PREVIEW: The Egg Celebrates World Circus Day
04/18 @ The Egg, Albany
“When audiences attend events like these, they are directly supporting ambitious local creative projects and helping to ensure that such projects can continue to be researched, created, and produced right here in the greater Capital Region.”
The Egg has announced that a magnificent celebration of World Circus day will take place at the Albany stalwart this Saturday, April 18. It will feature a celebration of contemporary circus featuring two distinguished troupes whose distinct styles bridge both the storied tradition of circus performance with modern innovation: Bindlestiff Family Cirkus and the New York Circus Project.
Organizers The Big Top Group promised that the event will offer a family-friendly and engaging introduction to the contemporary circus. Doors for the event will open at 3:00 p.m. with the experience getting under way at 4:00.
“We’re so excited to have circus arts flying through our rafters,” said Diane Eber, Executive and Artistic Director of The Egg.
World Circus Day has been celebrated annually around the world since 2010 when it was established by Princess Stephanie of Monaco, the then-acting president of the International Circus Festival of Monte Carlo. The day was established with the intention of publicizing the role of the circus as a part of our shared cultural heritage across the globe. The Big Top Group emphasized that “World Circus Day is an opportunity not only to experience exceptional performance, but to support the creation of new work developed here in our region.”
When audiences attend events like these, they said, they are directly supporting ambitious local creative projects and helping to ensure that such projects can continue to be researched, created, and produced right here in the greater Capital Region. The Big Top Group themselves are a large part of that, serving as a Capital Region-based nonprofit organization dedicated to expanding access to contemporary circus and physical theatre through performance, education, and artist residency programs. Through programs like the World Circus Day Celebration as well as initiatives such as Circus Lab and Circus in the Park, they are among the organizations who support local artists in developing their work as well as provide opportunities for the public to engage with that work.
The agenda for the day includes Bindlestiff Family Cirkus bringing its celebrated approach to American circus tradition, combining virtuoso-level skill, theatrical humor, and direct audience interaction. The program’s centerpiece is the premiere presentation of Rapunzel by New York Circus Project, a visually compelling performance blending circus technique, physical theatre, and narrative storytelling. Rapunzel was developed during a recent Capital Region residency, demonstrating a unique connection to the region and cementing the area as a growing site for artistic research and experimentation. It’s the first installment of a series of adaptations inspired by Grimm Fairy Tales, and was commissioned and developed through the aforementioned Circus Lab and produced in partnership with Mt. Ida Preservation Association and Arts, Letters, and Numbers. It stars Ilse Baryshnikov as Rapunzel, Matthew Morgan as The Prince, and Rowan Allinson as The Witch.
The Big Top Group added that World Circus Day at The Egg reflects an ongoing commitment to expanding access to contemporary circus as an art form that connects physical practice, collaboration, and creative inquiry. It’s sure to be a tremendous day of artistic expression planned with two esteemed performance companies demonstrating the breadth of contemporary circus practice, from the preservation of performance lineages to the development of new interdisciplinary forms. Truly a perfect way for the entire family to experience the joy and excitement of unique creative expression and experimentation.
Tickets are available for purchase now at: https://www.tixr.com/groups/theegg/events/world-circus-day-179874.
