during an exchange in Quebec where she had the opportunity to participate in a circus workshop, trying different skills like juggling, riding a unicycle, and simple acrobatics. Upon returning to Waterloo region to continue her university studies in 2018, she came across aerial silks classes and couldn't pass up such an incredible opportunity. She immediately fell in love with the art and challenge of it and has been taking classes ever since.
In 2022 she had the opportunity to put together and perform a small aerial act, she found this to be an extremely rewarding experience that she looks forward to repeating in the future. Natasha has found a lot of joy through aerial arts and is excited to help others learn and progress in their aerial journey while experiencing the joy of circus arts.
SYMPHANIE GIROUX - Instructor
Symphanie is a Waterloo based certified aerial instructor with a passion for circus arts and performing. Since starting her aerial journey in 2019, she has completed extensive training at Brass Butterflies on various apparatus, including hoop, silks, trapeze, corde lisse and more! Her primary discipline is aerial silks. She has performed at various events over the years sharing a piece of her journey.
Photo credited to Alexa Baker Photography
Transitioning into teaching, Symphanie aims to share her love for aerial arts with students of all ages, providing an outlet for comfort in an often uncomfortable world. She emphasizes the importance of mental health and well-being, fostering a supportive environment where students can express themselves, build confidence, and discover their passions. She shares, “beyond fear lies freedom,” a reminder that true liberation comes from letting go of doubts, which drives her mission to empower others. Symphanie is very excited to start this new chapter with us in upcoming sessions!
Instagram: @delphiccirque