Giffords Circus

Last updated

Giffords Circus is a traditional English circus that tours the Cotswolds every summer. [1] As of 2022 it is also performing at Chiswick House. [1]

Contents

History

Established in 2000, Giffords Circus is a small circus company, founded by Nell Gifford and her husband Toti Gifford, [2] that tours market towns of the Southwest.

Nell Gifford was involved with reshaping her circus to meet modern tastes. She was awarded a £10,000 grant and that enabled more people to be involved with producing a show. Barry Grantham was involved with the choreography. Three important women who assisted were the horsewoman Rebecca Townsend, the trapeze artist Emily Park on the trapeze and the aerialist Isabelle Woywode. In the following year Giffords Circus had their first themed show titled "Pearl". [3]

Nell Gifford died in 2019. The circus was later managed by her niece Lil Rice. [4] [5] and has been directed for many years by Cal McCrystal. [6]

Performers come from many different countries, but one regular is Tweedy the Clown [7] (Alan Digweed) who joined in 2004. [3] He was awarded the British Empire Medal in the 2023 New Year Honours list. [8] [9]

Tours

Related Research Articles

<i>The Greatest Show on Earth</i> (film) 1952 film by Cecil B. DeMille

The Greatest Show on Earth is a 1952 American drama film produced and directed by Cecil B. DeMille, shot in Technicolor and released by Paramount Pictures. Set in the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, the film stars Betty Hutton and Cornel Wilde as trapeze artists competing for the center ring and Charlton Heston as the circus manager. James Stewart also stars as a mysterious clown who never removes his makeup, and Dorothy Lamour and Gloria Grahame also play supporting roles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emmett Kelly</span> American clown (1898-1979)

Emmett Leo Kelly was an American circus performer, who created the clown character "Weary Willie", based on the hobos of the Great Depression in the 1930s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Circus</span> Group of entertainers performing circus skills

A circus is a company of performers who put on diverse entertainment shows that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, dancers, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, magicians, ventriloquists, and unicyclists as well as other object manipulation and stunt-oriented artists. The term circus also describes the field of performance, training and community which has followed various formats through its 250-year modern history. Although not the inventor of the medium, Newcastle-under-Lyme born Philip Astley is credited as the father of the modern circus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus</span> Traveling circus company

The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, also known as the Ringling Bros. Circus, Ringling Bros., the Barnum & Bailey Circus, Barnum & Bailey, or simply Ringling, is an American traveling circus company billed as The Greatest Show on Earth. It and its predecessor have run shows from 1871, with a hiatus from 2017 to 2023. They operate as Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey. The circus started in 1919 when the Barnum & Bailey's Greatest Show on Earth, a circus created by P. T. Barnum and James Anthony Bailey, was merged with the Ringling Bros. World's Greatest Shows. The Ringling brothers purchased Barnum & Bailey Ltd. in 1907 following Bailey's death in 1906, but ran the circuses separately until they were merged in 1919.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Excalibur Hotel and Casino</span> Hotel and casino in Paradise, Nevada

Excalibur Hotel and Casino is a casino hotel on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada, in the United States. It is owned by Vici Properties and operated by MGM Resorts International. The resort features a medieval castle theme and is named after King Arthur's mythical Excalibur sword. Property features include a 92,389 sq ft (8,583.2 m2) casino, a 28-story hotel with 3,981 rooms, and various restaurants.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Circus Circus Las Vegas</span> Hotel and casino on the Las Vegas Strip

Circus Circus Las Vegas is a hotel and casino located on the northern Las Vegas Strip in Winchester, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Phil Ruffin. Circus Circus includes the largest permanent circus in the world. It features circus and trapeze acts, as well as carnival games, at its Carnival Midway. The resort also includes the Adventuredome, an indoor amusement park.

<i>Quidam</i> Former Cirque du Soleil production

Quidam was the ninth stage show produced by Cirque du Soleil. It premiered in April 1996 and has been watched by millions of spectators around the world. Quidam originated as a big-top show in Montreal and was converted into an arena format beginning with its 2010 tour in North America. It then changed back to the Big Top for a 3-month run in Seoul, South Korea before returning to an arena show for its tour to Oceania. The show performed for the final time in Christchurch, New Zealand on February 26, 2016.

<i>Alegría</i> (Cirque du Soleil) Touring live entertainment production

Alegría is a Cirque du Soleil touring production, created in 1994 by director Franco Dragone and director of creation Gilles Ste-Croix. It takes its name from the Spanish word for "joy".

The Big Apple Circus is a circus based in New York City. Opened in 1977, later becoming a nonprofit organization, it became a tourist attraction. The circus has been known for its community outreach programs, including Clown Care, as well as its humane treatment of animals. Big Apple Circus filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in November 2016 and exited bankruptcy in February 2017 after its assets were bought by Compass Partners. The Circus was renewed in October 2017 for its 40th anniversary season and returned to start a new season in October 2018 at Lincoln Center, receiving generally positive reviews.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Gloucestershire and Stroud College</span> Further education college in Bristol, England

South Gloucestershire and Stroud College, also known as SGS College, is a college of further education and higher education based in South Gloucestershire and Stroud, England. It was established in February 2012 following the merger of Filton College and Stroud College. The college is made up of six campuses located in and around Bristol, North Bristol, South Gloucestershire and Stroud. In 2021, the college launched a University Centre at its WISE campus after being awarded university centre status by the Department for Education.

<i>O</i> (Cirque du Soleil) Water-themed stage production

O is a water-themed stage production by Cirque du Soleil, a Canadian circus and entertainment company. The show has been in permanent residence at the Bellagio in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States, since October 1998. O, whose name is pronounced the same way as eau, the French word for "water", takes place around and above a 1.5-million-US-gallon (5,700 m3) pool of water. It features water acts such as synchronized swimming as well as aerial and ground acts. The O theatre, which is designed to resemble a 14th-century European opera house, has 1,800 seats, thus allowing the performance to be watched by 3,600 people a night since the performance usually plays twice in a given day. The theatre also designed to meet the special demands of the show.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moscow State Circus</span> Architectural structure

The title Moscow State Circus is used for a variety of circuses. Most commonly, it refers to one of the two circus buildings in Moscow, the "Circus Nikulin" and the "Bolshoi Circus", or to traveling shows which may or may not be directly related to Russia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cirque d'hiver</span> Auditorium in Paris, France

The Cirque d'Hiver, located at 110 rue Amelot, has been a prominent venue for circuses, exhibitions of dressage, musical concerts, and other events, including exhibitions of Turkish wrestling and even fashion shows. The theatre was designed by the architect Jacques Ignace Hittorff and was opened by Emperor Napoleon III on 11 December 1852 as the Cirque Napoléon. The orchestral concerts of Jules Etienne Pasdeloup were inaugurated at the Cirque Napoléon on 27 October 1861 and continued for more than twenty years. The theatre was renamed Cirque d'Hiver in 1870.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Laura Knight</span> English artist (1877–1970)

Dame Laura Knight was an English artist who worked in oils, watercolours, etching, engraving and drypoint. Knight was a painter in the figurative, realist tradition, who embraced English Impressionism. In her long career, Knight was among the most successful and popular painters in Britain. Her success in the male-dominated British art establishment paved the way for greater status and recognition for women artists.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Insane Clown Posse</span> American hip hop duo from Michigan

Insane Clown Posse, often abbreviated as ICP, is an American hip hop duo. Formed in Detroit in 1989, ICP's best-known lineup consists of rappers Violent J and Shaggy 2 Dope. Insane Clown Posse performs a style of hardcore hip hop known as horrorcore and is known for its elaborate live performances. The duo has earned two platinum and five gold albums. According to Nielsen SoundScan, the entire catalog of the group had sold 6.5 million units in the United States and Canada as of April 2007. The group has established a dedicated following called Juggalos numbering in the "tens of thousands".

<i>Koozå</i> Cirque du Soleil production

Koozå is a touring circus production by Cirque du Soleil which premiered in Montréal, Quebec, Canada, in 2007. The show was written and directed by David Shiner, who had previously worked as a clown in Cirque du Soleil's production of Nouvelle Expérience. His experience as a clown and his time with Switzerland's Circus Knie and Germany's Circus Roncalli informed his work on Koozå.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emma Bridgewater</span> British ceramic company

Emma Bridgewater is a British ceramics manufacturing company founded in 1985. The company specialises in earthenware tableware, manufactured in Stoke-on-Trent, England. The pottery is produced using traditional techniques. The company is one of the largest pottery manufacturers based entirely in the UK.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Larible</span> Italian clown

David Larible is an Italian clown.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mighty Haag Circus</span>

Mighty Haag Circus was started by American entrepreneur Ernest Haag in Shreveport, Louisiana. His circus toured continuously for over 40 years, from 1891 to 1938. During these years, the circus used a variety of types of transport: boat, carts, trains, horse-pulled wagons, and trucks. It was one of the largest traveling circuses in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nell Gifford</span>

Nell Gifford born Eleanor Rose Stroud was a writer and the founding director of Giffords Circus.

References

  1. 1 2 "Home". Giffords Circus. Retrieved 4 May 2022.
  2. ↑ Hughes, Tim (14 June 2018). "Giffords Circus comes to Oxford with all new show". Oxford Mail . Retrieved 15 June 2018.
  3. 1 2 Holmes, Kate (13 April 2023), "Gifford [née Stroud], Eleanor Rose [Nell] (1973–2019), circus founder and author", Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, doi:10.1093/odnb/9780198614128.013.90000380871, ISBN   978-0-19-861412-8 , retrieved 2 September 2023
  4. 1 2 3 Howell, Madeleine (17 August 2020). "Is it curtains for Britain's touring shows and funfairs – or will they bounce back?". The Daily Telegraph . Retrieved 18 August 2020.
  5. ↑ Allfree, Claire (25 May 2021). "Mud, sequins, and a flock of white doves: the return of Giffords circus". The Daily Telegraph . Retrieved 25 May 2021.
  6. ↑ Gadd, Helen (30 March 2022). "Giffords Circus' Tweedy is back as a new tour with Gloucestershire's favourite circus begins". Gloucestershire Live. Retrieved 4 June 2022.
  7. ↑ "Who is the real Tweedy clown". 17 December 2021.
  8. ↑ "The New Year Honours list 2023" . Retrieved 31 December 2022.
  9. ↑ Lawson, Emma (31 December 2022). "Circus clown 'surprised' at royal honour". The Independent . Retrieved 31 December 2022.
  10. ↑ "Giffords Circus - the Show 2011". Archived from the original on 5 September 2013. Retrieved 26 August 2013.
  11. ↑ Giffords Program 2013
  12. ↑ Pilston, Tom (26 June 2016). "The Painted Wagon Wild West Show – in pictures". The Guardian .
  13. ↑ MacAlister, Katherine (16 June 2016). "Giffords is back. But is The Painted Wagon it's [sic] best show yet?". The Oxford Times . Retrieved 27 June 2016.
  14. ↑ "A Review of the Wondeful Giffords Circus, Gloucestershire". Lewis Loves. 29 October 2016. Retrieved 5 June 2017.
  15. ↑ Sutherland, Gill (12 June 2017). "Review: Giffords Circus 2017". Stratford-upon-Avon Herald. Retrieved 27 June 2017.
  16. ↑ Singleton, Sarah (3 September 2018). "My Beautiful Circus: the music and magic of Giffords". Swindon Advertiser . Retrieved 16 August 2019.
  17. ↑ Billington, Michael (2 July 2019). "Xanadu review – psychedelic circus evokes summer of love". The Guardian . Retrieved 16 August 2019.
  18. ↑ Dannreuther, Rupert (14 April 2022). "¡Carpa! by Giffords Circus – Review". to do list. London . Retrieved 4 May 2022.
  19. ↑ Wood, Alex (10 January 2023). "Giffords Circus announces new tour for 2023". WhatsOnStage.com . Retrieved 22 January 2023.
  20. ↑ Pizzey, Simon (18 April 2023). "Review: tangible magic that's worth every penny – and no safety net!". Stroud Times. Retrieved 23 April 2023.


Faenza-multimedia-player-ipod-green.svg

This entertainment-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.