Almost 30 years after making her stage debut at Dublin’s Point Theatre, Irish circus creative Elaine Courtney is returning to the capital, this time as Creative Director of one of Europe’s most spectacular touring circus productions.
Circus Extreme brings its brand-new production, Rock It Out!, to Swords Pavilions Shopping Centre from Wednesday 23 September until Sunday 4 October 2026.
For Elaine, the Dublin dates mark a particularly special homecoming.
Her connection with the city goes all the way back to 1997, when she made her stage debut playing the title role in Sleeping Beauty (Sort Of!) at the Point Theatre. The large-scale pantomime featured some of the biggest names in Irish entertainment at the time, including Twink and Gerry Ryan, and gave Elaine the opportunity to take her talents from the circus ring onto one of Ireland’s major stages.
Image Copyright Circus Extreme – Archive photo Pictured : Elaine Courtney and the cast of Sleeping Beauty at Dublin’s Point Theatre
At the time, there was no way of knowing just how far that career would take her.
Born into a circus family, Elaine grew up travelling and performing throughout Ireland. At just seven years old, she took her first flight on the flying trapeze while performing with a travelling circus.
Her career would eventually take her across Europe, North America and South America, working with major international circus productions including Circus Tihany in South America and Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey – The Greatest Show on Earth in the United States.
Over the years, Elaine moved from performer to creative, helping develop increasingly ambitious productions featuring motorcycles, monster trucks, fire, pyrotechnics, water, special effects, live music, singers and rock bands.
Today, she is at the creative heart of Circus Extreme, helping to create and develop the productions audiences experience inside the Big Top.
Now she is returning to Dublin, almost three decades after appearing on stage as Sleeping Beauty, but this time as the Creative Director behind Circus Extreme’s international production Rock It Out!
Where live concert meets circus and extreme stunts
Rock It Out! combines three worlds in one huge production: a live rock concert, world-class circus and an extreme stunt show.
Audiences can expect flying and backflipping motorcycles, aerial performances, extreme stunts, fire, water, pyrotechnics and spectacular special effects, alongside a live rock band, singers and musicians performing throughout the show.
The result is a fast-paced and unpredictable circus experience that combines traditional circus skills with the scale and energy of a major live concert.
For Elaine, the production represents how circus entertainment has evolved throughout her lifetime, taking the traditions she grew up with in Ireland and combining them with contemporary performance, technology, music and some of the world’s most spectacular stunt disciplines.
And there is plenty of Irish influence behind the scenes too.
Elaine is far from the only Irish connection to Circus Extreme, with Irish performers and crew members working throughout the company both in front of audiences and behind the scenes.
As the production travels from city to city and country to country across Europe, that Irish connection has remained a constant presence.
For Elaine, bringing Rock It Out! to Dublin is therefore more than simply another stop on the tour.
“Dublin holds some wonderful memories for me,” says Elaine Courtney, Creative Director of Circus Extreme. “Making my stage debut in Sleeping Beauty at the Point Theatre was such an exciting moment in my life, and at that stage I could never have imagined where my career would eventually take me.
“I went on to travel and work around the world, but Ireland has always been home.
“Circus has changed enormously during my lifetime. Rock It Out! really represents that evolution. We’ve brought together world-class circus, the adrenaline of an extreme stunt show and the atmosphere of a live rock concert to create something completely different.”
Image Copyright Circus Extreme Pictured :Laura Miller Aqua Aerialist
With so many Irish people involved with Circus Extreme, Elaine says that travelling across Europe can sometimes feel like bringing a little piece of home along with them.
“To come back to Dublin almost 30 years after making my stage debut here, this time as Creative Director of a production that I’m incredibly proud of, is very special,” she says.
“It really does feel as though the journey has come full circle, and I can’t wait for Dublin audiences to see Rock It Out!”
From a young Irish circus performer stepping onto the stage of the Point Theatre to an international career spanning continents, Elaine Courtney’s journey has taken her thousands of miles from home.
Now, almost three decades later, she is bringing the show she helped create back to Dublin.
Circus Extreme: Rock It Out! runs at Swords Pavilions Shopping Centre from Wednesday 23 September to Sunday 4 October 2026.
Tickets, show times and full performance information are available at: www.circusextreme.ie
Images Copyright Circus Extreme
