Zirkus ONstage: Final Presentations
Zirkus ONstage is the new final format of the Zirkus ON creation programme. It appears that we are following the seasons, over the course of two years. At the turn of the year in the depths of winter, we publish the Call for Proposals and the selection process begins. The projects start to prepare for production. The opening presentations usher in spring, the projects become visible and blossom. The Zirkus ON mentoring, residency and knowledge transfer programme acts as a nutrient for the projects. The stage presentations with valuable feedback formats take place in late summer/early fall. Thus enriched, the projects enter into winter and the coming year. They mature, develop and take shape. Back in winter, the projects reach their culmination with the final presentations of the creation programme.
The final format, Zirkus ONstage, is as yet young and inexperienced, but fits perfectly into the cycle of the programme. Zirkus ONstage focuses on the transition from creation to distribution and addresses the question of what comes after the production phase. The projects must emerge and they must perform! The final presentations once again focus the Zirkus ON actors, just as the opening and stage presentations do. The organizers, the representatives, the artists and the audience meet and share their expertise and experiences.
The first attempts at final presentations began in cooperation with the International Cultural Exchange in Freiburg, but with the Zirkus ONstage pro-festival from November 2 - 4, 2023, this element of the creation programme became an independent event for the first time in close cooperation with the Pfefferberg Theater in Berlin. The projects from 4 years of Zirkus ON presented their productions over three days on two stages to an international specialist audience, as well as the Berlin viewing public. Nine productions were presented in eleven full-length shows. The carefully selected programme gave a curated overview of the German circus scene of recent years and provided an opportunity to learn, exchange ideas and grow. The pro programme for German and international visitors offered opportunities for dialogue, discussions and insights into the Berlin circus scene. The festival was supplemented with a programme booklet that presented and described the creative programme and the statements of many Zirkus ON companions.
The Zirkus ONstage pro-festival demonstrated a promising approach to bringing a professional audience into contact with touring productions. The challenges of specifically reaching organizers who do not otherwise programme circus art or to suitably represent the international nature of the circus scene will be future objectives for the ongoing development of the Zirkus ONstage final presentations. Valuable feedback is used to document and analyse the significance and impact of Zirkus ONstage.
The discourse on circus arts in and from Germany that was initiated with many actors, including some from other fields, and further planning will continue throughout the year!
