England’s capital is about to see producers, programmers and performers converging for three days at Canvas 2017. The biennial showcase and networking opportunity, hosted by London’s City Circ network from 18-20th, is the only industry-focused event of its kind in the U.K. The 2015 edition supported over 80 artists and was attended by more than 90 national and international delegates across the three days. It was an acknowledged eye-opener to many of the visiting bookers and promoters, revealing contemporary circus’ breadth of style and substance often for the first time.

The work that Canvas presents comes in all phases of development, from ideas-stage pitches to fully realized and tour-ready productions. This year, over 100 delegates have registered to join the throng. It’s rare that so many heads are gathered in one place solely to think about circus work, and Canvas is a promotional coup for the British industry as well as for the individual artists involved. An ‘artsmarket’ strand of events facilitates direct meetings between those who create work and those who present it to wider audiences, and previously these have included speed-date style circulation and farmers market type stalls for browsing. ...