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Fascination Issue 213
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T h e U n o f f i c i a l
C i r q u e d u S o l e i l N e w s l e t t e r
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http://www.CirqueFascination.com
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VOLUME 22, NUMBER 2 April 2022 ISSUE #213
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Welcome to the latest edition of Fascination, the Unofficial Cirque
du Soleil Newsletter.
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CONTENTS
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o) Cirque Buzz -- News, Rumours & Sightings
* La Presse -- General News & Highlights
o) Itinéraire -- Tour/Show Information
* BigTop Shows -- Under the Grand Chapiteau
* Arena Shows -- In Stadium-like venues
* Resident Shows -- Performed en Le Théâtre
o) Outreach -- Updates from Cirque's Social Widgets
* Webseries -- Official Online Featurettes
* Videos -- Official Peeks & Noted Fan Finds
o) Fascination! Features
* SPECIAL /// "How Do You Lead a Company Through the
Worst of Times?" - More Articles about Daniel Lamarre's
New Book: 'Balancing Acts'
* "The Last Two Years, Part 2: 'A Battle Royale Begins!'"
By: Ricky Russo - Atlanta, Georgia (USA)
o) Copyright & Disclaimer
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CIRQUE BUZZ -- NEWS, RUMOURS & SIGHTINGS
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LA PRESSE -- General News & Highlights
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CDS' Mike Newquist Smoothly Managing the Opening of OVO
{Mar.15.2022}
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Cirque du Soleil Entertainment Group and Microsoft Theater will launch
their new five-year partnership of presenting a Cirque du Soleil
touring production within L.A. LIVE annually with their high-energy,
high-acrobatic spectacular OVO opening March 16, 2022. Gil Kaan at
Broadway World had the opportunity to field a few queries to Cirque du
Soleil's president of the touring shows division Mike Newquist.
Thank you for taking the time for this interview, Mike!
Q. Last fall Cirque du Soleil announced a new partnership with L.A.
LIVE to present a touring production there each spring for the next
five years, starting with OVO. Is this the first of many multi-year
contracts for your touring productions?
We are delighted to call the Microsoft Theater our new home for our
shows in the heart of Downtown L.A. It was essential for us to choose
an iconic place for this leading partnership. This collaboration with
AEG marks a new step for Cirque du Soleil touring shows. It's a way to
diversify our offer and to explore new way of presenting our shows. If
the conditions are right, we would look at partnering for similar
multi-year contracts in other parts of the world and we have looked at
our partnership with Royal Albert Hall in London as a model for
success.
Q. How much in advance does Cirque du Soleil need to book a venue to
play?
Our Tour Planning Division is constantly assessing several potential
locations in the world for our touring productions. With so many
moving parts and logistics involved, it's like a chess game where all
the pawns affect the others. Therefore, we have potential tour plans
of several years in advance for each of our shows. At the moment, we
have a very good idea where each show will be in 2024, but until the
tickets are on sale for the public, it can always change!
Q. As Cirque du Soleil's touring shows division president, what
decision-making do you get involved in? Is it all tour logistics as
opposed to creative input?
At Cirque du Soleil we have a Creation Chief Officer who has a team
overseeing the creation of our shows. Once a touring show is created
and has premiered, my team takes over the operations and insures to
maintain the quality of the show that was produced by the creation
team. In my role, I have a privileged overview of each department and
I find it important to understand how each decision impacts both the
logistics aspects, P&L impact, and the creative input. Our revenue
strategy is also near and dear to my heart and I am heavily involved
with our sales, marketing, and ticketing teams. The business side of
things is undeniably my forte
but we have to keep in mind that many
decisions that will impact the creative input. Like Daniel (Lamarre)
often says, "There are two words in show business: show and business.
And the show comes first." It's a key aspect to remember as the shows
are at the core of our business model.
Q. Do you ever travel with any touring shows? Or do you keep the home
fires burning at Cirque du Soleil's International Headquarters in
Toronto?
Our Cirque du Soleil Headquarters are based in Montreal, Canada but I
work out of Las Vegas where I reside. I do make a point of visiting
the tours regularly as I feel it's important to understand the reality
on the road. That way, we can make better informed decisions. In the
past few months, I attended the Alegria premieres in Houston and
Seattle, the Kooza relaunch in Punta Cana, the grand reopening of
LUZIA at the Royal Albert Hall in London, and, of course, I will be at
the premiere of OVO at Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles.
Q. You reopened four of your resident productions in Las Vegas
(Mystere, O, The Beatles Love and Michael Jackson One) last June.
Your first big top production relaunch Alegria opened in Houston in
November. Was it a no-brainer to start the Vegas residencies before
sending out your touring shows?
It was indeed a straightforward decision. Our arena shows normally
change city or country every week. Our Big Top shows move to a
different city every one to three months. By nature, touring shows are
subject to multiple different local mandates in a short period of
time. We are bringing Cirque du Soleil back up to speed but are making
cautious decisions to ensure we don't have to put any show on hold for
an extended period of time. Therefore, opening our resident shows
first was the logical choice and the best way to assess our return.
Q. Besides COVID safety features, were any additional elements of
loading in added with the pandemic pause for OVO?
Not per say, other than most shows now travel with an additional road
case where they carry multiple swab tests, masks and sanitary gel!
That said, on the creative side, we have taken this unforeseen
opportunity to revisit some aspects of the shows during their relaunch
period. For OVO specifically, two new acts were created for the 2022
version; a Chinese pole act and a fixed male duo trapeze. On a
technical aspect, we also updated the entire automation system that
allows us to fly artists above the stage.
Q. Pre-pandemic, how many man hours did it take to load in/load out
OVO?
Cirque du Soleil's Mike Newquist Smoothly Managing the Opening of OVO
& Other RelaunchesThe load in for OVO is usually about 12 hours,
starting at 8 o'clock in the morning with 25 technicians and 100 local
stagehands. This hasn't changed pre or post pandemic, with the
exception of the first ones that always take a little more time. As
for load out, we currently stand at 5 or 6 hours, but are looking
forward to getting back to our 3.5 hours! It means that 3.5 hours
after the show finishes, our 20 trucks are packed and on the road to
get to the next city! Of course, as OVO is an arena tour, each venue
is different and has their own particular set of challenges.
Q. Do you send out more than one edition of a Cirque du Soleil show?
For our Cirque du Soleil branded shows, we only have one edition each.
OVO will be in Los Angeles starting mid-March and that will be the
only place in the planet where you can see it at that time. For other
franchises under Cirque du Soleil Entertainment Group, like Blue Man
Group, the concept can exist in more than one city or country at a
time.
Q. Does each show travel with a back-up of necessary equipment (high
wire apparatus, ropes, etc.) for each show? It's not like you can
go to the neighborhood hardware store for a quick repair.
Each show has multiple technical teams: carpentry, props, lighting,
sound, video projections, etc. Each team will travel with backup
equipment that they often need. However, it is always a fine balance
between ensuring we have everything to keep the show going on, and not
to add unnecessary weight and truck space. OVO currently travels with
20 semi-trucks to carry the stage. Therefore, large, expensive
apparatus or props that are seldomly changed do not travel with the
show as backups.
Q. Are all eight of your touring shows opened or scheduled to open?
At the moment, Alegria, Kooza, Luzia and OVO have restarted their
tour. Kurios is currently rehearsing in Montreal, Canada ready to open
in April in Toronto. Crystal and Corteo will hit the road before
Summer! It's been a busy year!
Q. Which of your Cirque du Soleil shows has the most elaborate load-
in?
They all have their challenges. Rather than per show, I'd say that the
main difference stands between a big top show, where it takes our crew
one week to set up, and an arena show that is brought up in 12 hours.
Q. Is there a Cirque du Soleil show that has a simple load in?
Well, they all have a minimum of 20 semi-trucks
so not really! But
after doing the load in in multiple cities, the task does appear much
simpler!
Q. Post-pandemic, have you included more alternate acts or stand-bys
for OVO to cover for any positive testing of cast members?
We always have contingency plans, where each character has a backup.
Each show also has a backup act. Here again, from a business
perspective, we need to find the delicate balance between having
enough artists to ensure a rotation, and at the same time, keeping
everyone involved and engaged.
Q. When entertainment arenas and venues got shut down March 2020, how
many Cirque du Soleil shows had to be cancelled?
At the beginning of March 2020, CDSEG had 44 shows and almost 5000
employees.
Q. Do you have a favorite Cirque du Soleil show? Or is that a Sophie's
Choice question?
That's a loaded question! Like asking which of your children is your
favorite! They all truly are so unique and so fantastic that I love
them all so proud to work with so many great artists and team members.
Q. What aspects of your four years at Ultimate Fighting Championship
have you put into good use for your current Cirque du Soleil
position?
UFC is such an unbelievable company and brand and a leader in live
events. Certainly, as we look across revenue generation and marketing
of events and event operations and health & safety protocols and tour
routing and planning, we are following a similar model and path to
success, just at a much larger scale here with thousands of Cirque du
Soleil events every year.
Q. Any money-saving lessons you learned while working for Ticketmaster
factor into your success at Cirque du Soleil?
Again, Ticketmaster is another leader in the industry and best
practices can be taken from the massive scale they also have, data
driven decision making, and putting the fan at the center of your
universe and making decisions in the best interests of the fan and fan
experience.
Q. Any new Cirque du Soleil shows in the horizon? Or are all your
efforts in re-starting pre-pandemic dates?
As you can imagine, creating a show is a herculean task that is
planned multiple years in advance. Currently, a large part of our
efforts are focused on the relaunch of our shows but we're already
planning new shows. Our newest creation, Mad Apple, which will take
place at the New York New York hotel in Las Vegas, was announced last
week
and more to come!
Thank you again, Mike! I look forward to experiencing OVO again at the
Microsoft Theater.
{ SOURCE: Broadway World }
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Meet TTeven Del Monte
{Mar.15.2022}
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A talented performer from Sarasota has practically made a living at
beating the odds.
TTeven Del Monte was one of only 60 artists out of a worldwide pool
of thousands chosen to perform in the new Disney/Cirque du Soleil
show "Drawn to Life," now at Disney Springs.
It's an amazing achievement, and a testament to his talent, but being
chosen for the show is actually the second instance of TTeven's
ability to overcome insurmountable odds.
The show follows a 12-year-old girl named Julie as she embarks on an
odyssey of discovery and self-empowerment after her father's death.
Along Julie's on-stage journey, TTeven performs on the "Double Wheel
of Death." Four performers simultaneously defy gravity as they do
amazing tricks on a rotating wheel, 30 feet above the stage.
"You definitely have some missteps," TTeven told FOX 13. "You have to
recover very well."
TTeven knows more than most about recovery. He's even written a book
about it.
He had more than his share of spills and thrills, from a very young
age. TTeven was only four years old when he began performing as a
clown with his family in the circus ring.
Over the years, he has done bareback riding, trapeze, Russian swing,
and zoomed around a giant globe on a motorcycle. But nothing could
prepare him for what happened to him when he was 15 years old.
He was riding his bike along Fruitville Road in Sarasota when a truck
pulling a trailer hit him, and then took off.
His mom was frantic.
"They told me he had broken his top rib, his clavicle," remembered
Lyne Del Monte. "His femur was snapped. His ankle was the worst of the
injuries."
His foot was hanging by a thread and needed immediate surgery to be
re-attached.
Then doctors gave her the bad news.
"Most likely, your son is going to be crippled for the rest of his
life," she said.
But TTeven beat the odds. He attributes his astounding physical
improvement to his personal philosophy.
"No matter what, move forward," he said. "I always have that in my
mind."
Now he's moving forward and upward, as he walks, jumps, tumbles, and
pulls off white-knuckle gymnastics in "Drawn to Life."
{ SOURCE: Fox 13 Tampa Bay }
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MUV by CDS Andorra in July 2022
{Mar.17.2022}
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This summer, experience a world of excitement and wonder once again
with MUV, a new and exclusive show by Cirque du Soleil in Andorra.
MUV looks back at the greatest musical hits of recent years, with the
aim of driving audiences into a collective musical frenzy. It is a
participatory show that will bring people together, and acts as a
visual metaphor for the desire to break down the barriers that divide
us.
This new show combines acrobatics, dance, entertainment, music and DJ
sets, with an electrifying ambience that invites the audience to take
part and become participants as well as spectators.
The company's outstanding team of creative minds is working around the
clock in order to unveil a new concept and format for the show, so you
can enjoy the best music, acrobatics and many other surprises. More
than 650,000 people attended the previous shows: will you risk missing
out on this one?
Next year, and for the first time, the new show will take place every
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, from 2 to 31 July
2022. The show starts at 10:00 pm and will last for around an hour.
There will also be entertainment prior to the start.
The show will be held in a specially prepared covered space with a
capacity of 5,000, in the public car park on Prada Casadet. The venue
sits directly opposite the administrative headquarters of the
Government of Andorra, in the centre of Andorra la Vella.
{ SOURCE: Visit Andorra }
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At Cirque, a Russian and a Ukrainian Stand Strong
{Mar.18.2022}
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As Vladimir Putin's brutal invasion devolves into a catastrophe of
historic proportions, two acrobats from the region one Russian, one
Ukrainian share meals, laughs and death-defying performances in the
traveling "Ovo," back in L.A. after a two-year COVID pause.
In a dark theater in downtown Los Angeles over 6,000 miles away from
Russia's brutal invasion of Ukraine two men face one another
standing on raised platforms. One, smiling and sandy-haired, is a
Ukrainian named Dmytro Rybkin, 33.
The other, Alexander Grol, 34, is a black-haired Russian of Gypsy
descent. Despite Grol's gruff exterior, flickers of a dry sense of
humor peek through.
Together, these two men form an unlikely alliance and a potent
artistic symbol for these fraught times.
Rybkin and Grol are performers in Cirque du Soleil's Ovo, an insect-
themed fantasia currently installed at Microsoft Theater at L.A. Live,
where it will remain for the next five weeks. The show is a slightly
tweaked version of the one that debuted in 2016 and was put on ice in
2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, along with dozens of other Cirque
du Soleil productions around the globe.
Cirque is currently amid a return to a robust, post-COVID performance
schedule what was supposed to be a period of great celebration.
"We went through this crisis of going from 44 shows to zero show, from
$1 billion of revenue to no revenue," says Daniel Lamarre, 69,
executive vice chairman of Cirque du Soleil, visiting L.A. from
Montreal for Ovo's March 16 premiere.
In July 2020, Lamarre, then president and CEO, saved Cirque du Soleil
from near extinction with a restructuring deal that saw a consortium
led by private equity firm Catalyst Capital take the company out of
bankruptcy and become its new owners.
But just as the show was about to go on, yet another crisis, this one
geopolitical, gathered on the horizon. A high number of world-class
acrobats and gymnasts come from the part of the world currently in
conflict. Ovo features 52 artists from 25 countries Russia and
Ukraine among them.
Speaking on behalf of Cirque du Soleil, Lamarre avoids making any
direct pronunciations on the war in Ukraine. "It's not the first time
there is crisis between countries or nationalities, but we like to see
ourselves like citizens of the world," he says. "And so do our
artists. I guess the reality is, when you look to a situation like the
one we're in right now, the crisis doesn't really involve civilians.
It's politicians. So as long as you stay away from politics and you
care about people, I think then you take the right decision, and
that's what we're doing."
As for Rybkin and Grol, you sense there is more they'd like to say
about the conflict but have been cautioned not to. Rybkin makes a
statement with his rehearsal clothes: light-yellow jeans and a royal
blue T-shirt, which only later do I realize recall the colors of the
Ukrainian flag, which represents a yellow field under a blue sky. Grol
wears all black.
The two strongmen, with forearms Popeye would envy, are what is known
in the circus world as "catchers" or "porters."
Their job is to catch and throw acrobats into the air from opposite
platforms. In the case of Ovo, they are dressed as scarab beetles
while doing so. They've been performing this act together since 2016.
For catchers and for the aerialists dependent on them, it all comes
down to trust.
"We have girls who are flying and the boys who are catching," says
Grol. "So they trust their lives to us. And this responsibility makes
us who we are. In the show, in the act, in the circus, the
responsibility forms a character, a way of living. It's made me who I
am. And I realize how much trust people give me. Then I start feeling
a certain way."
Adds Rybkin: "I want to make the girl trust me, trust me to fly. It
means that I always have to catch and always have to throw very well,
so they don't have any fear. And this is the most difficult part
because you cannot be super stable every day. But without trust, this
is not going to work."
Growing up in Perm, a city in central Russia next to the Ural
Mountains, Grol observed his musclebound father, also a circus
performer, and wanted to follow in his footsteps.
"He was a porter in acrobatics so catching people but standing on
the floor, catching them on his shoulders, that kind of thing. Same
discipline as me, but a different act."
Father and son would travel around the country in a circus caravan.
"It was a big Gypsy family," Grol says. "And you know how everybody
thinks of Gypsies that they're troublemakers? But we are not. We are
not troublemakers or hooligans. We have a life of our own, views on
life of our own. The way we are brought up on the road, not having the
normal childhood like kids have, it's quite an adventure."
Rybkin came to the circus through athletics. "I was a sportsman
before; I did sport acrobatics," he explains. "I was never planning to
go to the circus. For me, sport was the main goal. But after that, I
realized that it can be fascinating for me, and I applied for a circus
casting." He got a job working with a circus in France, then another
in Russia.
Then he was scouted for the big time: Cirque du Soleil. "Before that,
life in the circus was very difficult, much worse conditions," Rybkin
says. "Here is great. We get accommodation, we get food. Everything is
organized."
For Grol, who returned to Russia during the pandemic, the chance to
perform for as many as 7,000 circus fans is something he thought he
might never experience again. Based in St. Petersburg, he'd travel to
Perm to visit his parents.
"I was in the village. I remember cleaning my well in my parents'
place, chucking the buckets of mud out of the well. And I was saying
to the circus god if he exists, 'I really want to get back, at least
once more, onstage. I would give them all I got, 150 percent. I will
become the bug, inside and outside. I'll become that bug. I will show
some people some fun times.' I send that message to the circus god."
Rybkin is based in Austria now and was unable to return to Ukraine to
see his family due to pandemic travel restrictions. "But it was good
timing for me because my daughter, she was born exactly when
coronavirus started," he says. "There was no circus. I could have time
to be there and help to be with my daughter. And it was even more
difficult than the circus. But I'm happy that I was there, and I could
see how she was growing."
Before they are summoned backstage to continue their warmups, I ask
the two men if they have any closing thoughts they'd like to share
with the world.
"Peace to the world," says Grol. "We are people of art. The artists.
We present art. We're humans, not of different points of view. There's
plenty of that in the world. The message here is that when we're here,
we spread happiness. We show them what we got."
Adds Rybkin: "We are very open people, and we are very good with each
other. And this gives us a chance to show our acrobatics. And also
show our feelings to the people. And we are happy that people
appreciate it."
{ SOURCE: The Hollywood Reporter }
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Alegría 'rigged' to magnificence by Masse and team
{Mar.22.2022}
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Premiering in 1994, Alegría is one of Cirque du Soleil's most enduring
productions. The show has traversed the globe, showcasing a high-
flying fantasy to 14 million-plus persons in 255 cities in 40
countries. To celebrate the 25th anniversary, the program has been
reimagined and updated for a whole new generation to experience.
Having run into the same pause that every other tour experienced in
the pandemic, the anniversary "Alegría v2.0" brings the decaying royal
court presided over by former fool Mr. Fleur to the big top at Concord
Place for an extended run beginning this week.
The production includes some of the more innovative trapeze design in
Cirque history alongside fire dancers, contortionists and all the
other spectacles one associates with the company. Thanks for much of
this dynamic display goes to senior equipment and acrobatic riggings
designer Pierre Masse. From the complex swinging trapeze that permits
moveable trapeze heights and flight trajectory to the conveyor-like
trampoline criss-crossing the stage floor, Masse and crew make it.
He was raised in a performing arts environment. His mother was a
costume designer for the Montreal Opera and his father worked for 40
years in operations at Place des Arts. His entry into joining the
family "stagehand" tradition followed studies in electrical
engineering. This coincided with an explosion of higher-tech
approaches to presentations.
"Initially, I started in the projection and lighting side of things,
and actually came to Cirque in 1995 on the show Quidam as a
troubleshooter, brought in by a friend who was the technical director
to work out a software bug one night," said Masse. "After getting it
to run without an issue, they never let me leave. I began as a
contractor and now I've been here 23 years, landing in the acrobatic
and rigging design and development. It's a ways from electrical
engineering, but I found out I had mechanical design savvy, and here I
am."
Besides such Cirque shows as Varekai, Zumanity and KÁ, his work has
appeared in everything from Chris Angel's Believe to the new
generation of arena shows such as the Avatar-themed TORUK the First
Flight, Paramour and Cirque du Soleil at Sea shows. Whatever the
directors throw at him, he strives to make it possible working out
complex constructions with a large crew. One of his favourite design
challenges came out of Alegría, when a director wanted to incorporate
two fresh circus school graduates into a trapeze duo act that danced
across the stage heights.
"The idea was to present something like a 'love dance' in the air with
side-by-side trapezes that they wanted to be able to rotate around the
stage," he said. "Trying to wrap my head around that was very
challenging, because when you have someone swinging and then start
rotating them you wind up with a gyro generating much greater
gravitational pull on the artists and the gear.
"So first we workshopped it with the performers to attain their
comfort levels and then came up with the mechanical design basics to
more complex construction. All of this has to be incorporated into the
overall design working with the set designer before I sit down to
create the final mechanical rendering."
From there, consulting engineers are brought in to analyze all the
various safety factors and come up with compatible construction
materials that will be safe over multiple operations. Using a 50-50
mix of custom purpose-built materials and commercially sourced items,
Masse and his team then have to arrive at something that can be broken
down and rebuilt time and time again. Limitations of working in the
tent mean nothing can really be longer than three metres to move in
and out of the structure.
"From there, we go to manufacturing, fabrications and then back to
adaptation and practise with the artists for more fine-tuning," said
Masse. "The hardest part of the process with that particular trapeze
was to fit it into the storyline of the show and figuring out how to
have it transition from one section of the show to the next. Matching
to the storyboard is a key part of the brand, while still addressing
safety stress ratios typically a minimum of 10 times the load of the
individual performing artist."
This holds true for every single bit of equipment performers use in
Alegría or any other show.
From the German steel wheel to the bouncy balance poles, nothing
appears on stage that doesn't undergo numerous safety checks on a
nightly basis. You can't run down to the local circus supply store to
pick up a new trapeze if the need arises, so everything is put
together to last and also be quickly repaired by the expert crews when
the need arises. The approval process for even a switched carabiner
requires approval from Masse all the way down to the crew chief.
"I think that we have a second-to-none safety system in place and that
drives all the innovation that goes into the designs," he said.
"Naturally, everything I do is proprietary for Cirque. But over time,
you see some of that custom tech finding its way out into the world
over time. We are always innovating, and things like the high-speed
winches we co-developed with Stage Technologies to move artists around
quickly can now be seen in rock 'n' roll shows like P!nk's where she
flies around the venue."
It's clear that Masse loves his work and fans the world over benefit
from the efforts put into by the technical teams. Prospective members
come from many different disciplines and get put through something
akin to "Cirque U" before being put out on touring productions. While
a unique skill set is clearly required to do the design, manufacturing
and construction of the many marvellous Cirque creations, Masse
stresses that the most important quality for success in his side of
the show is "passion and heart."
{ SOURCE: Vancouver Sun }
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Verizon and Snap put Cirque in the palm of your hand
{Mar.23.2022}
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Verizon, Snap Inc. and Cirque du Soleil today debuted an augmented
reality Snapchat Lens, inspired by "O" by Cirque du Soleil and built
by Arcadia, that can take advantage of the power of Verizon 5G Ultra
Wideband. The Lens transports the renowned "O" performance from
Bellagio in Las Vegas to the palm of a Snapchatter's hand.
Using advanced motion capture technology, the artistry, surrealism and
theatrical romance of "O" is recreated in a virtual environment. The
three minute experience leverages the increased capacity, low latency
and fast speeds of Verizon's 5G Ultra Wideband network, which is
available in select areas, to artfully intertwine segments of the "O"
show just for the Snapchat Lens exclusively for Verizon customers with
a 5G smartphone on a 5G plan.
ABOUT THE EXPERIENCE
The Cirque du Soleil "O" Lens allows Snapchatters to discover and
explore the world of this aquatic masterpiece. With an exclusive
original score created by Benoit Jutras, composer for "O,"
Snapchatters will get a taste of the show's iconic images, dynamic
characters and unique water element that makes the show so memorable.
The experience culminates by inviting Snapchatters to enter the realm
of "O" by transforming into one of the show's most identifiable and
expressive characters.
"The Cirque du Soleil "O" Lens showcases a trifecta of innovation
leveraging Verizon 5G Ultra Wideband, Snap's AR technology and the
artistry of 'O,'" said Kris Soumas, Director of Consumer Content
Partnerships at Verizon. "Consumers desire unique experiences like the
'O' Lens and Verizon 5G Ultra Wideband is built to provide these while
working with the best partners in the industry to deliver."
"The Cirque du Soleil 'O' Lens experience is a tour de force showcase
for the immersive power of AR when paired with a 5G network like
Verizon's," said Anne Laurenson, Senior Director of Global Carrier
Partnerships, Snap Inc. "Verizon and Cirque du Soleil have been
incredible partners to work with in building this Lens, which gives
Snapchatters a true feel for the magic and triumph of 'O'."
"We are truly excited to partner with Snapchat and Verizon on this
innovative experience with 'O,'" said Sebastien Ouimet, Director of
Global Content and Strategic Partnerships for Cirque du Soleil. "O" is
such an immersive, otherworldly show that envelops its guests, and the
Lens gives those who cannot see the show in person an opportunity to
experience the awe and wonder this show brings."
ACCESSING THE LENS
The 5G Cirque du Soleil "O" Lens is available exclusively for Verizon
customers with a 5G smartphone on a 5G plan on Verizon's 5G Ultra
Wideband network in the Las Vegas metro area as well as near 238
Verizon company stores around the U.S. A 4G Lens version is available
for all Snapchatters, independent of carrier and coverage area.
Cirque du Soleil "O" Lens is the latest from Verizon and Snap Inc.'s
5G innovation partnership. Recent experiences from the partnership
include a 5G Connected Lens, 5G Avengers Lenses, and the first-ever
5G-enabled AR Lens.
{ SOURCE: Verizon }
----------------------------------------------------------
Connecticut magician heading to Vegas to join CDS
{Mar.23.2022}
----------------------------------------------------------
TJ Salta has to finish his Quinnipiac degree online because the
subject he's studying has already paid off.
The entrepreneurism major has landed a job performing his singular,
up-close magic act in a new Las Vegas show created by Cirque du
Soleil.
Salta is awestruck by the opportunity, citing the the internationally
renowned circus theater troupe's reputation for treating its artists
well.
"I've always heard this is the company you want to work with," he says
during a Tuesday-morning phone conversation days before leaving for
Nevada to begin rehearsing for the show, which opens He has signed a
one-year contract.
The show, titled "Mad Apple," is described on the Cirque du Soleil
website as a multi-act "nonstop New York thrill ride" performed by "a
dynamic makeup of musicians, dancers, comedians, magicians, and circus
performers, that "blurs the lines between circus, live entertainment,
and New York nightlife culture."
While Cirque du Soleil does many touring shows the company has
visited Hartford numerous times, most recently with "Luzia" in 2019
"Mad Apple," which opens in May, will be unique to the New York-New
York Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, where a theater has been specially
renovated to house it.
In "Mad Apple," Salta will be able to do his act "up close, in a
crowd," the way he most prefers to do magic. He says likes to be
stylish, but also casual and approachable.
"After I'm done performing, I want you to feel you can have a beer
with me."
Asked if he has a signature trick, he says, "I create them on the
spot," based on what he senses from whomever he's performing for.
Besides card and coin tricks, he can do mentalism and hypnotism
routines.
"I'm not a psychic, but I can go up to anyone and sense something
personal about them."
Salta, who grew up in Norwalk and has been living in Hamden while
attending Quinnipiac, has been a professional magician for six years.
He started performing magic tricks in high school when a sports injury
gave him time to master some sleight of hand routines. His first big
performance was at a school football game when, as he started doing
tricks, he noticed "hundreds of people were watching me instead of the
game. They started shouting my name instead of the name of the team."
He wanted his college education to further his magic career, so chose
to study entrepreneurship.
"There's no magic major. I looked everywhere. I'm doing my own thing,
and my passion is close-up magic, so once I decided to get serious
about this, I had to figure out stuff like how to do my own branding
and promote myself."
Other milestones in his magic career include one of the top prizes on
"Connecticut's Got Talent" in 2018 and hosting the Magic Insider
program on the Talent Recap YouTube channel.
Salta learned about the Cirque du Soleil opportunity from some of his
mentors in the magic business who thought it seemed ideal for him.
He's pleased that he got the gig strictly based on his talent.
"They just wanted to see raw video footage of me performing. No
resume. They didn't know anything about me. They chose me based on
that performance."
There is one chance for a few Connecticut magic fans to catch Salta
before he heads for Vegas. Salta will perform a show for the
Quinnipiac community March 31 at 7 p.m. at the On the Rocks pub in the
university's Rocky Top Student Center. He calls the local show "a
quick thank you to share this success, and because I've actually never
performed at school before."
{ SOURCE: Hartford Courant }
----------------------------------------------------------
Cirque Unveils Giant Apple on Las Vegas Strip
{Mar.29.2022}
----------------------------------------------------------
A new giant apple has appeared on Las Vegas Blvd courtesy of a new
Cirque du Soleil strip show.
On Tuesday, the 315-pound spherical display that took more than 200
hours to create landed at its new home outside the New York New York,
where the new Mad Apple' show will debut on Thursday, May 26.
SEE THE IMAGES HERE:
https://www.cirquefascination.com/?p=14423
The 30-foot display only took six minutes to inflate and will stay at
the location until the show's premiere.
Cirque du Soleil unveiled plans for the new show last month,
describing it as a "cocktail of music, comedy, magic, and mayhem that
puts NYC nightlife under the Las Vegas lights."
{ SOURCE: KSNV, TV 3, Las Vegas }
----------------------------------------------------------
Cirque Execs on its Disney show and Surviving Shutdowns
{Mar.31.2022}
----------------------------------------------------------
Cirque du Soleil, one of the most recognizable names in theatrical
entertainment, began operating its newest show "Drawn to Life" last
November the first time it offered performances after shutting down
during the Covid-19 pandemic. Since then, it has sold more than
200,000 tickets, and on March 24, it celebrated its 150th performance
since its Nov. 18 debut.
The Canada-based company's new show was a collaboration between Cirque
du Soleil, Walt Disney Animation Studios and Walt Disney Imagineering.
The premise of Drawn to Life is "a live acrobatic journey telling the
story of Julie, a determined girl who discovers an unexpected gift
left by her Disney animator father: an unfinished animation," said a
news release at its debut. "As she dives into the inner world of
animation guided by a surprising pencil, Julie embarks on an inspiring
quest filled with childhood Disney memories."
The Disney show brings something Cirque never has done before, Daniel
Lamarre, executive vice chairman of the board of Cirque du Soleil
Entertainment Group who retired as CEO on Dec. 1, told Orlando
Business Journal. "The show is an immersive production featuring an
all-original score of new music pixie-dusted with playful snippets of
melodies from Disney's classic animated feature films; makeup that
reflects animation principles like exaggerated lines, highlights and
shadows; larger-than-life costumes and props that are more than meets
the eye; and a set that envelops the audience in sketch pages and an
animator's drawing table."
Stéphane Lefebvre succeeded Lamarre as CEO Cirque du Soleil
Entertainment Group. The two executives recently spoke with OBJ on the
company's performance, experience through the pandemic and more.
Here, Lefebvre, CEO Cirque du Soleil Entertainment Group, discusses
initial feedback and performance of the new Walt Disney World show,
how the company adjusted to Covid and more:
Q. What is the current status of Cirque's shows globally?
We are working on gradually relaunching our shows and on developing
new projects that will foster new growth opportunities and expand the
business through new markets. As of today, all our resident shows have
opened in Las Vegas and Orlando, our touring shows have restarted in
the USA, in the Caribbean, in Asia and in Europe (Alegria, OVO, KOOZA,
Messi10, LUZIA), and three Big Top shows soon will reopen across
Canada (Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal). A new Cirque du Soleil
seasonal show by our events and experiences division completed its run
at the end of 2021 in Malta and our creative team is working on
exciting new projects for Asia, Andorra, Quebec (Trois-Rivières), the
US and Europe. Intermission is definitely over.
Q. What has been the initial feedback of Drawn to Life at Disney
Springs?
This show had been in the works for years, and unlike anything we had
ever done before. There was a lot of excitement in the air on Nov. 18,
2021, when we finally were able to open the show. Drawn to Life not
only was the opening of a new show at Disney Springs, it also was the
first new Cirque du Soleil creation after almost two years of forced
pause. It was a very emotional moment for our teams and our fans, and
the critics agreed.
Q. How has Cirque adjusted operations during Covid for guests?
Health and safety is a top priority at Cirque du Soleil Entertainment
Group. As we gradually started to reopen our shows, a series of
protocols were implemented with regard to Covid-19 to keep our
artists, employees and audiences safe. Since the beginning of the
crisis, we have been in close communication with health and
governmental authorities, and our guidelines are re-evaluated and
adapted as the global sanitary situation evolves. Some components were
adjusted to help control the spread of the virus. For example, the
pre-show experience was modified to remove interaction from the cast
with the audience. Again, in an effort to ensure everyone's safety,
our VIP experiences also were adjusted (backstage tours, meet-and-
greet with artists, photo ops). Ensuring the health and safety of our
cast, crew and audience members has always been one of our priorities.
* * *
Meanwhile, here's what Lamarre, executive vice chairman of the board
of Cirque du Soleil Entertainment Group and recently retired CEO,
shared about his experience navigating the pandemic, advice to CEOs
still facing Covid challenges and what his new book "Balancing Acts:
Unleashing the Power of Creativity in Your Life and Work" can teach
executives:
Q. What was your biggest lesson navigating the company during the
pandemic?
The Covid-19 pandemic had a devastating impact on the entertainment
industry and therefore on us, at Cirque du Soleil. We went from 44
active shows across the globe, nearly 5,000 employees and sales of
more than $1 billion annually to zero revenue. In the span of 48
hours, all our shows were shut down and 95% of our workforce was laid
off, which truly was heartbreaking. But we decided to put forward some
of our strongest assets, and what made us the company we once were:
Creativity, our ability to inspire people and the strength of our
brand. We had zero revenue, but we had an amazing brand, and that's
what our lenders believed in. We managed not only to survive this
unprecedented crisis, but also to bounce back stronger than ever. The
biggest lesson was the resilience we showcased, how we were able to
turn around a catastrophic situation and how creativity helped us
redefine what we do.
Q. What advice would you give CEOs still facing challenges due to
Covid?
Always challenge the status quo. The pandemic has changed the way we
do business forever, and we have had to adapt and shift our ways of
working to face the new reality. Nurturing a creative environment
helps push the boundaries and reinvent yourself. It is important to
give space for creativity in business, encouraging companies to throw
off the old rules and restrictions of conventional thinking and
unleash the creative spirit of their people.
Q. What do you hope readers of your book take away that can help their
business?
With "Balancing ActsUnleashing the Power of Creativity in Your Life
and Work," I want to be an advocate for creativity in business and
cultivating it within the workspace. I want to share what I learned
throughout my years at the head of this wonderful organization that is
Cirque du Soleil. I want to inspire the younger generation into
challenging the status quo and start thinking outside the box and
unleashing their creative spirits. Whether you work for one of the
most creative organizations on the planet like Cirque du Soleil, in a
stuffy corporate job, or somewhere in between, my book is filled with
principles that can strengthen and accelerate any business on the
planet.
{ SOURCE: Orlando Business Journal }
=======================================================================
ITINÉRAIRE -- TOUR/SHOW INFORMATION
=======================================================================
o) BIGTOP - Under the Grand Chapiteau
{Alegria INAL, Koozå, Kurios, Luzia}
o) ARENA - In Stadium-like venues
{Crystal, Corteo, Messi10, OVO}
o) RESIDENT - Performed en Le Théâtre
{Mystère, "O", LOVE, MJ ONE, JOYA, X: The Land of Fantasy}
NOTE:
.) While we make every effort to provide complete and accurate
touring dates and locations available, the information in
this section is subject to change without notice. As such,
the Fascination! Newsletter does not accept responsibility
for the accuracy of these listings.
For current, up-to-the-moment information on Cirque's whereabouts,
please visit Cirque's website: < http://www.cirquedusoleil.com/ >.
Alegría-In a New Light:
Vancouver, BC -- Mar 25, 2022 to Jun 5, 2022
Portland, OR -- Jun 16, 2022 to Jul 17, 2022
Sacramento, CA -- Jul 29, 2022 to Aug 28, 2022
Koozå:
Punta Cana, DR -- Jan 7, 2022 to Apr 10, 2022 [RESTART]
Montreal, QC -- May 13, 2022 to Aug 14, 2022
Kurios:
Toronto, ON -- Apr 14, 2022 to Jul 17, 2022 [RESTART]
Washington, DC -- Jul 29, 2022 to Sep 25, 2022
Rome, IT -- Mar 22, 2023 to Apr 30, 2023
Milan, IT -- May 10, 2023 to June 25, 2023
Luzia:
Barcelona, ES -- Mar 17, 2022 to May 15, 2022
Geneva, CH -- May 28, 2022 to Jul 3, 2022
Alicante, ES -- Jul 14, 2022 to Aug 21, 2022
Zurich, CH -- Sep 20, 2022 to Oct 23, 2022
Madrid, ES -- Nov 5, 2022 to Dec 18, 2022
Bazzar:
Sao Paulo, BR -- Sep 8, 2022 to Oct 16, 2022 [RESTART]
------------------------------------
ARENA - In Stadium-Like Venues
------------------------------------
CRYSTAL - A BREAKTHROUGH ICE EXPERIENCE:
Savannah, GA -- May 5, 2022 to May 8, 2022
North Charleston, SC -- May 12, 2022 to May 15, 2022
Amherst, MA -- May 19, 2022 to May 22, 2022
Boston, MA -- Jun 1, 2022 to Jun 12, 2022
Newark, NJ -- Jun 16, 2022 to Jun 19, 2022
Philadelphia, PA -- Jun 24, 2022 to Jun 26, 2022
St. Catharines, ON -- Jun 30, 2022 to Jul 3, 2022
Montpellier, FR -- Sep 14, 2022 to Sep 18, 2022
Rotterdam, NL -- Sep 22, 2022 to Sep 25, 2022
Leipzig, DE -- Sep 30, 2022 to Oct 9, 2022
Nuremberg, DE -- Oct 12, 2021 to Oct 16, 2022
Cologne, DE -- Oct 19, 2022 to Oct 23, 2022
Hanover, DE -- Oct 26, 2022 - Oct 30, 2022
Munich, DE -- Nov 3, 2022 to Nov 6, 2022
Frankfurt, DE -- Nov 9, 2022 to Nov 13, 2022
Oberhausen, DE -- Nov 16, 2022 to Nov 20, 2022
Malaga, ES -- Dec 11, 2022 to Dec 18, 2022
Lisbon, PT -- Dec 22, 2022 to Jan 1, 2023
Pamplona, ES -- Jan 4, 2023 to Jan 8, 2023
Lausanne, CH -- Jan 25, 2023 to Jan 29, 2023
Stuttgart, DE -- Feb 22, 2023 to Feb 26, 2023
CORTEO:
Split, HR -- May 20, 2022 to May 21, 2022
Vilnius, LT -- May 26, 2022 to May 29, 2022
Antwerp, BE -- Jun 22 2022 to Jul 2, 2022
Dublin, IR -- Jul 6, 2022 to Jul 10, 2022
London, UK -- Jul 13, 2022 to Jul 17, 2022
Nice, FR -- Jul 21, 2022 to Jul 24, 2022
Aix-en-Provence, FR -- Jul 27, 2022 to Jul 31, 2022
Palma de Mallorca, ES -- Aug 5, 2022 to Aug 14, 2022
Krakow, PL -- Sep 1, 2022 to Sep 4, 2022
Gdansk, PL -- Sep 8, 2022 to Sep 11, 2022
Bratislava, SK -- Sep 15, 2022 to Sep 18, 2022
Vienna, AT -- Sep 21, 2022 to Sep 25, 2022
Nantes, FR -- Sep 29, 2022 to Oct 2, 2022
Manchester, UK -- Oct 5, 2022 to Oct 9, 2022
Glasgow, UK -- Oct 12, 2022 to Oct 16, 2022
Birmingham, UK -- Oct 19, 2022 to Oct 23, 2022
Berlin, DE -- Oct 27, 2022 to Oct 30, 2022
Copenhagen, DE -- Nov 3, 2022 to Nov 6, 2022
MESSI10:
Buenos Aires, AR -- Mar 9, 2023 to Mar 26, 2023 [RESTART]
OVO:
Los Angeles, CA -- Mar 16, 2022 to May 1, 2022
Lethbridge, AB -- May 27, 2022 to May 29, 2022
Medicine Hat, AB -- Jun 1, 2022 to Jun 5, 2022
Kelowna, BC -- Jun 9, 2022 to Jun 12, 2022
Victoria, BC -- Jun 16, 2022 to Jun 19, 2022
Kamloops, BC -- Jun 23, 2022 to Jun 26, 2022
Prince George, BC -- Jun 30, 2022 to Jul 3, 2022
TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE...:
Boston, MA -- Nov 25, 2022 to Dec 11, 2022
---------------------------------
RESIDENT - en Le Théâtre
---------------------------------
Mystère:
Location: Treasure Island, Las Vegas (USA)
Performs: Friday through Tuesday, Dark: Wednesday/Thursday
Variable Nightly - 7:00pm and/or 9:30pm
2022 Dark Days:
o) May 13 thru 17, 2022
o) July 22, 2022
o) September 9 thru 13, 2022
o) November 8 & 11, 2022
"O":
Location: Bellagio, Las Vegas (USA)
Performs: Wednesday through Friday, Dark Monday/Tuesday
Two Shows Nightly - 7:00pm and 9:30pm
2022 Dark Days:
o) April 18 - 26, 2022
o) June 19 - 22, 2022
o) August 21, 2022
o) October 9 - 12, 2022
o) November 30, 2022
o) December 1 - 13, 2022
KA:
Location: MGM Grand, Las Vegas (USA)
Performs: Saturday through Wednesday, Dark Thursday/Friday
Two Shows Nightly - 7:00pm and 9:30pm
2022 Dark Days:
o) May 5 - 13, 2022
o) June 8, 2022
o) August 10, 24, 31, 2022
o) October 6 - 14, 26, 2022
o) December 14, 2022
LOVE:
Location: Mirage, Las Vegas (USA)
Performs: Tuesday to Saturday, Dark: Sunday/Monday
Two Shows Nightly - 7:00pm and 9:30pm
2022 Dark Days:
o) May 3-7, 2022
o) June 21, 2022
o) July 5, 2022
o) November 1, 2022
o) December 31, 2022
MICHAEL JACKSON ONE:
Location: Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas (USA)
Performs: Thursday through Monday - Dark: Tuesday/Wednesday
Two Shows Nightly - 7:00pm and 9:30pm
2022 Dark Days:
o) May 19 - 23, 2022
o) August 18 - 22, 2022
o) October 17, 2022
o) December 5 & 12, 2022
JOYÀ:
Location: Riviera Maya, Mexico
Performs: Tuesday through Saturday, Dark: Sunday/Monday
X: THE LAND OF FANTASY:
Location: Hangzhou, China
DRAWN TO LIFE:
Location: Walt Disney World Resort, Orlando, Florida (USA)
Performs: Tuesday through Saturday, Dark: Sunday/Monday
Two Shows Nightly - 5:30pm and 8:00pm
MAD APPLE:
Location: New York-New York, Las Vegas (USA)
Performs: Friday through Tuesday, Dark: Wednesday/Thursday
Two Shows Nightly - 7:00pm and 9:30pm
** PREVIEW PERFORMANCES BEGIN MAY 12, 2022! **
=======================================================================
OUTREACH - UPDATES FROM CIRQUE's SOCIAL WIDGETS
=======================================================================
o) CIRQUE NEWS
Welcome to Cirque News, a new series where we bring you up-to-date
and behind the scenes of everything Cirque du Soleil. On this first
episode meet your hosts to the Cirque Universe, Carla and Cass, and
hear about all the exciting things happening around the world!
01: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xVx_Msy-Cdw {Apr.01}
o) CIRQUE DU SOLEIL TOUR STORIES
Intermission Is Over and we can tour again! In our newest series
This Starts Today: Cirque du Soleil Tour Stories, we will take
you along as our shows train in Montreal and then head off to
their first touring location!
01: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zr00yRRHIDw {Oct.29} (Alegria)
02: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8oiOTQF1Q4 {Nov.15} (Alegria)
03: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cyZW-h9sy24 {Dec.08} (Alegria)
04: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41fWciwXbFY {Dec.24} (Luzia)
05: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1RKn4sNWk1c {Jan.12} (Luzia)
06: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0VA9MJA21J8 {Jan.14} (OVO)
07: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKc-9rS4whM {Jan.27} (Luzia)
08: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BtlKuJZRj2w {Feb.04} (Kooza)
09: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=apSDt3grMuE {Feb.18} (Luzia)
10: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4eKPHvWIvQ {Mar.10} (OVO)
11: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSjJWNoSDt8 {Mar.31} (Kurios)
o) OTHER VIDEOS
- Mystère | Official Trailer 2022 {Mar.11}
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vKC-IpDdajk
- Quick Costume Change with Cirque Performers {Mar.14}
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/e3H_ywhv-VY
- Snapchat AR Lens Behind The Scenes {Mar.23}
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/cBwDL8UUaN0
- World Theater Day: Drawn to Life {Mar.27}
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/g9AXS2m5SbY
- The Beatles LOVE | Official Trailer 2022 {Apr.07}
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tx0aWYNLgAY
- The Beatles in Vegas - Any Love For Their LOVE Album? {Apr.10}
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xn5Vkjbb6gk
=======================================================================
FASCINATION! FEATURES
=======================================================================
o) SPECIAL /// "How Do You Lead a Company Through the Worst
of Times?" - More Articles about Daniel Lamarre's New
Book: 'Balancing Acts'
o) "The Last Two Years, Part 2: 'A Battle Royale Begins!'"
By: Ricky Russo - Atlanta, Georgia (USA)
------------------------------------------------------------
SPECIAL /// "How Do You Lead a Company Through the Worst
of Times?" - More Articles about Daniel Lamarre's New
Book: 'Balancing Acts'
------------------------------------------------------------
Daniel Lamarre was three months away from publishing what might have
been a routine business book in 2020 when the COVID-19 crisis swept in
and changed the fate of his company and the world. Within days of the
first outbreaks in North America, Cirque du Soleil, the famed Canadian
circus brand where Lamarre had served as CEO for two decades,
shuttered all 44 of its shows around the worldimmediately grinding
revenue to a halt and creating a no-win situation for a business
leader.
The rest unfolded as you might expect. Cirque du Soleil filed for
bankruptcy and struck a deal with its main stakeholdersTPG Capital,
China-based Fosun, and Caisse de dépôt et placementwhich provided
liquidity that helped it survive until it could resume operations. Not
surprisingly, a book was the last thing on Lamarre's mind during those
tumultuous times. "I called the publisher and I said, look, there's no
way I'm going to publish a book right now," he says. "The company is
in total distress, and I would look stupid publishing in the middle
of the crisis."
But rather than shelf the project entirely, Lamarre rewrote the
ending, providing fresh insight into what it's like to navigate a
live-events business in the middle of a worst-case scenario for live
events. The result is Balancing Acts: Unleashing the Power of
Creativity in Your Life and Work, which is described as "part memoir .
. . part enlightening business business book," and which is now
available from HarperCollins Leadership.
Lamarre stepped down as CEO late last year to become an executive vice
chairman on Cirque du Soleil's board. Ahead are three more Q&A articles
with Mr. Lamarre regarding his newly released book...
* * *
"HOW DO YOU LEAD A COMPANY THROUGH THE WORST OF TIMES?"
By: FAST COMPANY | Mar.16.2022
Q. What was the biggest business lesson that you took away from having
to navigate a company during a crisis?
The big lesson I learned was the importance of staying in
communication with our cast and crew. Because in theory, for many,
many months, they were no longer our employees. And we might have
decided to say, you know, they're no longer our employees, let's
forget about them. But we did the entire opposite . . . We were
communicating with them on a regular basis. And we were focusing on
being ready and on standby for when the crisis ended.
Q. I wonder how you dealt with balancing the needs of the performers
against the needs of the people who actually had to continue
workingand were probably working like two or three times the
amount. Did you have to figure out ways to manage their workplace
burnout?
Oh, yeah. That was a crazy, crazy time. We were working long hours,
and we had to deal with lawyers and bankers and accountants . . . The
most important asset that an organization has is its brand. And
imagine, in 48 hours, the company went from $1 billion of revenue, 44
shows, to no shows, no revenues. Then [we had to] convince our lenders
to become shareholders and convince them as shareholders to invest
$375 billion to relaunch the company. [Why would] someone invest that
much money to relaunch a company that has zero revenue? It's only
based on the strength of the brand.
Q. Were there moments where you personally, or some of your top team,
doubted the power of the brand?
The truth is, yes. But the reality is, I always refused that thought.
We were good, the little group here, in communicating that We will
come back. That was the tagline that we were communicating to
everybody.
Q. What were the hardest choices you had to make atthe height of the
crisis?
Obviously, it was to let people go. That was terrible. But what the
book is about really is what I've learned. I joined the company 21
years ago as a very traditional businessman, and now 21 years later,
I've learned from our directors, our creators, from our founder, from
the Beatles and our Beatles show, and from James Cameron when we
worked with him. Observing all those amazing creators, I've learned to
be much more creative in my personal and professional life.
Q. What is the key lesson that a person with a more traditional
business background can learn from a creative business like a
circus or the performing arts?
The first one I would say is, in a politically correct environment,
people are nice with each other, and they don't debate. So you present
an idea, and I'll be nice with you. I present an idea, and you'll be
nice with me. But that's not the way it should be. You and I should be
debating. And at the end of the debate, the best idea should prevail.
In our creative process, a lot of debate is allowed . . . to make sure
that you are pushing the boundaries of your creativity.
Q. I understand this is mostly a book about business and leadership
lessons, but if people are really interested in the nitty-gritty of
what happened in 2020with the investors, the creditors, TPG, and
all that stuffwill they learn that in this book?
I think so. I went into quite a bit of detail here.
* * *
Q&A W/DANIEL LAMARRE
LAUGHING PLACE | Mar.18.2022
As Disney fans, you are probably well aware that Cirque du Soleil
recently opened their collaboration with Disney, Drawn to Life. But
there may be some of you who want more insight into the production of
the show. You are in luck because Executive Vice Chairman of the Board
of Cirque du Soleil Entertainment Group Daniel Lamarre has a new book
called Balancing Acts, where he shares stories including how Cirque
faced the challenges of the pandemic. We had the opportunity to speak
with Lamarre about Drawn to Life, his career, and his book.
Q. What was it like partnering with Disney for Drawn to Life?
We went through a similar process with the Beatles. After we had paid
tribute to the Beatles and having been very successful doing that, we
were approached by Disney, after the closure of La Nouba, which had
been there for almost 20 years. They suggested that we do a show with
their intellectual property. First of all, that was rewarding for us.
We were flattered that Disney offered us the opportunity to create
something about their intellectual property. And then we have been
blessed to have our creators literally blending with their animators
from Disney animation. Paying a tribute to Disney animation has been
an amazing creative journey for us.
Q. What did you do to deal with the pandemic when all of your shows
were shut down?
Obviously, we have been shut down for more than 15 months, so it was
very tough for us to remain relevant and to keep the brand alive. And
what we have done during that time is we have created a platform
called CirqueConnect, where we have shared a lot of content with our
fans, which was very helpful. So much so that we reached more than 70
million people through CirqueConnect. And then when we wanted to come
back with our shows, it was much easier because then that network
became very powerful to promote and market the remaining shows. And
more importantly the brand Cirque Du Soleil.
Q. What do you think the hardest part of being a business person in a
creative enterprise is?
I think it's very important that you are transparent, both with the
business people and with the creative people. I have a philosophy that
says, when you look at the world of entertainment, the word show comes
first. If you have a great show, you will have a business. If you
don't have a good show, you will have no business. And that's how show
business works. So therefore you have to convince the business people
that are working for you, that they have to support their creative
colleagues to create the best possible show. At the same time, you
have to convince your creators that they cannot spend thousands and
millions of dollars, so that's the challenge. That's the balancing
act. That's where you have to make sure that each group understands
each other and they come to grips with projects that will be
creatively amazing, but also financially sound.
Q. What do you hope people will take away from Balancing Acts?
Sometime people will look at us and say oh, it is Cirque, so they have
no choice
they have to be creative. I convince myself that if ever I
would go back to a more traditional business, I know that bringing
creativity will have a huge impact. So I strongly suggest to people,
and I'm being very radical about this, without creativity there is no
business. Just take the example of Kodak. They refuse to see that the
world will change to digital and we all know their sad story. On the
other spectrum, if you look at people like Steve Jobs and Elon Musk,
they've been people that came with amazing breakthroughs. Why is that?
Because they were innovative. How have they been innovative? By being
creative. Creativity is the first step that is going to be a
springboard to bring you innovation that will bring you leadership.
* * *
"DANIEL LAMARRE TALKS ABOUT HIS TWO DECADES WITH CIRQUE"
By: ATTRACTIONS MAGAZINE | Mar.26.2022
Daniel Lamarre spent 20 years as CEO of Cirque du Soleil, and now he's
written a book that seeks to spark innovation in its readers, through
personal and behind-the-scenes anecdotes revealing the highs, the
lows, and the creativity that kept it all going. During the pandemic,
all 44 Cirque du Soleil shows globally were shut down, and 95 percent
of the company's workforce was laid off. It was the most challenging
time of his career for Daniel, but out of that challenge and his 21
years with the company his new book, "Balancing Acts," was born.
Daniel shared his story with the fine folks at Attractions Magazine:
Q. Can you tell us about how you got involved with Cirque du Soleil?
Before Cirque du Soleil I was the owner of the largest PR firm in
Canada, and after that I moved to become the CEO of a television
network in Canada. In the course of those two experiences, I got to
know Guy Laliberté and typical Guy, he called me out of the blue one
day while he was in London, and I was in my office at the TV network,
and he said, "I had an amazing flash last night." I said, "What was
it?" Then he screamed, "You're going to join the circus!" And here I
am, 21 years later, having had the opportunity to work with him for 15
years, then work with different owners, and I'm still here, enjoying
myself.
Q. Was that a career change you ever thought you'd make?
I never thought I will end up here. That was a tough decision because
I was at the time a traditional business guy, enjoying being the CEO
of a television network, and I didn't know anything about the
entertainment world. That was a tough decision at the time, but by far
the best decision of my life, because it made me enjoy immensely the
challenge of traveling the world and building this amazing global
brand. It's a unique opportunity to have the chance to work with such
amazing creators and artists coming from all around the world. If you
would walk into our creative studio in Montreal, you would have the
feeling that you are in the United Nations building, because we have
people from 90 different nationalities working for us.
Q. With the background you had, did you have to learn to be
untraditional?
That was the case. That's why I wrote the book, because I found it was
important for me to share with people my experience. The one thing I
learned from those amazing creators and I had the opportunity to
observe our founder, Guy Laliberté, but also having the opportunity to
work with creators from all over the world, working with the Beatles,
working with James Cameron so in observing those creators I
discovered that maybe my life will be better fulfilled if I push my
personal and professional boundaries of creativity, and that's the
learning I wanted to share with peoples.
Q. You got a long way down the line with the book, and then the
pandemic hit. Did everything change?
Oh my God, I will never forget that. On the famous "black Friday,"
March 13, at the end of the day we had no more touring shows. I
remember that night coming home and saying to my wife, "Vegas and
Orlando are still open, and if they're still open, we're okay."
Resident shows are a sustainable business. Then, Saturday, March 14,
everything was shut down, and Vegas, the entire city, was shut down. I
went from 44 shows to zero shows. From a billion dollars of revenue to
no revenue. I would never, ever in my life have imagined such a
nightmare. That was a horrible situation. Needless to say, I called my
publisher and said, "Forget about me writing a book. I would look
stupid right now." He said, "I guess you're right, but if you just
continue to work on your book, and you immerge from the crisis, maybe
there will be more appeal for the book and maybe the book might be
even more interesting." That's what we decided to do, and I'm happy I
did that because right now I feel that some of the learnings I learned
from the crisis could be helpful to other people.
Q. What happened to the performers once the pandemic hit? Did they all
have to go back to their own countries?
There are two categories of artists here. The artists from the
resident shows Vegas and Orlando they live in the city, so that
was not that bad. They could stay in their own home and continue to
train and prepare for whenever we were able to come back. For the
touring people, that was a huge challenge for us, because within a few
days we had to send them from wherever they were in the world to go
back home. Within a few days, the boundaries for the countries were
shut down. The airplane companies were shutting down their activities.
So that was a huge challenge for us, to make sure all of our artists,
cast, and crew will be back in their home city. We did that, but that
was so tough.
Q. "Drawn to Life" was just about ready to go on stage. Everything was
set up, and the rug got pulled out from under you. Was that a
particularly difficult aspect of the whole situation?
Yeah, it was, for sure. As a matter of fact, that was my last trip
before the crisis, going to Orlando for a full dress rehearsal. We
were in great shape, the show was about to open, and I was very
excited about it. Then the crisis occurred and we had to keep all the
cast and crew in town, and we did lose some because of the crisis. For
instance, the Chinese crew had to go back, and we lost them, so we had
to find other actors. But now the show is up and running, and in great
shape, and I'm happy and proud of the success we're having.
Q. Was it difficult to get everybody back together after things began
to open up again?
For the resident show, because they were living in the city, that was
easier. We kept close to 90 percent of our artists. For the touring
show it was tougher, even though we stayed in touch with them, because
they were away. Having said that, it's still a good number, because 75
percent of our artists came back, which was better than I expected
after 15 months of no activity.
Q. For "Drawn to Life," were they able to continue to train so they
didn't lose what they had when they came back to the show?
They could continue to train, physically, but they could not rehearse
in the theater. It was forbidden for many, many months. I was
impressed that they were very creative in staying in shape. They were
building their own apparatus and gyms in their garages and basements;
they were grouping together to continue to train. That was really
impressive, and probably the best good news of this crisis is that our
artists were very disciplined and stayed in shape, because from one
month to the next, we didn't know when we would be able to open, so we
told them, "Stay in shape, because we might call you tomorrow and say
'Come back to the gym because we're going to rehearse the show.'" As
soon as we were permitted to restart rehearsals in the theater in
Orlando we jumped on the opportunity. We though we would have to spend
a few weeks to make sure our artists were in shape, but after a couple
of weeks they were ready to go. It was really encouraging. That's why
we have the quality of show we have now. It says a lot about the
professionalism of our artists. They are disciplined, because a lot of
them are former Olympic athletes, there are people that have been
training all their life, and that was, for me, an indication of how
disciplined they are, and more importantly, how dedicated they are to
whatever form of art they're performing on stage.
Q. Can you share a lasting memory of your time with Cirque du Soleil,
pre-pandemic?
The reality is, at the time, I was preparing myself to leave my
position of CEO, and everything was going smoothly in the
organization. "Drawn to Life" is very symbolic for me, because that
was, for me, the ultimate achievement; to have the opportunity to work
with the Disney IP, because "Drawn to Life" is a tribute to Disney
animation. For me, that was the right way to leave the company, on a
big, big high. After the last year or so in Orlando, I was so excited.
I said to myself, "I'm good now. I can leave. The company's in good
shape." And then, boom. The crisis happened, and there was no way I
could leave the ship. I had to stay for additional years.
Q. When it did come time to leave, and you knew it was your last
Cirque show, what was that like?
That was very special. That was symbolic. That was the right way. You
always want to leave the company on a high. I had a strong feeling
this show was the next big statement of Cirque du Soleil in terms of
artistic content, and I felt very good about that. I had a huge
sentiment of pride.
Q. Your next step was to continue writing "Balancing Acts," or was
that almost done by the time you stepped down?
The crisis hit, and I said to the publisher, "We'll continue writing
during the crisis." But I was not spending most of my time writing, I
was spending most of my time trying to save the company. Unfortunately
for me, I was spending too much time with lawyers, accountants,
bankers, to try to convince people that this organization, which has a
huge global brand and footprint, should continue to pursue its
activities. I was adamant, convincing everybody that by the end of the
crisis Cirque will rebound. Just imagine the meeting, for a moment:
You're in front of lenders, and you owe them quite a bit of money.
You're saying to them, "We have no revenue right now, we have no
activity at all, but believe in use because when we rebound, we will
come back to the level that we were, and, by the way, we need $375
million in our bank account to relaunch our activities." So that was
my pitch. Needless to say, I used more convincing arguments to support
my pitch, but at the end of the day we got their support. That was a
very rewarding experience. And today, they're very proud of their
decision, because what I said was not a pitch, it was the reality.
Because we're back, and now they look great [because] they saved the
[company's] value, they're shareholders of the company, and they're
happy with their investment.
Q. Was there a time when Cirque du Soleil's return was in doubt, even
when the pandemic stopped?
The reality is, yes. But I never, ever accepted that thought. Every
time that though popped up in my mind, I would fight back. I had to be
convinced so I could convince others that not only will we come back,
but we will come back very, very strong. I was so focused on saving
the thousands of jobs of our employees that I was more focused on the
fight than on being depressed by the situation I was going through. In
my 21 years at Cirque du Soleil, saving the company is probably the
most rewarding experience I've been through. That's why, today, I have
a sentiment of relief. Our employees are back in the studio right now,
and meeting with the artists is so rewarding. The symbol of "Drawn to
Life," it's the ultimate symbol for me, because when I was there, we
opened the show and launched the show officially, to me that was,
"Yes, Cirque is back." That was such an emotional moment. The reality
is, I'm blessed, because last December [when] I proposed to the board
the replacement CEO of the company, Stephane Lefebvre, who is a very
good friend of mine, they asked me to stay as Executive Vice-Chairman
for a few years, and it's rewarding, because now I have my best friend
taking over the CEO-ship and doing amazingly well. It's a very small
transition for the company, for him, and for myself, and now I have
other big project to deliver for Cirque du Soleil, and that's
exciting. Now he's managing the job on a day-to-day basis and I'm
having a lot of fun building new shows that we have in the pipeline.
Q. What was your inspiration for writing "Balancing Acts"?
My goal was, coming from the traditional business world, I truly
believe that in the corporate world sometimes, people are limiting
themselves. They're limiting themselves by not being creative enough,
and that's what I've learned in observing amazing creators, that if
you nurture your creativity you'll innovate more. Because when we talk
about innovation, what are we talking about? We're talking about
someone that is very creative. It's either Steve Jobs, or Elon Musk,
and those creative minds innovate by their creativity, because they
are pushing the boundaries of their own creativity. I'll never forget
when Elon Musk came to see one of our shows in Los Angeles. He wanted
to know everything about our creative process, about our technology.
And I went through a similar experience when James Cameron came to our
creative studio in Montreal. He spent hours raising questions about
how do we do this, how do we do that. The creativeness of those guys
are how they become not only visionaries, but innovators in their own
field.
Q. What do you hope people take away from the book?
That they will be inspired to be more creative, not only
professionally but also personally. In my opinion, we're beasts of
habit, and we don't reflect enough. We don't take the 30 minutes or
the hour in a day and say, okay, what am I going to do today to change
the world, or to change my world. You need to think about it. I hope
people will be inspired to do that, and say, "What am I going to do to
improve my performance, or to have more fun in life?" Those are the
kind of things I hope people will come up with their own outcome.
Sometimes you say something and someone listens to what you said, but
something will click in their minds that has nothing to do with what
you said. They say, "Okay! Now I have the solution to my problem!" or
"Now I have a good idea that I'm going to pursue." That's the kind of
"click" I hope this book will provoke in the minds of people.
Q. How do you describe Cirque du Soleil to someone who has never seen
a show?
You will probably start by saying, "It's not a circus, it's not
theatrical, it's not music, it's not dance." Then, my take will be as
it's written in the Blue Ocean strategy by two teachers of Harvard
Business School, that says, "Cirque du Soleil has invented a category
of show." And that's what I think. I think we have done a
breakthrough, and this breakthrough remains at the epitome of the
entertainment world, and now the challenge is to be more creative, and
come up with innovative shows that will continue to create emotions on
our patrons, and make them laugh. And, more importantly, to get them
surprised. Because our challenge is to surprise our fan. We have to
surprise them with coming up with new acts, new innovative
performance, new innovative artistic content.
Q. What's next for you?
I will support the new CEO, because I have a privileged relationship
with Disney, and with MGM in Vegas and promotors around the world, so
I will continue to travel the world and support him in growing the
company. I also hope to have more time to talk to students in
universities, and entrepreneurs, to spark their creativity.
You can find Daniel Lamarre's book, Balancing Acts, on HarperCollins
Balancing Acts page and at local booksellers near you.
* * *
"THE BUSINESS OF CIRQUE"
By: THE CHICAGO READER | Apr.06.2022
Balancing Acts: Unleashing the Power of Creativity in Your Life and
Work (HarperCollins Leadership, January 2022, $28.99) by Daniel
Lamarre is a book for those who need creative inspiration. Part
business memoir and part self-help/motivational, the appeal of this
book will land squarely on the aspiring businessman who needs an icon.
It not only celebrates the business braggadocio commonly attributed to
male CEOs but also focuses its energy on the business deals of Cirque
du Soleil (starting in 2001 when Lamarre arrived) with relatively few
musings on the company's artistic impact in the performing artsand
even less recognition of the creative contributions of its artists,
let alone artists outside of the Cirque aesthetic. Apart from a token
mention of a female creative (and one POC artist), the mention of
almost any woman in the book is often tied to their status as wives
(Beatles' wives included).
Daniel Lamarre was the perfect hype man for the job. In his two
decades as CEO, his tone remained optimistic, even during the darkest
moments of the pandemic when he paints a picture of himself stalking
the lonely halls of headquarters, manifesting a corporate comeback,
and tirelessly facilitating the bankruptcy/reinvestment deal to
reinstall the shows (and pay the freelance workers demanding their
backpay). Though styled as a book to give business folks a boost of
the creative, people in the business of circus will find it a
fascinating peek behind the curtain of the most iconic circus company.
In parallel with Cirque's rebound, the local circus sector is in
recovery mode, with Chicago circus schools like Actors Gymnasium,
Chicago Center for Dynamic Circus, MSA & Circus Arts, and CircEsteem
back in full operation with a variety of classes to suit all ability
levels. The circus shows are keeping pace with the re-emerging Chicago
theater scene, with companies like Yes Ma'am Circus, Company To X For,
and La Vuelta emerging left and right. The Chicago International
Puppet Festival ran in January (at the height of Omicron), and Teatro
Zinzanni mounted its second cast not long after. A new wall trampoline
show, Unspoken, debuted at Aloft in mid-March, and Cirque Us is slated
to appear at Aloft with their show RagTag April 1-2, while Physical
Theater Festival Chicago returns to full live production mode in July.
Perhaps the most significant sign of Chicago's circus recovery is the
inaugural edition of the Chicago Circus & Performing Arts Festival
(produced by Yes Ma'am), which will bring local performing artists
from circus, burlesque, and physical theater to the Den from April 21-
24 for ten different shows.
In attempting to convey the corporate culture and triumphs of Cirque
du Soleil, Lamarre does little to address the plight of smaller
companies and festivals like these during the pandemic and recovery,
let alone the struggle of circus artists, many of whom were forced to
leave the industry due to lack of support. He skips the opportunity to
reflect on the future of the sector and wonder: "If variations of the
pandemic persist, how will the performing arts world continue to adapt
and rebound in order to keep creativity (fueled by its artists) alive?
" Creativity is Lamarre's key word in the book, yet his focus is on
the big picturethe business deals and bailouts that keep a
corporation robust.
Although Lamarre struggles to reconcile being seen as a business
square in a suit (by his artsy circus colleagues) with his own sober
image of himself, he admits that the cold realities of running a
business often clash with the romantic dream of an artistic company.
Like when casting executives make the decision on who to hire based
not on their artistry but on whether they might have the stamina for a
six-day work week of ten shows. Trained athletes fare better than
artists, Lamarre reasons. Wouldn't it be best to hire the athlete and
teach them the art than to hire the artist and train them to be
physically resilient? Still, he shows some heart (and internal
contradictions), professing that while working for Cirque he
considered that his mission in life was to create jobs for artists.
Lamarre's bottom line is to be bold, to innovate, to take risksall
qualities well embraced by the circus world and the business world.
Using worn-out aphorisms and sports analogies, each chapter invites
you to get there by taking creative risks (Run away with the circus!).
What emerges is a mantra for management that Lamarre credits as the
recipe for Cirque's success, something like, "Encourage creativitybut
monitor creativity." Yet if his answer is "creativity"and his
definition of the word is "doing business stuff that works," then what
is the actual question?
Maybe this: What does the struggle of a Montreal-based circus company
(as told by the CEO) to survive a global pandemic have to do with the
Chicago arts scene? Perhaps as a case study for local arts companies
(circuses and theaters) to model adaptation and agility? Or maybe for
arts consumers to understand how the cost of big business affects the
quantity and quality of art, trickling down not to the audience but to
the artists (caveat emptor).
Cirque closed up shop with every venue and producer around the world,
laying off nearly 5,000 employees in 2020. Yet, Montreal's circus
community, the government, and advocacy agencies (like En Piste) soon
partnered with venues like TOHU (an arts venue right next door to
Cirque). Together they supported artists with finances, COVID-safe
residency spaces, and online workshopsusing government funding. This
model repeated itself in some European countries, while many theaters
accepted grants and private funding to improve their structure during
downtime instead (new seating, better lights, deeper stages, sleeker
lobbies). Often, grant money is earmarked for certain segments of the
business, like structural improvementsgiving the overall business of
performance a means to improve while the actual performers themselves
struggle.
Right here in Chicago, unemployed performers had few support streams,
yet Steppenwolf Theatre installed $54 million worth of improvements
during pandemic closures. Executive director Brooke Flanagan spoke in
an interview about how difficult it was for the arts industry, and in
the same breath explained, "But we're thrilled that during that time
construction was declared an essential service by the governor and we
were able to literally see this building rise." For Steppenwolf, the
improvements granted more access to people who are disabled and will
provide more opportunities to offer arts education (workshop and
classroom spaces). So it did help the local performing community
expand impact, even if actors had to search for paychecks elsewhere.
Perhaps the real question to the answer of creativity should be, "Why
do the artists seemingly come last when the future of creativity
depends on them?"
In the book, Lamarre seems to agonize over the employees stuck at
home, and says Cirque would never risk their health by remounting
shows at too fast a pace after such a large work gap. But he wants it
both ways, praising the artists who stayed trained up by setting up
rigging in their garages, and crediting them for how Cirque was able
to so quickly remount their shows.
Balancing Acts is an entertaining case study. Lamarre's enthusiasm is
contagiouswho doesn't want to ride along on the deals that netted
Cirque millions for decades in Vegas? He is a good storyteller. Who
doesn't want to read quirky stories, like when Cirque cofounder Guy
Laliberté hired a clown to follow Lamarre around to disrupt his work?
He has deep knowledge of the financials. Who doesn't want to know the
sordid details of dealing with creditorstaking a company $900 million
in debt, then convincing investors to toss in $375 million so that the
company could be valued at $1.275 billion? Presto, the creative
financing of bankruptcy turns that negative back into a positive! Ever
an optimist, Lamarre still addresses the changes made to reduce costs,
to become more efficient and resilient when returning from the
pandemic for the next round, rebooting shows. He confidently explains
how Cirque had one billion dollars in annual revenue at its heightso
perhaps a rebound could quickly resolve things.
Balancing Acts was his final bow, before exiting stage left for the
next scene of his life. Call this book his soliloquy then, to reflect
on the lessons he learned at Cirque while trying to bridge the gap as
he says between art (the idea) and business (the execution of the
idea). He speaks about risks and drama, about their unofficial motto
that "The show is the star." (Not the artists. Which explains why none
of the performers in the book have their names under their photos,
while Lamarre, movie stars, photographers, and costume designers are
all clearly attributed.)
Yes, Cirque has a weird corporate culture, and like most big entities,
some of their ideas contradict each other. Still, everyone knows that
without Cirque, live entertainment would not have risen to the height
it is at today in the popular imagination. This is why we go to their
shows. They reinvented something grand and elemental about human
expression, and like any big business, they will ride it out, focusing
on growth and innovation. It is embedded in our Western psyches to
both admire and revile corporations that succeed at such pursuits. In
that sense, it is a book for the massesfor the businessman, and his
wife.
------------------------------------------------------------
"The Last Two Years, Part 2: 'A Battle Royale Begins!'"
By: Ricky Russo - Atlanta, Georgia (USA)
------------------------------------------------------------
On Friday, May 1st, a lawyer representing Cirque du Soleil sent a
formal notice to Québecor, a Canadian diversified media and
telecommunications company, asking it to withdraw or correct
information it published on one of its media platforms at the end of
April. This document criticized the Journal de Montréal in particular
for having published an article indicating that Cirque was controlled
from a tax haven "CDS Luxembourg Holdings" which Cirque denied.
Furthermore, the lawyer was adamant that this text was part of a
campaign by Québecor aimed at harming the company and its shareholders
in the hope of obtaining an "unfair advantage" in the company's
current proceedings, considering Québecor had twice demonstrated in
the previous weeks, its interest in acquiring Cirque du Soleil.
According to the formal notice, the "declared objective" was to
"hinder [Cirque's] efforts in its efforts to obtain financial
assistance or financing on market terms from the governments of Canada
and Quebec in the context of the current crisis." Cirque said it had
"serious reasons" to believe that Québecor, "through its media
platforms, [was] currently seeking to undermine the process of
maximizing Cirque's value for the benefit of its stakeholders,
including its creditors, lenders and employees, and to exclude
interested parties from participating in "the long-term solution"
[described by Québecor], all in order to gain an unfair advantage from
it." By 'unfair advantage', Cirque meant Québecor sought to thwart the
company's recovery plans to acquire it at a better price. "There is
reason to question Québecor's intentions, as its subsidiaries
published no less than five articles on Cirque du Soleil in less than
a week, which clearly [aimed] to disparage Cirque du Soleil and its
sponsors."
THE GLOVES COME OFF
-------------------
On May 4th, Québecor took off its gloves, and responded:
The management of [the Cirque] has regrettably decided to make public
the proposals it has received from Québecor, which had been sent in
confidence to the various stakeholders, including numerous ranks of
creditors and shareholders. This move comes at a time when the Cirque
faces considerable uncertainty. Indeed, the company itself has raised
the possibility of initiating proceedings to place itself under the
protection of the Companies' Creditors Arrangement Act (C-36).
Under the circumstances, Québecor has no choice but to publicly
clarify its desire and determination to help save the Cirque, a
creative powerhouse which is an economic engine for Montréal and all
of Québec, and an ambassador for Québec talent on the international
stage.
Like all Quebecers, we were surprised to learn of the extent of the
Cirque's difficulties. Though it was known before the current health
crisis that the Cirque had problems, there was no reason to suspect
they were so serious that the Cirque would be unable to pay its
employees and artists, who are the sinews of the company and are now
being left stranded. The fact that a business of this size did not
have enough cash on hand to cover the essentials is cause for concern,
especially in view of the opinion issued by Moody's, which downgraded
the Cirque recently: The company's financial policy that favors
shareholders has increased credit risk, which together with the recent
deterioration in performance has resulted in a weaker financial
profile.
It was against this backdrop that Québecor decided it wanted to help
save the Cirque and would, as a first step, consider extending short-
term financing of several tens of millions of dollars to cover payroll
for thousands of employees and meet various obligations, such as the
outstanding bills of suppliers who have not been paid for months.
In phase two, Québecor would be prepared to inject several hundred
million dollars to enable the Cirque to resume its activities and
ensure its sustainability. To do so, however, we need access to a
detailed analysis of Cirque's financial position, which we have been
unable to obtain to date because our attempts have been rebuffed by
Cirque management.
We fail to understand the lack of urgency on the part of Cirque
management. With every passing day, the company's future is being
dangerously compromised and its creative forces, which involve
thousands of jobs, are suffering significant harm. The time to act is
now, before legal proceedings are initiated under the Companies'
Creditors Arrangement Act (C-36). Such proceedings would result in a
loss of control and could lead to an outcome that political
authorities will regret. If the Cirque goes to the highest bidder, and
no other considerations are taken into account, the presence of its
head office in Montréal and the associated economic activity could
disappear in the medium term, following many other Québec companies
that have suffered the same fate.
Québecor wants to secure the future of the Cirque's activities in
Montréal and in Québec, and we have all the assets and expertise
required to do so. Québecor is well capitalized and has the
substantial financial resources required for the revival of the
Cirque. Québecor management will deploy all necessary means to close
this sad episode, which is affecting the thousands of artists and
cultural workers who are responsible for the Cirque's success, and
ultimately to restore the self-assurance, dynamism and enthusiasm that
are part of the Cirque's DNA.
The time to act is now, before it is too late.
In the meantime, the Cirque received its emergency injection of US $50
million from its three main shareholders in an attempt to keep it
afloat. Chairman Mitch Garber said each put in cash equal to their
ownership percentages. That would mean TPG ponied up $27.5 million
(55%), Fosun $12.5 million (25%) and the Caisse $10 million (20%).
"The next phase is likely that the Cirque is going to be seeking
additional capital," Garber said. "It could come in an offer to
purchase the Cirque. It could come in the form of an offer to finance
the Cirque, and I can confirm to you that the existing shareholders
will be among those that want to continue to fund and own the Cirque
du Soleil. I would say that everything is on the table (in terms of
options), given the uncertainty and the length of time of the
uncertainty."
Garber also said the Cirque wouldn't allow Québecor executives to see
the numbers because Québecor refused to sign a non-disclosure
agreement. Garber had been very public in his criticism of Québecor
CEO Pierre Karl Péladeau in the past, but sounded a conciliatory note
here. "I think my personal feelings about Pierre Karl Péladeau are
well known, and I shouldn't let them enter into a process where I owe
a fiduciary duty of governance to a board of directors that has
shareholders and creditors," Garber said. "So, to the extent that
Québecor will be a fair player in any process that might come in the
not-too-distant future, then I'm going to do my job and govern over
that process and look at whatever anyone is going to offer, including
Québecor. Of course, I won't appreciate the process being fought in
the newspapers, but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it."
But Québecor was not alone among potential Cirque suitors. Lamarre
said there were other companies interested in buying Cirque that have
signed confidentiality agreements. "There are other parties that are
interested, big companies as well," he said. "So, right now we're
going to go through the process to see all the options that we have
ahead of us.
But unfortunately, the reason you're only hearing about
Québecor is because they haven't signed yet the confidentiality
agreement." Lamarre added, "They didn't sign it because I think they
wanted to get some publicity before they do and that is their
strategy, but all the others bidders that are interested that signed
the NDA so therefore I cannot unveil their identity."
But then...
GUY LALIBERTÉ JUMPS IN
----------------------
In an opinion piece published in the Montreal Gazette on May 12th
titled "Ensuring a bright future for Cirque du Soleil", Guy Laliberté
himself weighed in on the battle
The paralysis of Cirque du Soleil's activities due to the pandemic has
been making waves, and for me, has triggered a flood of emotions. Even
though I'm no longer the company's owner, I will always be its
founder; I have devoted half of my life to Cirque, and its success
will always be close to my heart. As we head into a period that could
be crucial for Cirque's future, I have decided to share my thoughts,
driven by the desire to protect the Cirque family and to give back
after having received so much, in the hope that these reflections will
help ensure the best possible future for the company and its
stakeholders. The audience's love for Cirque is the company's raison-
d'être, and few true ambassadors of Quebec culture can pride
themselves on shining as Cirque has done throughout the world.
Two months after operations ground to a halt, as Cirque faces the
biggest challenge of its existence, we're about to see a wrestling
match involving a number of players. From my point of view, we're in
for a battle royal:
o) At the front of the ring are the current shareholders (TPG, Fosun
and the Caisse de dépôt), led by my friend Mitch Garber, for whom I
have tremendous respect. My heart goes out to them.
o) In the left corner, the debt holders, who took the risk of
financing Cirque.
o) In the right corner, the different levels of government, sitting in
an interesting strategic position, watching the events unfold,
analyzing the situation, and wishing to keep the headquarters and
jobs in Quebec. They want what is best for Cirque
and rightly so!
o) A little further away, some of the major players in the
entertainment industry, both from here and abroad, are weighing the
opportunities. In Cirque, they see the possibility of expanding
their content portfolio and/or securing priority access to Cirque
performances once they can reopen their halls and theatres. But for
the most part, they're more or less in the same predicament as
Cirque. Will they make our Quebec icon their priority and give all
the love and energy needed to bring it back to life?
o) Standing right beside them are the sharks, who have no knowledge of
the entertainment industry and dream of buying Cirque for a song.
o) And at the very back of the ring are the others
Those who have no
skills or experience in managing cultural organizations of this
scale. Those are the ones who pose the greatest threat to Cirque's
future.
What is at stake in this fight? What do we want for Cirque? What does
the company's future look like? Does the pandemic provide an
opportunity for Cirque to rise from its ashes, like the phoenix?
Cirque is a living organism with a heart, a soul and a spirit that
lives, grows and recharges through its artists, its audience and its
employees. It's a tightly woven community built little by little,
through hard work, commitment and honest relationships. Cirque's
social involvement is an integral part of the pride that artists and
employees take in their work, and it's reflected in the way the public
rallies behind its creations. That's why the discussion should not
only take place on the financial level, but on the human level as
well. And the nature of the beast should not be underestimated. Cirque
has its own personality and ways of reacting. It feeds off the love
and support of the audience as well as the creative strength and pride
of its artists and employees. Of course, long-term financial viability
is necessary for its survival, as well as a good mix of experience and
know-how from the veterans, combined with the creative and managerial
forces of the future.
It's clear to me that Cirque's future will depend on patient investors
who will step into the ring and be in for the long haul. Creators will
have to be given leeway to reinvent themselves so they can put out
shows that touch people and capture the imagination. Investors who
want to jump into the ring driven only by the urge to set the wheels
in motion again too quickly will have to be avoided at all costs.
Patience will lead to victory that's my prediction.
You can't win the Stanley Cup 36 years in a row, but with patience,
heart and hard work, you can dream of holding it in your hands once
again.
A few days before the registration deadline for the battle royal, I am
deciding whether or not I'm going to jump into that wrestling ring.
* * *
A few short weeks later, on the popular Radio-Canada talk show "Tout
le monde en parle," Laliberté announced he was going to jump in that
ring. Laliberté stressed he was mounting a bid for Cirque because of
his love of what the Cirque does and that money was not the main
driving force behind his decision. "It's finding a perfect balance
with a good healthy Cirque financially but also where the love of the
public is coming back and mostly where the fire is within the
workforce," Laliberté said. "It doesn't have to be US$1.5 billion of
value to be viable. There will be a very difficult short term and
focus on quality is what my focus is versus money. I will jump in if
the price is right, but I don't want to be in an organization where
money drives the future of Cirque. That would be very dangerous for
the future of Cirque. ... I think there's a bright future for Cirque."
Guy said he already had several major financial partners lined up to
work with him on the bid, but did say it was not mounting the bid with
TPG Capital. He also said it was too soon to say whether he would step
back in as CEO of the company, or whether he would retain current
management, including current CEO Daniel Lamarre. (There had been
rumblings of displeasure with the current slate of executives from a
number of sources.) "I won't tell you my recipe because everyone is
keeping their plans to themselves," Laliberté said. "So I won't
disclose my secret sauce. But I can tell you the love factor, the
passion factor, the fire factor is what's always driven Cirque and I
wanted to bring it back to where it once was. There's no right or
wrong with what's been done with Cirque. Under my management we had
highs and lows, but the Cirque is a living organism. It's very
emotional and you need to understand it. Cirque feeds from its inner
fire and you cannot buy that. Money can't buy the fire."
But he admitted it would be tough to relaunch the Cirque. "Don't get
me wrong, it'll be hell for the first two years and that's why I took
time to reflect on this," Laliberté said. "Nothing is guaranteed, but
I think we're the best team to make it happen. For sure it's a jungle
out there. It's complex. But if I'm jumping in, it's a commitment of
10 to 15 years."
And what would be even wilder than Guy Laliberté back at the helm?
Why, Franco Dragone back as head of creation. "Guy called me two weeks
ago, when he decided to jump into the field, to bring Cirque back to
what it really is, to see if I was willing to jump with him," Dragone
said. "I said yes. I have been approached by other people over the
past month about Cirque, but I think Guy is the one I trust who will
bring Cirque back ... I could never say no to Guy, because there is
such a beautiful history between us."
Alas...
CIRQUE FILES FOR BANKRUPTCY
---------------------------
Cirque du Soleil Entertainment Group ("Cirque du Soleil," "Cirque," or
the "Company") announced [on June 29th] that it and certain of its
affiliated companies have filed for protection from creditors under
the Companies' Creditors Arrangement Act ("CCAA") in order to
restructure its capital structure. Its application under the CCAA will
be heard tomorrow by the Superior Court of Québec (Commercial
Division) (the "Court"). If the Court grants the initial order sought,
the Company will seek its immediate provisional recognition in the
United States under Chapter 15 of the US Bankruptcy Code in the United
States Bankruptcy Court.
In connection with the filing, Cirque du Soleil announced that it has
entered into a "stalking horse" purchase agreement ("Purchase
Agreement") with its existing shareholders TPG, Fosun, and Caisse de
dépôt et placement du Québec (the "Sponsors") as well as
Investissement Québec as a debt provider, pursuant to which the
Sponsors would acquire substantially all of the Company's assets, for
a combination of cash, debt, and equity, and would establish two funds
totaling US$20 million to provide additional relief to impacted
employees and independent contractors. Subject to the Court's
approval, the Purchase Agreement will serve as the "stalking horse"
bid in a sale and investment solicitation process ("SISP") supervised
by the Court and the monitor, who will be appointed by the Court. The
Purchase Agreement sets the floor, or minimum acceptable bid, for an
auction of the Company under the Court's supervision pursuant to the
SISP, which is designed to achieve the highest value available or
otherwise best offer for the Company and its stakeholders.
Under the terms of the proposed Purchase Agreement, the Sponsors will
inject US$300 million of liquidity into the restructured business to
support a successful restart, provide relief for Cirque du Soleil's
affected employees and partners, and assume certain of the Company's
outstanding liabilities, including with respect to ticketholders
affected by the cancellation of the shows. As part of this US$300
million, Investissement Québec will provide US$200 million in debt
financing to support the proposed acquisition. The Purchase Agreement
provides Cirque du Soleil's existing secured creditors with US$50
million of unsecured, takeback debt in addition to a 45 percent equity
stake in the restructured Company, and repayment of an interim loan
made by certain first lien lenders in an amount of US$50 million. The
proposed Purchase Agreement further provides, as part of the US$300
million of liquidity, for the creation of a dedicated US$15 million
employee fund to provide financial assistance to terminated employees,
and a dedicated US$5 million contractor fund to pay outstanding
Company obligations to artisans and freelance artists. It also
includes key undertakings for the Québec community in which Cirque du
Soleil has deep roots, such as maintaining Montréal, Quebec, as the
businesses' headquarters, with a view to keeping the core of this
important cultural asset in Quebec.
Cirque's Transaction Committee, which was put in place by the Board to
carry out a fair and an independent process with the assistance of the
Company's advisors, is encouraged by the high level of interest that
Cirque du Soleil has generated from potential investors during this
phase of the SISP. After evaluating the proposals received in the
SISP's first phase, the Transaction Committee recommended, and the
Board of Directors approved (with the representatives of the existing
shareholders and Sponsors abstaining from voting), the Purchase
Agreement as being in the best interest of all stakeholders, including
its employees and creators.
Among other things, the Purchase Agreement contemplates a lower level
of post-restructuring debt relative to other bids, has no break fee
associated with it and was the only bid to provide dedicated employee
and contractor funds together with meaningful assumption of
liabilities and significant commitments to Quebec operations. The
Sponsors' bid was notably the sole fully documented and binding bid
received, allowing the Company to meaningfully advance toward an
eventual restart by launching the in-court process immediately. The
Transaction Committee and the Board of Directors also believe that a
transaction with the Sponsors will serve to ensure the Company's
sustainability, as the Board of Directors seeks to deal seriously and
thoughtfully with the high level of uncertainty facing the Company
before it can re-launch its business operations at scale.
"For the past 36 years, Cirque du Soleil has been a highly successful
and profitable organization. However, with zero revenues since the
forced closure of all of our shows due to COVID-19, management had to
act decisively to protect the Company's future," said Daniel Lamarre,
President and CEO of Cirque du Soleil Entertainment Group. "The
Purchase Agreement and SISP provide a path for Cirque to emerge from
CCAA protection as a stronger Company. The robust commitment from the
Sponsors which includes additional funds to support our impacted
employees, contractors and critical partners, all of whom are
important to Cirque's return reflects our mutual belief in the power
and long-term potential of our brand. I look forward to rebuilding our
operations and coming together to once again create the magical
spectacle that is Cirque du Soleil for our millions of fans
worldwide."
As a necessary part of its restructuring and eventual plans to restart
operations, Cirque du Soleil announced critical steps related to
employees, including the termination of employment of approximately
3,480 employees previously furloughed in March following the halt in
revenue caused by the government-mandated shutdowns in response to the
COVID-19 pandemic. This termination allows employees to maximize and
accelerate the financial compensation that they can obtain by
immediately receiving payment on account of all accrued vacation time
and gaining access to the Canadian federal Wage Earners Protection
Program and other unemployment assistance programs. The Sponsors' bid
and related restart plan includes a number of considerations for
employees, including the creation of $15 million in assistance funds
for those whose employment has been terminated and the intent to
rehire a substantial majority of terminated employees, business
conditions allowing, once and as mandatory shutdowns are lifted and
operations can resume. Given resident shows in Las Vegas and Orlando
are expected to resume before the rest of the Company's shows, the
artists and show staff of the Resident Shows Division are not affected
by this measure to allow for a swift and efficient return as soon as
the ban on gatherings is lifted and show operations can resume.
As part of its solicitation of proposals in its sale process, the
Company asked that the potential bidders to specify their intentions
with regard to Cirque's terminated employees, including financial
compensation for these employees, the maintaining of the operations in
Quebec, and a clear path to rebuilding operations, all of which have
been and will continue to be material considerations of the Company
taken into account as part of the SISP.
The fight, however, was far from over.
BATAILLE À MORT
---------------
Cirque's creditors were upset, to put it mildly, at the company's
restructuring plan as announced. The lenders who held most of Cirque's
nearly $1 billion million debt were not accepting a bid by the company
to seek bankruptcy protection. Under Cirque's restructuring proposal,
TPG Capital, China-based Fosun Capital Group and the Caisse de dépôt
et placement du Québec offered to purchase and restart the company for
$400 million. They would thus have a 55-percent stake in the company.
In this plan, lenders would be paid pennies on the dollar for what
they were owed. Furthermore, these very same lenders had, on June 8th,
days before Cirque's restructuring announcement, proposed to inject
$300 million into the Cirque du Soleil under a bankruptcy
restructuring plan that would also convert the company's debt into a
100% ownership stake. They would also rehire nearly 95% of the
company's payroll and maintain the company's headquarters in Montreal.
The TPG proposal left those furloughed twisting in the wind.
The creditors included Canada-based Catalyst Capital, as well as US
investment firms Shenkman Capital, Providence Equity's Benefit Street
Partners and CBAM. (The latter is controlled by Eldridge Industries,
which owns more than 20 percent of the Los Angeles Dodgers, as well as
Dick Clark Productions, The Hollywood Reporter, and film distributor
A24.) The group thought that current Cirque management was taking the
offer seriously. But instead, Lamarre and the Cirque board of
directors blindsided the creditors group, filing for bankruptcy
protection in Quebec Superior Court and proposed a plan that would
protect the stake of the three current owners. Lamarre's deal included
permanently firing 3,480 employees and using US$200 million from the
Quebec government from a loan already promised by Economy Minister
Pierre Fitzgibbon.
"Ours is a constructive proposal focused on preserving all employees,
providing more money than was presented ... and (we will be) achieving
this while preserving the company in Quebec without having to use any
taxpayers' money," said Gabriel de Alba, managing director at the
Toronto-based private equity firm Catalyst Capital Group.
In its bankruptcy filing and in his public comments in weeks prior,
Lamarre had blamed all of the Cirque's financial woes on the COVID-19
pandemic, but court documents underline that there had been big
financial issues for years. Net losses at the company increased from
US$10 million to US$80 million between 2017 and 2019. Sources close to
the creditors group said the losses began piling up shortly after Guy
Laliberté sold the circus to TPG in 2015. The debt increased from
around US$300 million to US$1.2 billion over those five years. "The
leverage on the organization was immense, but the profitability went
nowhere," a source said. "They were already in trouble (before COVID).
They were already starting to stretch out their accounts payable as
early as last August. They were deciding not to pay people."
At the time of the restructuring announcement on June 29th, there were
reportedly six bids to acquire the Cirque. Who would win out?
TO BE CONCLUDED...
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COPYRIGHT AND DISCLAIMER
=======================================================================
Fascination! Newsletter
Volume 22, Number 2 (Issue #213) April 2022
"Fascination! Newsletter" is a concept by Ricky Russo. Copyright (C)
2001-2022 Ricky Russo, published by Vortex/RGR Productions, a
subsidiary of Communicore Enterprises. No portion of this newsletter
can be reproduced, published in any form or forum, quoted or
translated without the consent of the "Fascination! Newsletter." By
sending us correspondence, you give us permission (unless otherwise
noted) to use the submission as we see fit, without remuneration. All
submissions become the property of the "Fascination! Newsletter."
"Fascination! Newsletter" is not affiliated in any way with Cirque du
Soleil. Cirque du Soleil and all its creations are Copyright (C) and
are registered trademarks (TM) of Cirque du Soleil, Inc., All Rights
Reserved. No copyright infringement intended.
{ Apr.11.2022 }
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