Cirque Ingenieux – (Ingenious Circus) is a show inspired by the French "cirque" tradition – animal-free, circus-style shows which feature lavish sets and costumes along with amazing physical feats.

Entering the fantasy world of Cirque Ingenieux means witnessing amazing acts of strength, daring and contortion that will mesmerize and amaze you. Journey with Sarah, the young girl in the story, as she travels into the fantasy world of Cirque Ingenieux!

The Story

The theatre lights dim and the sounds of the circus surround you. The roar of a lion to your left, the sound of an elephant behind you –you’re part of the crowd at the circus. The curtain rises, the circus lights come up, the music starts and you are immediately drawn in to a turn-of-the-century circus.

A young girl named Sarah and her brother Alex are visiting the circus and Sarah becomes consumed with the desire to be like the young aerialist, Tatiana. The circus ends but Sarah returns that night dreaming that one day she too will soar into the sky and perform graceful and exhilarating feats like Tatiana. As she reaches for the trapeze ring she is pulled upward into a dream world; the stage transforms from the circus tent to a universe of wild possibilities.

Sarah escapes the underworld with the help of her Angel and finds herself at "the bottom of the sky" where her brother Alex is flying high into the air on the lengths of beautiful cloth. His flight is graceful and fearless and reminds Sarah of the reason she came to the circus in the first place. A circular trapeze descends and Sarah meets Tatiana face-to-face. Sarah realizes her dream and performs a trapeze act in perfect unison with Tatiana. The entire company enters below to celebrate the joy of flight and of skill.

Behind the scenes with Cirque Ingenieux

The WNED production crew taped two consecutive evening performances of Cirque Ingenieux in early April 1998 for its national debut on PBS in August of 1998. The venue for these performances was the 71-year-old Shea’s Performing Arts Center, a cultural and historic landmark, located in the Theatre District of downtown Buffalo.

Undertaking a production of this magnitude was a new venture for WNED and we seized the opportunity with enthusiasm. Seven cameramen, audio, video and tape engineers, producers, directors, technical supervisors and other support personnel--(30 in all)--worked together to help create a fabulous show. The crew had the opportunity to interact with some cast members of Cirque Ingenieux and a few of us received an impromptu juggling lesson. (We decided to leave the juggling to the professionals!) We truly enjoyed our time with the "circus" and would recommend that you experience the magic of Cirque Ingenieux for yourself.

Cirque Ingenieux is a production of Cup Rock Entertainment in association with WNED.