Commission for co-production City-tour/Stadsparade –performance
Dear Dutch Based Circus Professionals,
Circusstad Festival has only just taken place and we are already looking for proposals for a commissioned co-produced piece for the next festival that will be held from the 3rd till the 7th of May 2023 .
Circusstad Festival supports the Dutch Circus field and emerging circus talent in various ways. Firstly, by programming Dutch companies with their shows and works in progress during Circusstad Festival. And furthermore we co-produce and commission to challenge Dutch circus companies/makers to take an exciting step in their development. Former co-productions (e.g. Trio Satchok, Teatime Company, Tall Tales Company, Knot on Hands) are now touring national and international festivals and stages with these works. We’re looking forward to your propositions.
Commission: New outdoor circus show city-tour
Every Circusstad Festival edition to date has experimented with ‘pop-up’ tours. This is our version of the ‘Classic Circus Parade’ to tell the city that: “the circus is coming to town”. It is our way to show a broad Rotterdam audience the taste and feel of contemporary circus and at the same time promote the festival.
Every year we commission a (short) outdoor circus piece to tour many primary schools and other public spaces in Rotterdam as an introduction to circus and Circusstad Festival in some weeks before the festival. We’ve learned that this approach works very well and that the performances were highly appreciated by it’s (young) audience. It’s a fun introduction to the circus we represent. And for the performers it’s also a great way to develop and test new (street) circus work to a broad and highly responsive audience. This year we’ve reached about 12.000 people with this tour all over Rotterdam.
What we ask:
– Is a special (new) creation of 10/15 minutes (street) show of ‘fresh, fun, quirky, spectacular, personal’ contemporary circus which is a good introduction to Circusstad Festival.
– Suitable for outdoors (no rigging, or a self-supporting easy rig)
– Suitable for a young audience (so only Dutch text or no text)
– Suitable to be performed 20+ times at school squares at primary schools and at other squares in and around Rotterdam.
– Accessible to an audience between 40 and 400 children and adults.
– You live/work in the Netherlands, preferably in or around Rotterdam
– You’ve graduated from Codarts or ACaPA or have professional circus experience.
– You speak (enough) Dutch to address an audience and tell them about our festival
– Availability in March/April/early May 2023
What we offer:
– Budget for about 1 to 3 artists for creation (approx.3 to 4 weeks) and performances + artistic advice (e.g. director) and a small budget for costumes/props/set.
– A contract for about 2 months
– Lots of time to test out new material
– A new way of discovering Rotterdam
– Possibly more performing options before, during and after the festival
– Your creation will also be part of the Dutch Circus Showcase during Circusstad Festival 2023
– You get a great deal of accompaniment/mentoring by the Circusstad team for all the different aspects of creating, producing, promoting, networking and touring a new production.
Does this sound like the perfect challenge for you? Please fill out this google-form for the call: commission City-tour/Stadsparade > https://forms.gle/qRrTcg8Rfcb896Lx7
Apply at the latest Wednesday 22nd of June!
As artistic director of Circusstad Festival, I’m very much looking forward to read your proposals.
If you have any further questions, please don’t hesitate to give me a call at +31-(0)-611187325 or to mail to menno@circusstad.nl
Kind regards,
Menno van Dyke, Artistic Director Circusstad Festival