Wonder Women Join BIG APPLE CIRCUS For Extended 41st Season

BIG APPLE CIRCUS is thrilled to announce that real-life wonder women will join the 41st season, led by new ringmaster Stephanie Monseu. The season will play an extended run from October 20, 2018 through January 27, 2019 at Lincoln Center's Damrosch Park and will feature a brand-new Hall of Wonder leading into the Big Top tent, with organic, craft circus treats and entertainment for all ages. Tickets are now on sale at Ticketmaster.com.

World renowned for its one-ring, intimate and artistic style - where no seat is more than 50 feet from the performers - BIG APPLE CIRCUS is passionate about revitalizing the circus for modern-day audiences with unique and astounding human feats in the ring, and enough sizzle outside the ring to entertain guests from the very moment they enter. This year, audiences will pass through the Grand Entry into BIG APPLE CIRCUS's new Hall of Wonder, where adults and children alike will experience new pre-show thrills and amazement, and sample a dizzying array of culinary delights for all ages-take your glittering cotton candy on a stick, or in a cocktail glass! Upgrades to the food selection include bespoke circus classics that are locally sourced and divine cocktail creations by one of the nation's top mixologists Pamela Wiznitzer (three-time "American Bartender of the Year" nominee). In addition to tasty bites and bevies, the Hall of Wonder is peppered with eye-popping fun activities and photo-ops galore.

The 41st season promises another extraordinary show filled with BIG APPLE's roster of superhero talents, ready to incite jaw-dropping awe and sheer joy in audiences of all ages. Ringmaster Monseu will be joined in the ring by a multitude of female-led acts and more, including:

• Iron woman Virginia Tuells & her husband Ihosvanys Perez in DUO FUSION, a breathtaking acrobatic act that combines dance, strength, flexibility and passion in which Virginia handles a majority of the lifts
• The wildly fun SPICY CIRCUS, created by Andréanne Quintal, whose team of performers will (literally) bounce off the walls in her feisty trampoline act
• THE FLYING TUNIZIANIS, a double wide trapeze act showcasing seven fliers & two catchers in addition to the quadruple somersault by Ammed Tuniziani - a feat only successfully landed by ten people in the world - alongside his wife Estefani, brothers Gamal & Dandino, and more
• DESIRE OF FLIGHT, a daring and balletic dual aerial straps act
• A free-standing ladder balancing act by Emil Faltyny
• For the first time in America, the gravity-defying horizontal juggler Victor Moiseev
• Big Apple fan-favorite Jenny Vidbel
• The hilarious Mark Gindick & Adam Kuchler

Outside of the ring, BIG APPLE CIRCUS will continue to honor the essential & iconic characteristics that has set it apart for the past four decades, with multiple community outreach programs. Circus of the Senses (December 6 & 7) offers special enhanced experiences for audiences with autism, visual and auditory challenges. The special performances include ASL interpretation, assistive listening devices with live audio commentary, pre- & post-show touch therapy experiences, and a Braille program book. Sensory-friendly Autism performances (October 27 & November 2) feature lowered light and sound levels, a descriptive picture book showing the different areas and acts involved with the circus, and a "calming center" that can be accessed at any point during the show. As part of the Circus for All initiative, eleven performances throughout the ten-week run will offer $10 tickets for every seat in the house to underprivileged children and underserved schools. In addition to the tickets, BIG APPLE CIRCUS devises lesson plans for the students to learn about physics, history, geography, and more through the circus acts they witness firsthand.

The BIG APPLE CIRCUS 41st season is directed by Mark Lonergan, artistic director of three-time Drama Desk Award-nominated physical theater company Parallel Exit, and choreographed by Grady McLeod Bowman, with music direction by Rob Slowik. Tony Award-winning Lighting Designer Jeff Croiter (Peter and the Starcatcher, Something Rotten!), Emmy Award Nominated Scenic Designers Anita La Scala (Sochi Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony) and Rob Bissinger (Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark, Assoc.), and Drama Desk-nominated Costume Designer Amy Clark (Heathers: The Musical, Chaplin) come together to create an eclectic and vibrant environment to suit the extraordinary performances.

Tickets are now on-sale at www.Ticketmaster.com The regular performance schedule is Wednesdays at 11am & 7pm; Thursdays at 11am & 7pm; Fridays at 11am & 7pm; Saturdays at 11am, 3pm & 7pm; and Sundays at 12pm & 4pm. As there are schedule variances, please refer to the most up-to-date calendar on the website. The ticket range is $29 - $195 VIP Ringside tickets.