Part two of Artscape's The Big Birthday Bash series follows Circus Oz during rehearsals for their landmark 30th birthday show in 2008. At Circus Oz's HQ in Port Melbourne, the full troupe of acrobats and the band return from tour for rehearsals.
Emil Wolk, guest director in charge of theatrical character development is hard at work on Nicci and Justin's slapstick chewing gum routine. Flip is back on skates after her injury, and Rocky and Paul begin run-throughs of their new tango chair-stack routine. The teeterboard routine shapes up with the acrobats playing a mob of feral kangaroos, while contortionist Sosi is jammed into a tank of water to practise a comic escape stunt called The Tank of Terror.

After a shoulder accident scare, Nicci pipes up and says the new roo routine is simply 'not funny'. She even suggests 'it's a bit of a mess'. Frustrated her suggestions are not being acted upon she claims the collaborative/collective model is just an old ideal that Circus Oz doesn't run on any more.

As the countdown to opening night continues tension rises when not everything goes to plan. A late decision to include show director Tim Coldwell's classic film noir, roof walk to the line-up, adds to the show's overblown length. Mike Finch informs Tim Coldwell that 'bold cuts' are urgently needed. Adding to the headache, technical problems delay the Circus Oz tent going up at Melbourne's Birrarung Marr.