The Invisible Circus is a theatre and circus troupe based in Bristol in the United Kingdom. Set up in the 1990s, the group collaborates with Artspace Lifespace to make site-specific performances.

History

The Invisible Circus is a theatre and circus troupe which began performing in 1996 and which is based in the UK since 2002.[1][2] The circus has performed at events such as Glastonbury Festival 2008.[3] It shares a director with Artspace Lifespace, a sister cooperative which seeks out derelict spaces and converts them into temporary cultural spaces venues.[4][5] In 2007, the two groups ran a series of performances events called Revelations at the Pro-Cathedral of the Holy Apostles in Clifton, Bristol, winning the Venue magazine's Top Banana award in January 2008.[6] In early 2008 they took over the Bridewell police station in the centre of Bristol.[7]

The circus performed their cabaret shows Carny-Ville and Combustion Club at the Bridewell.[8][9][10][11] It has also organised events at Ashton Court and a club under the railway station.[12][13]

Doug Francisco, director of the Invisible Circus, formed the Red Rebel Brigade as street theatre in the 1990s and converted the concept into silent, red-robed figures in support of Extinction Rebellion in the late 2010s.[14][15] The performances inspired other groups to repeat the street theatre at protests in Berlin, Canberra, New York and Tel Aviv.[16]

Artspace Lifespace and The Invisible Circus won funding from Bristol City Council’s 2018 to 2022 Cultural Investment Programme.[17] The Invisible Circus received an emergency grant of £65,000 in 2020 from the Culture Recovery Fund.[18]

References

  1. ↑ Ball, Jak (23 August 2019). "Royal William Yard to be transformed into a jaw-dropping circus". PlymouthLive. Archived from the original on 29 September 2020. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
  2. ↑ "Who we are – Invisible Circus". invisiblecircus.co.uk. Archived from the original on 20 April 2020. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
  3. ↑ "Line up – Glastonbury Festival 2008". eFestivals. 24 June 2008. Archived from the original on 1 December 2008. Retrieved 1 August 2009.
  4. ↑ "Bristol artists Artspace Lifespace find home in Bridewell". This Is Bristol. 4 November 2008. Archived from the original on 10 October 2010. Retrieved 1 August 2009.
  5. ↑ Young, Eleanor (10 May 2018). "Council hands over control of Ashton Court Mansion to charity". North Somerset Times. Archived from the original on 28 October 2020. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
  6. ↑ Venue Magazine, Bristol News & Media, Jan 2008, p. 10.
  7. ↑ "Bridewell police station to become arts venue circus". This Is Bristol. 29 April 2009. Retrieved 1 August 2009.
  8. ↑ Lucy Ribchester (2007). "Reviews – Carny-Ville (Almeida)". The British Theatre Guide. Archived from the original on 13 November 2010. Retrieved 1 August 2009.
  9. ↑ "Performance Review – Carny-Ville". Suit Yourself Magazine. 2009. Archived from the original on 7 September 2009. Retrieved 1 August 2009.
  10. ↑ Martin Booth (4 May 2009). "Carny Ville – The Island". Crackerjack Bristol. Archived from the original on 9 October 2010. Retrieved 1 August 2009.
  11. ↑ "Theatre Bristol – What's On – 2009 – 7 – 10 – The Invisible Circus Combustion Club". Archived from the original on 6 October 2011. Retrieved 1 August 2009.
  12. ↑ Murray, Robin (14 May 2019). "Programme of events launched in response to gentrification". Bristol Live. Archived from the original on 28 October 2020. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
  13. ↑ Grimshaw, Emma (16 May 2020). "From caves to secret vaults – inside Bristol's hidden gems". Bristol Live. Archived from the original on 28 October 2020. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
  14. ↑ "The meaning behind Extinction Rebellion's red-robed protesters". Dazed. 26 April 2019. Archived from the original on 28 October 2020. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
  15. ↑ "The artists behind Extinction Rebellion's striking imagery". inews.co.uk. 24 November 2019. Archived from the original on 28 October 2020. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
  16. ↑ Lavender, Andy (17 November 2019). "Theatricalizing Protest: The chorus of the commons" (PDF). Performance Research. 24 (8): 4–11. doi:10.1080/13528165.2019.1718424. S2CID 216343388.
  17. ↑ "Artspace Lifespace and The Invisible Circus – one of only 12 applicants awarded Imagination funding in 2020–22". The Island Bristol. 14 February 2020. Archived from the original on 28 October 2020. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
  18. ↑ Telford, William (12 October 2020). "South West arts sector handed £33.7m Government lifeline". Business Live. Archived from the original on 18 October 2020. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
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