CIRKOPOLIS Makes North American Debut at Proctors, Now thru 8/24

Proctors recently signed a five-year commitment with Cirque Éloize. Proctors joined Cirque Éloize to become the summer home for their productions during the month of August. In addition to performances, Cirque Éloize will be hosting summer camps at the Proctors School of the Performing Arts for children interested in this exciting discipline.

"We are thrilled to be partnering with the team of Cirque Éloize," said Proctors CEO Philip Morris, "This is the largest commitment we have planned for the coming years. With a three week run and more than 60,000 seats available, Schenectady will be the place to be in August. What better way to draw in a new crowd than the commitment to deliver these fresh, enticing performances and camps."

Proctors will host the North American Premiere of the show, "Cirkopolis". Cirque Éloize has performed in over 36 countries and is now making its way to the Northeast. With the first showing of Cirkopolis in September 2012, this new production will makes its North American debut at Proctors tonight, August 7th.

Jeannot Painchaud, director of Cirkopolis states: "We are pleased to begin our partnership this season with the US Premiere of Cirkopolis. Proctors has always been a great host and we are delighted to return to Schenectady with a brand new show."

Cirkopolis is a show that twists and turns between acrobatic prowess, heartrending poetry and auditory vertigo. Between a dream and a fable, reality and fantasy, Cirque Éloize's new show has spectators questioning their daily routine, social behaviour and deepest desires. Cirkopolis is inspired by Fritz Lang's Metropolis and Terry Gilliam's Brazil, two movies decrying the stifling nature of unjust and totalitarian societies. A very current topic that Cirque Éloize makes wholly its own, offering the public a show imbued with hope. While splashes of colour pierce the grayness, the mesmerizing music stirs the soul, driving the main character, an office worker, to express his uniqueness.

The twelve performers yearn for freedom: jumping, twisting, reaching for the sky, seeming light as a feather. Circus, theatre, contemporary dance, video projections... as usual, Cirque Éloize draws from other artistic disciplines to offer a wildly energetic show that is filled with humour and encourages a shift in consciousness.

Cirque Éloize has been creating enticing performances suffused with magic since 1993. These shows bring circus arts to life with dance, music, and theatre in a breathtaking appearance.

Cirque Éloize performers are also teaming up with the Proctors School of the Performing Arts to deliver an exciting hands-on summer program in the form of day and week-long intensive summer camps to allow young people and adults to experience professional training in the circus arts. Participants will work with trained educators and performers in a safe, warm, non-competitive environment where students could embrace and be embraced by circus arts.

The economic impact of this partnership on the Capital Region and Schenectady, is equally breathtaking. Proctors administrators and economic developers estimate the total dollars generated by Proctors and its audiences to reach nearly $9 million over the five year partnership and generate $1 million in revenue for municipalities and roughly 150 FTE jobs.

Andre Boisclair, Quebec's Delegate General to New York, remarked that, "This announcement is an exciting example of how Québec and New York can join forces for a strong cultural and economic benefit to us all. We are also proud of the success of Cirque Eloize and delighted that more New Yorkers will have the opportunity to experience their magic-filled and innovative performances." While Kenneth Adams, President of NYS Empire State Development, stated: "This partnership with Cirque Éloize is a great opportunity to increase travel and tourism in upstate New York. A production of this scale is sure to attract new faces to the region from across the Northeast."

Cirkopolis will run August 7th through August 24th. Member tickets are on sale now. Tickets for the general public go on sale March 7th.

Proctors in Downtown Schenectady, NY, offers more than 1,700 events a year to close to 600,000 visitors and residents of New York State's Capital Region. Income from ticket sales pays for only 67 percent of the cost of running Proctors. As a charitable, cultural and educational non-profit organization, Proctors depends on membership, donations and grants to bring exciting shows and excellent educational and community events to the Capital Region.

Founded in 1993, Cirque Éloize is one of the world leaders of contemporary circus arts with over 4,000 performances given in 436 cities worldwide. Over the past 20 years, the company has also been invited to perform at very prestigious show halls, such as the Théâtre du Rond-Point in Paris, the Picolo Teatro in Milan and the Sony Center for the Performing Arts in Toronto, as well as large festivals around the world, including the Festival Iberoamericano de Teatro de Bogota, the Hong Kong Festival, the Belfast Festival in Ireland, the Festival Internacional Cervantino México, the Bergen Festival in Norway and the Recklinghausen Festival in Germany. Cirque Éloize currently has two shows on tour: iD and Cirkopolis.

For more information, visit www.proctors.org/cirque.

Photo Credit: Zone 5 Photos

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