Meet Welt Couture, fashion designer of the prestigious—and completely fictional—fashion label Haus of YOLO. Watch as Welt Couture, with the help of the “Sexy Meat Puppets,” designs their collection live on the spot. Sit front row as chic creations move from sewing machine to circus routine, giving a new name to fast fashion. Will the costumes be completed before the next act goes on? For once, the circus is not the riskiest thing on stage.

Written and directed by Eve Gordon, founder of The Dust Palace, Aotearoa’s most daring circus theatre company, Haus of YOLO blends high fashion with high-flying acrobatics. Inspired by a joke about their habit of working on costume designs right up until the last minute (Gordon is also The Dust Palace’s resident costume designer), HAUS OF YOLO was created to be an anti-cabaret cabaret, utilising the high energy, interactive tropes and rituals of a cabaret but with a detailed narrative throughline and character development.

Since Haus of YOLO’s premiere in 2021, it has played in many cities and festivals, each time with a slightly new cast taking on the challenge of live costume design. The four cast members for the Vancouver run—Eve Gordon, Luis Meirelles, Jaine Mieka, and Lizzie Tollemache—will take turns playing the roles of designer as well as the “Sexy Meat Puppets,” each getting a chance to impress the audience with their creations and circus skills.

“This show is designed to be a relief in an otherwise anxious and uncertain world,” says Gordon. “To delight, tickle and amaze audiences. To make a party in a theatre and let that party carry on into the night. Welcome to Haus of YOLO. You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.”