The latest from CircusTalk – Summer Edition
If you are anything like me, you’ve looked up from your busy life to see we’ve come to the end of July. How did that happen?! Granted, many of our members hail from the southern hemisphere, where it is winter. Does time fly at the same rate worldwide?
The circus and performing arts industry has been hopping with events, premieres, and new opportunities and, at CircusTalk, exciting new developments and collaborations.
We recently launched a new membership level, Pro Talent Seeker. Designed to support independent casting directors, event planners, and companies alike, our ever-growing talent database can now be mined using enhanced search functionalities. Pro Talent Seeker benefits include casting tools such as customized search sets, tags, in-platform messaging, and the ability to add notes to talent profiles which only you can see. Additionally, the Pro Talent artist profiles have been upgraded to include important personal and professional information fields. My favourite? Being able to post a Job for which candidates can apply directly in-platform, and then being able to organize applicants using my own tagging language.
A special word for artists: update those Talent profiles! Give Talent Seekers what they need to cast their next project. Click here for a How-to.
Recently I had the pleasure of joining esteemed colleagues on the jury of Young Stage. This festival, which invites artists up to the age of 27, supports and educates participating circus performers by offering professional development sessions, opportunities for feedback, and the ever-valuable chance to hone their networking skills.
CircusTalk had the pleasure of presenting straps artist Clara Laurent our Spotlight Award, which recognizes an artist whose work demonstrates courageous expression and whose performance is lauded for its social relevance, artistic and technical acumen, and audience engagement.
CircusTalk was also in attendance at the 8th International Market of Contemporary Circus (MICC) in Montréal, as well as Montréal Complètement Cirque, a ten-day festival now in its 13th year. Over 200 professionals—performing arts presenters and artists, pitching their work from 18 countries–- took part in MICC’s workshops and panel discussions. Apart from the great content, it was a treat to socialize, network and share space with industry peers. Special thanks to the CircusTalk contributors that gathered on site for a picnic breakfast!
In case you missed it, in June we celebrated circus school graduates, some of who are highlighted in this article. Here’s to the next generation of talent!
June also marked the conclusion of Dr. Charles Batson’s PRO series “Journeys Through Queer Circus.” Giving voice to the LGBTQIA+ community has no end date, however. As always, we invite you to join the conversation. Revisit the series here!
PRO Talks are on hiatus for the summer after great exchanges this spring with guests Shana Carroll from The 7 Fingers and Talent Casting Director Julien Panel from Disneyland® Paris. Stay tuned for our fall guest announcements.
In August, Johnathan Lee Iverson continues his podcast adventures at Circus Voices with a four-episode series, “Circus Reimagined.” Special guests are Juno Nedel, co-Founder of Cia Fundo Mundo; Lisa B. Lewis from Omnium Circus; and Feld Entertainment’s Juliette Feld and Kenneth Feld. Don’t miss it!
In other Content news, we’re excited to launch two new series this fall, produced by contributors Elena Suárez Pariente, artist and journalist, and Amiel Soicher Clarke, BSc Honours student, coach, and former artist.
Collaborations with Caravan Circus Network continue, with a panel discussion on immigration slated forSeptember. The spring edition of the Taiwanese DuMaXi magazine explored site-specific performances and featured a CircusTalk article by Rebecca Galloway: “Everywhere and Nowhere: the New Wave of Site-Specific Circus.” And we’re proud to have supported the first-ever Functional Juggling conference and the Tini Tinou Festival in Cambodia.
There’s more travel on the horizon, too. Lucky me! I’ll be at the San Diego Circus Festival; the MirabiliaInternational Circus and Performing Arts Festival in Cuneo, Italy; the St. John’s International Circus Festival in Newfoundland; andFIRCO– the Festival Iberoamericano de Circo in Madrid.
Are you interested in mentoring? CircusTalk is collaborating on a project that would make mentoring more accessible in our community, both to mentors and mentees. As we give shape to the program, we’d like to hear from you. Please share your thoughts in this short questionnaire!
No doubt autumn will arrive in full force just as summer did. Circus and performing arts are back!
Stacy Clark
CEO
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