The Invisible Circus (circus troupe)

The Invisible Circus is a theatre and circus troupe based in Bristol in the United Kingdom. Set up in the 1990s, the group collaborates with Artspace Lifespace to make site-specific performances.

History

The Invisible Circus is a theatre and circus troupe which began performing in 1996 and which is based in the UK since 2002.^[1][2] The circus has performed at events such as Glastonbury Festival 2008.^[3] It shares a director with Artspace Lifespace, a sister cooperative which seeks out derelict spaces and converts them into temporary cultural spaces venues.^[4][5] In 2007, the two groups ran a series of performances events called Revelations at the Pro-Cathedral of the Holy Apostles in Clifton, Bristol, winning the Venue magazine's Top Banana award in January 2008.^[6] In early 2008 they took over the Bridewell police station in the centre of Bristol.^[7]

The circus performed their cabaret shows Carny-Ville and Combustion Club at the Bridewell.^{[8][9][10][11]} It has also organised events at Ashton Court and a club under the railway station.^[12][13]

Doug Francisco, director of the Invisible Circus, formed the Red Rebel Brigade as street theatre in the 1990s and converted the concept into silent, red-robed figures in support of Extinction Rebellion in the late 2010s.^[14][15] The performances inspired other groups to repeat the street theatre at protests in Berlin, Canberra, New York and Tel Aviv.^[16]

Artspace Lifespace and The Invisible Circus won funding from Bristol City Council’s 2018 to 2022 Cultural Investment Programme.^[17] The Invisible Circus received an emergency grant of £65,000 in 2020 from the Culture Recovery Fund.^[18]