The Invisible Circus (circus troupe)

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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