Cirque du Soleil Announces World Premiere of 'Wintuk'

Cirque du Soleil, MSG Entertainment and Base Entertainment have announced the world premiere and official name of the brand new Cirque du Soleil production, Wintuk. The show will run exclusively at the Theater at Madison Square Garden from November 1, 2007 - January 6, 2008.

Press notes state, "Wintuk is an enchanting winter tale about a boy named Wintuk and his quest to find snow and adventure. Wintuk lives in a city where the arrival of winter has brought long shadows and intense cold - but no snow! He interacts with an extraordinary cast of high-energy urban street characters, including acrobats, dancers and talking marionettes. But when the snow does not arrive, he embarks on a quest with three companions - a female shaman who's lost in the city, a shy man destined to discover his courage, and the shadow of a young girl - to find the snow and bring it back to where it belongs. The adventurers journey to an imaginary Arctic - a world without sunlight - where they encounter the rich culture of the People of the North and extraordinary giant characters made of ice. When at last the sun returns, they fly home on the wings of a giant crane and generate a swirling snowstorm."

Wintuk has been designed exclusively for the Theater at Madison Square Garden, which is Cirque du Soleil's first permanent address in New York for a show presented outside the Big Top. Wintuk is created specifically for a family audience, and is the first Cirque du Soleil show to be built around the theme of winter. The production also marks the first time director Richard Blackburn (Artistic Director, Le Theatre de la Dame de Coeur in Upton, Quebec) has worked with Cirque du Soleil.

Director of Creation Fernand Rainville co-directed the bilingual Montreal production of Les Miserables, as well as the opening ceremonies of the Montreal 2005 - XI FINA World Championships. He also created and directed the Cirque-produced pre-game show at the 2007 Super Bowl in Miami.

Cirque du Soleil's Wintuk will play for a limited period from November 1, 2007 - January 6, 2008 only at the Theater at Madison Square. Tickets go on sale on Sunday, April 29, 2007 at 9:00am and are available through thegarden.com and Ticketmaster.com, or by calling at 212.307.1000. Ticket prices range from $30 - $99. For more information, visit www.cirquedusoleil.com.
 
Photo - Wintuk storyboard