Roundhouse Launches New Circus Festival, CircusFest 2010

CircusFest, a brand-new annual festival of circus, is launching at the Roundhouse in Camden Town on 7 April. Running until 16 May, the festival will feature a world premiere, three UK premieres and dozens of films, exhibitions and talks on circus arts.

The Roundhouse has made a name for itself as London’s top venue for touring circus shows, hosting the likes of La Clique (whose run finishes on 17 January) and Nofit State Circus last year and programming the CircusFront festival back in 2007.

Opening the festival will be Trash City, the cult circus, cabaret and DJ show that’s been amazing audiences since its debut at Glastonbury Festival in 2007 (from 7 to 10 April). Running during the following five weeks will be the UK premiere of Le Grand C by French troupe, Compagnie XY (from 17 to 24 April), Acrobat’s new show, Propaganda (from 13 to 16 May), and Urban and Narcissus,a double-bill from the Roundhouse Circus Company and Colombian ensemble, Circolombia, which runs from 6 to 9 May. Also featured are Sugar Beast Circus, Marisa Carnesky and the vaudeville show Slightly Fat Features.

Talks include a debate on sideshows presented by the Central School of Speech and Drama and an evening with circus legend Gerry Cottle. Films screened in the Roundhouse’s studio theatre include Tod Browning’s horror flick Freaks and James Marsh’s tight-rope walker documentary Man on Wire.

In a statement to Whatsonstage.com, Marcus Davey, the Roundhouse’s artistic director since 2008 (and chief executive of the Roundhouse Trust since 1999) commented that “some of the greatest circus talent from Britain and around the world will converge on the Roundhouse for a sublime, raucous, daring and wondrous festival of circus…What is not to love about that?”