Circa Festival: two days before the curtain rises, the events of this 37th edition

In two days, the Circa festival will raise the curtain on its 37th edition. Around twenty shows, in a dozen venues, and numerous activities will punctuate the ten days of this unmissable Auscitain event, which takes place in town from October 18 to 26.

The shows

A few days before the start of the festival, places are becoming increasingly rare. For almost half of the shows, the online ticket office is already full. But don’t worry for latecomers, there are still dozens of performances to let yourself be carried away into the world of today’s circus.

The company L’Oubliée, by Raphaëlle Boitel, presents two short forms, in a single meeting (Saturday October 19 and Sunday October 20). “The Black Beast” evokes the suffering we inflict on ourselves, the pressures we endure and the sacrifices we accept, through a single stage performance with apparatus in the shape of a staircase. In continuity, “Little Queen” is the story of Edith, a woman of her time, who recounts her own fall in a clownish and scathing satire.

The eight performing artists of the Cirquons Flex company return, in “Radio Maniok” (Saturday, Sunday and Monday) on the “Terrible Years”, these five years of the Second World War during which Reunion Island was completely cut off of the world. Through speech, circus (acrobatic lifts, swinging hammock, trapeze, etc.), dance movement and music, this creation questions happy self-sufficiency.

“V” by Viivi Roiha, “Tapage” by Cridacompany (at the Astrada) or even “Interior night” by Jean-Baptiste André, without forgetting the shows of the circus schools, the three big ones of which are gathered in Auch… The choice is still vast for those curious about the circus.

Free entertainment

Beyond the shows in the program, numerous free events are open to the public, notably the open stages, which will take place from Monday October 21 to Friday October 25 in the Circ marquee. Every day, from Monday to Saturday, from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., meetings with festival artists take place at the bar. The schedule of the different companies present is available online. Among these moments of exchange, the Circ’à pense is back this year, with, as its theme, “Self-narrative, world-narrative?”. It will take place on Monday, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., in the presence of the artists in the amphitheater of the Health Careers Training Institute.

It’s difficult to miss the Déam’bulle, this journey of circus school students for a journey through the heart of the city punctuated by acts. This stroll will leave at 10 a.m. Thursday from the Ortholan garden. Young people from the Circus Arts specialty education of Le Garros high school will also perform impromptu, “Toujours à l’Ouest”, Sunday afternoon at the Circ. Musical evenings at the Circ bar, freewheeling to prevent sexist and sexual violence, retrospective of the 2023 festival with photos from the Club Iso d’Auch and Ian Grandjean… The Circ will be, throughout the festival, very lively and lively.

Other meetings

Like every year, the festival offers various workshops related to the circus. Children aged 3 to 12 (in two groups) can participate in circus workshops (€5 for 3-6 year olds, €7 for 6-12 year olds). They will also be able to learn how to create pop-up cards (from 7 years old, €6). These workshops require registration on 05 62 64 65 00.

The Museum of the Americas is also setting up, for young and old, the Art of Caves workshop to create monotypes (€6 for children and €8 for adults; by reservation with the museum on 05 62 05 74 79). Bicycle repair, upcycling, screen printing… Many meetings are on the agenda.

Finally, visits to the Circ are planned. Starting on Friday, with a two-way visit with the Land of Art and History (information on 05 62 05 22 89). Thursday, October 24, a member of the Circa team and a French Sign Language interpreter will offer a behind-the-scenes look at Circa.