Cause & Effect Circus

Cause & Effect Circus was founded in 2013 by Chris Murdoch and Yuki Ueda with a vision to merge contemporary juggling and theatrical storytelling, exploring social and economic themes. The company aims to cultivate a distinctly Canadian circus voice and expand the public’s understanding of juggling as an expressive, narrative art form. They have performed at theatrical festivals like the Edmonton Fringe Festival, rEvolver Festival, and world-class events like the Singapore Grand Prix.

Their latest production, Luminarium, won the 2025 Best of the Fest Award at the Vancouver Fringe Festival. Luminarium is a wordless, visually captivating show that fuses juggling, physical comedy, and object manipulation into a hopeful solarpunk fable. Powered by laughter, teamwork, and the spark of rediscovery

In 2015, the company collaborated with Pepper’s Ghost New Media & Performing Arts Collective to create Press Play, integrating juggling performance with motion capture technology. Initially presented as a 20-minute work at the Vancouver Fringe Festival 2015, it evolved into a full-length live production in 2022 with the support from the Canada Council for the Arts. The project expanded Cause & Effect’s creative scope refining their understanding of how digital media can enhance live storytelling.

Their debut production, The New Conformity (2014), examined conformity and individuality through tightly choreographed ensemble juggling. The show received the Pick of the Fringe Award at the Victoria Fringe Festival, was praised by the Times Colonist as “clever and compelling,” and toured nationally to the fringe festivals including Montreal, Edmonton, and Vancouver, where it earned the Joanna Maratta Award for growth potential at the Vancouver Fringe Festival.

Over the past decade, these experiences have shaped Cause & Effect’s creative identity and deepened their understanding of circus as a language of curiosity and shared imagination. Their work now blends clear narrative, design integration, and physical storytelling to bridge technique and meaning.

Alongside their artistic practice, Cause & Effect Circus contributes to the growth of the Vancouver circus community through productions like I Heart Circus Cabaret and Recess: Time to Play, which provide platforms for emerging artists and foster collaboration within the local scene.