Cirque du Soleil Announces 400 Layoffs

The New York Times reports today that Cirque du Soleil will lay off approximately 400 people starting at the end of this month. Most of the workers will be in Montreal, according to the report, and Cirque du Soleil cites high costs for its complex shows - four of which will be closing by the end of the year.

"We would have been much happier to tell you those shows weren't closing," Cirque du Soleil spokeswoman Renée-Claude Ménard says. "It's not a revenue issue, it's an expense issue."

From a group of 20 street performers at its beginnings in 1984, Cirque du Soleil is now a major Quebec-based organization providing high-quality artistic entertainment. The company has 5,000 employees, including more than 1,300 performing artists from close to 50 different countries. Cirque du Soleil has brought wonder and delight to more than 100 million spectators in more than 300 cities in over forty countries on six continents.

For more information about Cirque du Soleil, visit www.cirquedusoleil.com.