American Circus Educators Magazine Spring 2017 (Issue 1, Vol 9) | Page 28

by Fred Deb in 2015, and Adèll Nodé-Langois in 2016. your target audience is quite important.
In addition to utilizing a mentor, Circus Sessions
encourages participants and members of the
contemporary circus community to challenge their
understanding of what circus is and
what it can be. Last year, one of these key components
of Circus Sessions was dramaturgy. As a member of
the clowning community, Adèll Node-Langois was able
to delve deeply into the story-telling process behind
typical circus performance. Through her mentorship,
performers were pushed to reveal themselves through
their performance, adding an emotional element to the
physical aspects of circus performance. Afterwards,
during a discussion panel including experts in the field,
performers, and members of the public, there was great
debate and discussion surrounding the idea of circus
performer as actor and actor as circus performer. FIND THE RIGHT MENTOR FOR THE
RESIDENCY
Depending on your mission and your
audience, you would also have to
determine if a mentor is necessary.
A mentor may come in with a set of
expectations and a clear direction
to take the artists in, which may be
limiting to some participants. Having
an experiential-based learning model
may mean that a mentor is not needed
because participants would learn from
each other’s diverse backgrounds.
They could set their own goals and work towards those
goals together, dealing with challenges as a group when
necessary.
All of this cannot take place without the proper planning
and funding. Both take community involvement. In
Canada, there is a strong governmental system that
supports the arts through various grants. These grants
provide funding for facilities and staff, but artists
are responsible for their own accommodation and
transportation to and from Toronto, which can be
costly. The community has always stepped up to help
though. New producers may want to consider reaching
out to their community for assistance. For example,
community members may provide extra bedrooms and
couches for participants to surf throughout the week,
saving them the expense of hotel lodging. An intern may
be chosen to work with producers on organizational
aspects of the program, providing a new generation of
circus producers experience and access to the expertise
of veterans. Others may offer their time to write blog
posts that promote the artists and ideas behind the
program. When the opportunities for grants are not
plentiful, everyone takes on these volunteer positions
because they understand that this type of program is
doing important work, and moving the whole community
forward. For those that don’t have time to contribute,
a monetary donation through a crowdfunding platform
may be the way to go. These grassroots initiatives and
community involvement can certainly offset the costs of
an expensive residency program. DECIDE HOW LONG YOU WOULD LIKE YOUR
RESIDENCY TO EXTEND
Circus Sessions is relatively brief and intensive
compared to other residency programs. The work must
be completed in 5 days with two days of performance
at the end. “A unique aspect of Circus Sessions is that
participants work in the venue for the week. Rigging,
height, and spacing do not need to change with the
switch from a rehearsal hall to a venue,” notes Sparrow.
Having a singular location saves time and l abor, and
helps to keep costs lower. Having a shorter duration
provides more flexibility for artists to travel to areas
outside of their homebase. They know that they will
not be losing more than a week of income, don’t have
to worry about long-term lodging, or being away from
family for extended periods of time.
If you are a circus educator looking to form an artistic
residency program, what are your next steps? Here are
some tips and questions to ask yourself to help guide you
in the right direction:
HAVE A CLEAR UNDERSTANDING OF YOUR MISSION
FOR THE PROGRAM
Circus Sessions’ mandate is to support the evolution
of Canadian contemporary circus with a focus on
professional artist development. In a new program, a
producer would have to decide if the residency focus
would be on professional artists, emerging artists,
student artists, or youth artists. Each group has
different needs and requirements, so understanding
28
BE SURE THAT YOU HAVE A GOOD BUSINESS PLAN AND
AN UNDERSTANDING OF HOW YOUR PROGRAM CAN BE
FUNDED
What are the associated
costs with such a program?
Do you have a facility that can
house the program? You will
need help to produce a show.
Who are the stage managers,
riggers, music and lighting
personnel? Will you ask for
volunteers to help run the
show? How will the residency
and the show be advertised?
What social media platforms
will you use? How much will
you charge the audience for
the show? You also need to
determine how these costs
will be covered. Do you know
what grants are available
to you? Are you going to charge a fee for participation
to help cover costs? Are there grants available to
participants to help them cover costs? Research into
these basic financial questions is a necessity before
Previous Page
Photo from Holly Treddenick
Left
Photo from Holly Treddenick
Above
Photo from CV Photograhy
VIDEO:
Experts from Circus Sessions 2015.
Produced by Femmes du Feu in partnership with
Harbourfront Centre. It is a 5 day laboratory
of contemporary circus work guided by an
international mentor. The lab is followed by 2
public showings of the work developed over the 5
days. Fred Deb (France) was our mentor for Circus
Sessions 2015.
For more information please check out
femmesdufeu.com
29