Theater profile "Cirque Du Soleil'

When researching theatres around the world the one that caught my eye was Cirque Du Soleil. I have heard about this company many times before but did not know what they did, who they were, or what type of work they did. Until I took this class I did not know that there were so many different types of theatre. The one thing that caught my eye and made me want to research this theatre was the name. It sounded so interesting and mysterious at the same time. After researching Cirque Du Soleil I was intrigued on how they use the show it certain ways to spread awareness about certain issues in our world.
Cirque Du Soleil is a Canadian entertainment company. Critics describe the play as a dramatic mix of circus arts and street entertainment. In 1984 two former street performers named Guy Laliberté and Daniel Gauthier founded what was once called Les Échassiers in Baie-Saint- Paul. They toured Quebec in the 1980’s as a performing troupe and ended up struggling financially. In 1983 a government grant that was part of the 450th anniversary of the celebration of Jacques Cartier’s discovery of Canada it relieved the financial struggle and Le Grand Tour du Cirque du Soleil became a success in 1984. When they secured a second year of funding Laliberté hired Guy Caron from the National Circus School to re-create it as a proper circus. Due to the absence of performing animals and its character driven approach helped define Cirque Du Soleil as the contemporary circus that it remains today.
Cirque Du Soleil is a combination of circus styles from all around the world but it still has its own central theme and storyline. They tie the audience into the performance through unending live music , with performers that change the props instead of stagehands . In 1980 Nouvelle Experience was created after critical and financial success and failures in the late 1980’s. it was created with the direction of Franco Dragone. It made Cirque profitable by 1990 and allowed I to create new shows. In the 1990’s and 2000’s it grew from one show to about 4,000 employees from over 40 different countries that produced 19 shows in over 271 cities on every continent but Africa and Antarctica. There annual revenue is estimated at $810 million U.S dollars. Laliberté bought out Gauthier in 2000 and owns 95% of the company and still continues to expand the name. In 2008, under a partnership with investment groups Istithmar World and Nakheel of Dubai, which Cirque plans to build a residency show in the United Arab Emirates country by 2012, Laliberté split 20% of his share equally between the two groups to further finance the company's goals. Several more shows are in development around the world, along with a television deal, women's clothing line and the possible venture into other mediums such as spas, restaurants and nightclubs. Cirque's creations have been awarded numerous prizes and distinctions, including a Bambi Award in 1997, a Rose d'Or in 1989, Drama Desk Awards in 1991 and 1998, three Gemini Awards and four Primetime Emmy Awards.
Cirque Du Soleil does have many internship opportunities for young theatre artist. It reaches out to a younger pool of potential employees with the two-year-old internship program, which is open to undergraduates in their junior or senior year and graduate students that are currently enrolled in theatre of entertainment related programs. The internship is a 12 week program in the fall, spring, or summer and requires that the interns spend time with all the technical departments of a given production before choosing an area of specialty. So far the internship has been said to be very succesful and at the end of the internship several luck individuals will earn full-time employment with the company. This is a great opportunity that should be taken by anyone with hopes of working in this industry.