When you think about Christmas, the circus probably doesn’t come to mind.
Circus Louisiana may just change that with its “Legends of Christmas” show this weekend at the Manship Theatre, 100 Lafayette St.
Showtimes are 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Saturday. Tickets are $30 at manshiptheatre.org.
We caught up with Circus Louisiana Director David Gabel to find out more about the show.
What is Circus Louisiana all about and how long has it been around?
Circus Louisiana was formed in the summer of 2018. Its goal is to promote circus arts in Louisiana and to help give Louisiana circus artists opportunities to perform. We want to make everything more fun!
For someone who’s never seen a Circus Louisiana show, what can they expect?
A full theatrical Circus Louisiana show tells a story while displaying multiple circus disciplines. “Legends of Christmas” will be displaying aerial silks, aerial sling, juggling, unicycling, duo trapeze, aerial dance, acro staff, breakdancing, lyra, dance trapeze, ignis poi (these are amazing), circus prism and partner acrobatics. It is a full show.
What inspired you to do a Christmas show?
There are so many great stories from the past and in pop culture that we wanted to explore. Krampus makes for a great villain. The Winter Wizard of Ice and Snow, The White Witch and her minions, all of the various types of winter faeries. Not all faeries are friendly, but we wanted a good story that ended happily — something that was very family friendly.
You’ve performed at the Manship before. How does the venue work for or accommodate your act?
The Manship Theatre is a wonderful venue for our fledgling troupe. Thankfully, we are able to get a Charles Lamar Grant from the Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge to do this show. That really helps with the fundraising to get things going. The staff at the Manship are excellent and really work to make our show execute beautifully.
Is this a family-friendly show?
Absolutely! Our youngest performer is 9 and our oldest is 47. There are so many cool elements and movements that kids will be entertained and amazed.
