As the Curtain Falls on Cirque du Soleil, Australia’s Circus Industry is Under Threat - CircusTalk

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As the Curtain Falls on Cirque du Soleil, Australia’s Circus Industry is Under Threat

As the curtain falls on Cirque du Soleil, Australia’s internationally renowned circus arts industry is also under threat.

On Tuesday it was revealed that Canada’s iconic Cirque du Soleil would slash 3500 jobs and file for bankruptcy, with the coronavirus pandemic blamed for the cuts.

The Montreal-based outfit will lay off 95 per cent of staff, and seek to restructure.

“With zero revenue since the forced closure of all of our shows due to COVID-19, the management had to act decisively,” Cirque du Soleil boss Daniel Lamarre said.

Australia is home to some of the world’s most acclaimed contemporary circus performance companies, but many now face an uncertain future with shows cancelled and international touring, a key revenue stream, forced to a halt.

Zebastian Hunter is director of the National Institute of Circus Arts (NICA) in Melbourne, and spent five years as a Cirque Du Soleil soloist.

The company’s decline is “completely devastating”, said Mr Hunter.

“We’ve got graduates from NICA that are current performers in Cirque du Soleil shows and are now unemployed,” he said.

Link to full Article at The New Daily

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