'I hope people get inspired': Virtual circus festival starts Friday
Firefly Theatre is bringing a virtual circus festival to Alberta that offers performances, workshops and discussions.
The event will be held online this year due to the pandemic, but will be an in-person experience in Edmonton in the future.
A highlight of the event is a free workshop with Krista Monson, a St. Albert native that worked with Cirque Du Soleil for 13 years and currently lives in Las Vegas while writing and directing circus shows for companies around the world.
However, the artistic director of Firefly Theatre says the festival isn’t just for performers.
“It is geared to anyone who is a creative type, who does circus or who appreciates circus,” said Annie Dugan. “I hope people get inspired.”
Dugan says that because the performances are online, they will showcase a more personal side of the artists, and is geared towards a more mature audience.
“This year the work is more adult oriented. None of it is made for children, because it’s such an intimate, raw portrait of the artists,” said Dugan.
“But the shows we plan to bring in future years will be excellent for the family.”
After each show, the artist will be live on Zoom for a discussion with the audience.
The event is also a way to support circus artists across western Canada, with proceeds from tickets going to the performers, many of whom have been out of work for the past 16 months.
Dugan says she hopes the festival will bring attention to the talented artists, and that Edmonton will become a hub for contemporary circus in Canada.
“We’re going to be a great addition to the Edmonton summer festival line up.”
The festival will show three feature films: one on Friday and two on Saturday. Tickets can be purchased for $20 each or in a package of three for $50.
Participants can register for the free events and buy show tickets online.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
From outer space? Sask. farmers baffled after discovering strange wreckage in field
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
NEW Iconic Canadian song turns 50
Andy Kim's 'Rock Me Gently' is marking a major milestone, as it celebrates its 50th anniversary.
Oprah Winfrey: I set an unrealistic standard for dieting
Oprah Winfrey said on Thursday evening that she has long played a role in promoting unhealthy and unrealistic diets.
Prince Harry, Meghan arrive in Nigeria to champion the Invictus Games and meet with wounded soldiers
Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, arrived in Nigeria on Friday to champion the Invictus Games, which he founded to aid the rehabilitation of wounded and sick servicemembers and veterans, among them Nigerian soldiers fighting a 14-year war against Islamic extremists.
Countries struggle to draft 'pandemic treaty' to avoid mistakes made during COVID
After the coronavirus pandemic triggered once-unthinkable lockdowns, upended economies and killed millions, leaders at the World Health Organization and worldwide vowed to do better in the future. Years later, countries are still struggling to come up with an agreed-upon plan for how the world might respond to the next global outbreak.
Ontario family receives massive hospital bill as part of LTC law, refuses to pay
A southwestern Ontario woman has received an $8,400 bill from a hospital in Windsor, Ont., after she refused to put her mother in a nursing home she hated -- and she says she has no intention of paying it.
Flat tire on a highway? Here's why you shouldn't try to fix it
If you're cruising down a highway and realize you have a flat tire, you may want to think twice before stopping to fix it on the side of the road.
Broadcaster and commentator Rex Murphy dead at 77: National Post
The National Post is reporting that Rex Murphy, the pundit and columnist who hosted a national call-in radio show for decades, has died.
Miss Teen USA steps down just days after Miss USA's resignation
Miss Teen USA resigned Wednesday, sending further shock waves through the pageant community just days after Miss USA said she would relinquish her crown.