As life and art return to normal after the pandemic, circus has marched forward into the future—as has the CircusTalk community. With help from several of our illustrious members, our CEO Stacy Clark reflects on what we’ve accomplished in 2022 and on circus’ place in the arts world now and in the years ahead.

Each time I (with the support of the team!) gather my thoughts in preparation for writing this quarterly blog, I am confronted by how quickly the time has passed, and delightfully, how much we have all accomplished. And I do mean all of us: our small CircusTalk staff, you – the members, and our great big international industry of passionate, resilient people.

Here’s a snapshot of what we’re proud of in 2022!

When you succeed, we succeed

Collaborations with diverse members of the circus and performing arts ecosystem are cardinal to us. Here’s a quick look at some of the initiatives we embarked upon in 2022.

Almost one year ago, the Entertainment & Performing Arts Industry Conference (EPIC) brought us 24 hours of panels, info sessions, and online networking opportunities, specially curated for arts and entertainment industry professionals. Today, we’re pleased to align our organizational missions by sharing content with TheatreArtLife, bringing value to an even broader range of industry folks.

The  Circus Ring of Fame®  Foundation (CROF) recognizes those persons who have made a significant contribution to the art and culture of the circus over the span of a career. This year, CircusTalk is excited to bring a new dimension to our partnership with CROF:  The Members’ Voice Award.   This award, which recognizes a circus artist whose work demonstrates courageous expression, social relevance, and artistic and technical acumen, showcases talent nominated and then voted on by you, the CircusTalk community. >>>Place your vote by December 16!

We continued our collaboration with  Weiwuying Circus Platform  and  Formosa Circus Art (FOCA),  the Taiwan-based contemporary circus company that strives to elevate circus as an art form in Taiwan. We are thrilled to share some of our articles in Mandarin with their community and we welcome their articles about local artists. 

Our collaboration with  Caravan Circus Network brings awareness to social circus developments around the world. Like all members of this network, we believe that social circus is an essential part of our global community and a powerful agent of social change. 

We’re also excited about our budding relationship with the  American Circus Alliance (ACA), and together, we plan to launch a mentorship program next year. 

As Covid restrictions lessened this year, festival organizers jumped back into action, and we were thrilled to support and be present at these events:

In Canada

• St. John’s International Circus Festival– The growing festival celebrated its fifth anniversary in 2022, and we’re proud to say we’ve been there since its inception.
• International Market for Contemporary Circus (MICC) – Networking + professional development + great programming + brunch with CircusTalk contributors = a winning week!
• CINARS – hosted every two years in Montreal, this international performing arts conference brings 1,500 professionals from 40 countries together for workshops, networking events, and of course, shows. Our take? Circus is very much woven into the performing arts tapestry. 

In Europe

• FIRCO – Another festival we’ve collaborated with since year one. I was honoured to be a member of this year’s jury.
• Mirabilia International Circus & Performing Arts Festival – Live exchanges with our  INCAM colleagues were a highlight of my year, and the host festival welcomed us generously. For those less familiar,  INCAM is a network of circus arts magazines dedicated to advancing the role of media within the circus sector.
• International Circus Festival Young Stage – Among my favourites for spotting new talent, it was a pleasure to be on the jury with esteemed industry peers.

And in the US,  VIVA Fest in Las Vegas and the  San Diego Circus Festival continue to attract top emerging and professional talent, and we are proud to attend both events each year.

On-screen, the  Circus International Film Festival honours circus through the medium of film and video. Take note: submissions for 2023 are now being accepted!

We celebrated extraordinary talent this year: congratulations to the CircusTalk Spotlight Award winners:  Clara Laurent,  Juan Carlos Panduro,  Alex Oliva, and  Duo Mico.

We welcomed new series producers…

… and an advisor!

In other big news, we rolled out platform features that  greatly enhance your Talent PRO member profile. This means that Talent Seekers can mine the talent database using specific search criteria aligned with their needs. It also means that, as a Talent PRO member, you’ll want to ensure you’ve enriched your profile to its fullest potential. There are a lot of jobs out there—make sure your work is seen by Talent Seekers worldwide.

On the heels of the talent search functionality enhancements, we also launched a new membership level,  Talent Seeker PRO. New features enable talent seekers to conduct detailed searches that identify specialized or multidisciplinary artists via the discipline search functionality. As a Talent Seeker PRO, you can also manage your preferred candidates on a dashboard that provides workflow organization tools, such as personalized search sets, tagging, and lists. 

If you are not already a PRO member, then consider upgrading. Your PRO membership not only gives you access to valuable industry resources, but it also helps us support the work we do to uphold our mission: creating a level playing field that empowers all artists. We amplify artists’ voices and advocate for equity and inclusion in the performing arts.

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At CircusTalk, we reflect frequently on the role and belonging of circus within the performing arts ecosystem. Here are a few musings from industry pros who answer the question: What is your view on the status and the role of circus within the broader performing arts?

“For decades, the circus arts have made Quebec famous, and many renowned international companies born in Quebec have contributed strongly to the development of this art that gathers people and families together.Contemporary circus, which includes acrobatic clowning, is a field of circus arts that creates a bridge between the circus and the theater. Theatrical scenography, sometimes very advanced, underlines, with no or very few words, a story carried by the artist’s bodies through all the circus disciplines.One of the great strengths of clowning is its ability to use all its creative freedom to address contemporary issues with the universal language of physical acting.The clown arts find their essence in the traditions of circus clowns and bring to the contemporary circus an imagination that other art forms cannot bring to the stage. This clowning approach to circus performance gives the artists on stage the opportunity to have privileged communications with their audience because the rules of clowning allow them to tear down the fourth wall for a moment.”  —  Les Foutoukours

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“Circus. A very popular and well-established form of family entertainment since centuries, now seeking its way also into the subsidized performing arts. The status and the cultural role of circus may vary by countries and their actual governments. For me, circus has been, and should remain, culture for millions with commercial entertainment and (now) high culture art missions. My personal opinion is that we are capable of succeeding in both!” —  Kristian Kristof, Recirquel Productions

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And in French: Quel est votre point de vue sur le statut et le rôle du cirque dans le domaine plus large des arts de la scène ?

“Je pense que le cirque est un art à part entière et qu’il a vraiment sa place dans le domaine des arts de la scène. C’est un art qui a lieu d’être , qui est très inspirant et très populaire. Qui peut toucher les très petits jusqu’aux personnes âgées. Il n’y a pas d’âge pour le cirque. Ni de lieu. Le cirque émerveille et c’est si précieux, pour se sortir de son quotidien et d’inspirer à se dépasser. Qu’il n’y a pas de limites. Le cirque est présent un peu partout (place publique , festivals extérieur, en salle, sur une scène dans la ville, à la télévision ) et c’est cela qui est magnifique. Le cirque se veut rassembleur. Et l’on a beaucoup besoin de cela maintenant.” —  Anouk Vallée-Charest, “Battements de Cirque”

I, along with Andrea, Emily, Melissa, Carolyn, Grace, and our amazing tech support team, wish you all a magnificent start to 2023. 

–Stacy

Stacy Clark

CEO of CircusTalk, Casting Director, Career Coach -Canada

Stacy is a seasoned professional in the circus and performing arts industry. A former gymnast and circus artist, Stacy worked in marketing and communications before leaving it all behind to perform and teach circus worldwide on stage, at festivals, and on screen. Today she is a freelance casting director, career coach, and artistic advisor. In 2021, Stacy joined the small and dynamic team at the international online platform CircusTalk as CEO. Previously, Stacy was a talent scout and then the Director of Casting at Cirque du Soleil.

Stacy's profile