Scenography - The Theatre Design Website

Cirque du Soleil are a unique force in the entertainment world. The company started life in 1984 as a small street performance company called Les Échassiers de Baie-Saint-Paul (The Baie-Saint-Paul Stiltwalkers) when Quebec City was preparing a celebration of the discovery of Canada by Jaques Cartier Guy. Laliberté presented a proposal to the show’s organisers and Cirque du Soleil was born… twenty years later and the Circus is an internationally renowned and award winning performance company.

Unrivaled Production Facilities

Today the Cirque du Soleil employs over 3000 people worldwide and has been enjoyed by over 50 million spectators. The company boasts production facilities that are unrivaled in North America, and its costume department alone covers an area half the size of a soccer field, employing over 300 full time employees using over 20 kilometres of fabric a year.

Love - The Beatles

The latest Cirque du Soleil production, “Love”, is a collaboration with The Beatles company, Apple Corps Ltd.. According to a Cirque du Soleil press release, the production is born out of a mutual admiration between the late George Harrison and Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Laliberté.

Musical score is of course provided by The Beatles music and as any fan might expect it has been edited by the Beatles original producer Sir George Martin along with his son Giles Martin.

“Love” is designed by Oscar nominated designer Jean Rabasse. “This show is an evocation of the Beatles,” says Jean Rabasse. “I set myself the goal of giving the audience the opportunity to connect with it at a childlike emotional level through simple stage techniques and transcendent music.”

Rabasse has worked in both film and live entertainment design and is keen to creatively mix both formats: “I bring theatrical, mechanical effects to cinema and cinematic techniques to the stage. I like to mix things up.”

“Love” Previews on the 2nd of June in Las Vegas, USA.

Cirque du Soleil perform across the world, and are famed for their exciting and visually rich productions. News of performances and tour dates may be found on their website which also offers wallpaper downloads and special offers to “Cirque Club” members (Free membership).