(Luza is facing the camera but looking above it, intrigued. Lively instrumental music is playing.)

Narrator: What is it, Luza? What are you looking at?

(She walks to the right to join a group of artists. We can see that she is on a stage that has a set that looks like a kitchen.)

Narrator: Hey, there’s lots of people here. It’s true that to create a show, you need a big and dedicated team, working together for months. And they’re not all performers. Some are behind the scenes: the technicians who operate the lights and sound; the costume designer who decides what the performers will wear; and so many more. Listen to their stories to earn stars.

(Luza catches a box that has been thrown into the air. A man is pulling a cable. She leans backwards to pass under it.

She walks past a woman carrying hoops, then throws the box to another woman. She leans against a piece of furniture that rolls away, making her fall on her stomach. The woman with the box disappears behind the set.

Two men appear, one carrying the other. They too disappear. Luza opens a blind and is startled by a woman behind it. She closes the blind and reopens it. This time, a man and a woman are leaning against the fake window. As that happens, a man moves the wall containing the fake window.

The man pulling the cable has finished setting it up. He climbs onto it.
Luza spots a wardrobe filled with costumes. She picks out a very strange one and holds it up to her body, as if to try it on.

She puts it back and takes huge pink feathers that she puts around her shoulders. She looks very happy.)

Narrator:
- But, but Luza, what is that funny costume? Ah! I understand. You want to be the star of the show!

(She heads over to a woman hula hooping on a turntable. She pushes her to try to take her place but falls.)

Wow, what a cheerful mess! This looks like a lively place!

This is the dressing room of the Fratellini clowns in Paris, France, in the 20th century. The dressing room is where artists get ready before the show.

It contains everything they need: costumes, makeup, musical instruments and props of all kinds. Clowns can use any everyday object to make you laugh.

Look carefully at the photo. Do you see any?

A dressing room is also where artists change after the show.

Three zebras on unicycles? Now we’ve seen it all!

Actually, those are costumes created by costume designer Pascal Jacob. They were used in the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus.

Circus costumes must be specially designed by a costume designer. Even more so than in theatre or opera, circus costumes have to be tailored for specific acrobats and the equipment they use.

They are also designed to match the show’s overall theme and each artist’s role. Have a closer look at these costumes.

Do you think they were created for the performers who wore them in the show?

(Men and women are applying makeup in the dressing rooms. The title “L’École nationale de cirque présente Où vont les fleurs?” [“The National Circus School presents Where do the Flowers Go?”] appears on the screen. A woman is applying makeup on an artist and the other artists are gathered around to learn how to do it.)

Éline Guélat, NCS graduate: We arrived this morning and found the makeup. First, you have to learn how to put it on, because it really isn’t easy. Véronique was there with us and explained it step by step, and sometimes she would do one side of our face, then we had to try and replicate it on the other side.

(A man speaks while artists continue to apply makeup around him. A man shaves an artist’s hair. He consults a booklet of photos of the artists in costume.)

Basile Philippe, NSC graduate: I’ll do my makeup every day, it’s perfect because I’ll get to practise every day and work on various things, like my eyes or shadows and highlights. The guys had to get haircuts first. There was a hairdresser to advise us. With Alain we looked for a haircut that suited the character and decided what to keep and what to fix.

(Costume designer Michael Slack is speaking. He looks at costumes on a rack, then he is seen sewing a piece of clothing next to a woman operating a sewing machine. He checks how it fits on the artist. Lastly, we see artists on stage wearing unique costumes.)

Michael Slack: We start designing costumes for the end-of-year show with our director in November. My job is to come up with more specific personalities for each acrobat. I always work with a team, it’s impossible to do it alone. I have a huge team. This year, we’re six people working behind the scenes on sewing, dying, patina, etc. The challenge of dressing circus acrobats is always mobility and flexibility. They need to be able to move and perform in a costume. It’s not just a costume, it’s an acrobat outfit too.

(We see artists in costume in the dressing room, then on the stage.)

Basile Philippe: Once we’re all dolled up, we’ll put on our costumes, come out on stage and strike our character poses in front of Alain, the director.

(In a small space filled with equipment such as cables and screwdrivers, a dark-skinned woman dressed in black welcomes us as she rolls up a cable. She is a technician.)

Narrator: Hello Martine.

Martine: Hi!

Narrator: So I have some questions for you.

Martine: I’m all ears.

Narrator: What makes a stage technician like a ninja?

(First we see Martine, then we find ourselves in a performance hall. A man dressed in black is in the ring, picking up a rope attached to a large hoop. Using a carabiner, he attaches it to a cable hanging from the ceiling. Then we see him next to the ring, putting cables in a bin next to some pulleys. He pulls on some cables and the hoop rises in the middle of the ring. We return to the small room with the technician.)

Martine: Technicians remind me of ninjas because we’re always dressed in black. And we’re always around, hiding near the stage, when there’s a show. Before the show, we bring materials and set up the stage, and during the show, we move the decor as needed. When something goes wrong during the show, you don’t realize it, but it’s the ninja technicians behind the scenes who make sure everything runs smoothly.

Narrator: So which technician impresses you the most?

(A man dressed in black is walking on a catwalk above the performance space. He kneels and bends over to check a cable is properly attached. Below, we see the spotlights illuminating the ring. We return to the small room with the technician.)

Martine: There’s one technician we really depend on, because he’s very detail oriented and patient. It’s the rigger. He takes care of the aerial acrobats, like the ones doing the trapeze. He’s the one who makes sure the acrobat is securely attached to the apparatus and checks that the apparatus itself is safe to prevent accidents.

Narrator: Tell me, as someone who has worked on many circus shows, what’s the most exciting thing from a technical perspective?

(In a dimly lit room facing the ring, a seated man is operating several control screens and typing on keyboards. Using his keyboard and screen, he turns lights on and off over the ring. Martine appears in occasional close-ups. She moves her arm, imitating the trapeze artist’s movements.)

Martine: What I like the most about my job on a technical level is being able to create emotions through lighting and sound. In the same way artists evoke emotion through their art, we can evoke emotion by using accent lighting that follows the artist, making it look like they’re flying, like they’re alone in the sky, or by using sounds and music, like when a trapeze artist flies or somersaults. Playing soft drum noises, to evoke a bit of fear, changes the dynamic of the performance.

(A bald dark-skinned man is in a training studio. He is facing the camera. Artists are training behind him. He speaks to the camera.)

Didier Lucien: I have a recurring dream where I’m being chased by alien invaders. I’m running. (laugh) I’ve never told anyone that before.

(The title “L’amour et les extraterrestres, création du spectacle” [“Creation of the Love and Aliens Show”] appears on the screen.

L’amour et les extraterrestres is a circus science fiction story. (Rhythmic music)

(In the same studio, we go through a series of doors with no walls on either side that are standing in the middle of the room. The first door is guarded by two women, the second by two men. A hand can be seen through the window in that door. The door opens to reveal two acrobats. Four artists who appear scared run and knock on the third door. They scream. The door opens. We see more artists.)

Didier Lucien: The show is like a series of dreams. We go through various doors and each time we land in a new universe that is a little different from the last, time and space are warped in the show (sound). These doors are a bit like the doors of perception. (laugh)

(Some artists enter through a door, others perform acrobatics on chairs. Close up on Didier Lucien, who is speaking. He points to his heart with one hand. Artists train around him.)

Didier Lucien: The idea is to take the audience on a journey. I like the idea of going to a show to forget, for a few moments, what’s happening in your life and to reconnect with what’s going on inside you.

Aliens are always a metaphor used to talk about humans and it evokes certain emotions that we can recognize in others even if they’re not exactly like us. It’s about who we are, the emotions we’re all feeling. (music)

My idea was to create an environment that lets the audience see what I see when I watch these circus performers: that human beings are amazing.

(The title “L’amour et les extraterrestres” [“Love and Aliens”] appears on the screen.)

(A muscular fair-skinned man is heading toward a young woman in costume.)

Emmanuel: Hi Aude, how can I help you?

Aude: I’m going to extend my right arm to my head and use my left arm to counterbalance. Can you help me with my landing?

Emmanuel: OK. Yes, great.

(Aude balances upside down on her canes. Emmanuel watches her and helps her dismount by holding her waist. Emmanuel then faces the camera. Behind him, artists are warming up on a stage.)

Narrator: Hi Manu! I’ve met many circus artists and they’re all impressive athletes!

(Emmanuel helps an aerial acrobat by holding her back, then watches and helps other acrobats.)

Emmanuel: Absolutely, circus artists often come from a sports background. They generally have prior experience in acrobatic sports or went to circus school where they learned acrobatic basics. Acrobatic sports like gymnastics, trampolining and diving often lead to circus disciplines, and are also taught as preparation in circus schools.

Narrator: Can you give me an example of an athlete you trained?

Emmanuel: I remember a gymnast who came with no circus experience and learned an aerial rings act. So we had to start with basic strap techniques and then adapt to using the rings for the circus act.

Narrator: What’s your role in a show?

(Emmanuel faces the camera, then watches artists and seems to give them some tips.)

Emmanuel: During a show, as a coach, I watch the artists’ performances and then I go over their performance with them between shows to give them notes and corrections to help them prepare for the next show or act. Also, coaches make sure the artists are performing safely every night, so we check the equipment and their physical state and performance to ensure their safety.

(Stéphane, a smiling fair-skinned man with grey hair, is outside in front of a colourful big top.)

Narrator: Hello Stéphane, you’re the one taking care of the lights, right?

(Under a big top, spotlights project moving beams of light that change colour. As the lighting changes, so does the atmosphere. The lights are located above and on the sides of the stage, as well as on the ground and on the walls of the big top. Stéphane is sitting in a dark corner, looking toward the spotlights.)

Stéphane: Yes, I’m the one in charge of the lighting. I’m called a “lighting engineer” or “lighting designer.” My job is to create atmospheres with lighting colour and brightness. It’s a bit like a cook who takes care of the flavours of the food in the kitchen or a gardener who puts the plants in different places. Lighting designers work kind of like painters, except painters create ambiance on a canvas and we create ambiance around the artists on stage.

Narrator: How do you come up with the lighting?

(Close up on a drum belonging to the Kalabanté troupe, then on Stéphane outside the big top. Back in the big top, where the lights are making blue circles on the big top canvas. Close up on a spotlight to show how it is made up of many small bulbs. Close up on the lighting console. Stéphane turns knobs and presses buttons that change the lighting.)

Stéphane: The first step is to meet the artists on site, in the theatre or where they practise, and I watch how they move, I listen to the music, I see the various movements and from there I’m inspired by the different atmospheres. For example, if someone moves like a flame, I’ll probably choose a red-orange colour.

If I see a dancer move lightly, it might make me think of the ocean and I might use blues and greens. From there, I’ll decide where to put my projectors to properly light the characters and different areas. For example, if someone is doing dangerous jumps, I’ll make sure there’s enough light that it’s safe, but not enough to blind the performer.If, like in this show by Kalabante Productions, someone is juggling, I’ll make sure there aren’t any lights over their head so they can catch their pins properly.

Narrator: Once you’re in the circus tent, what happens?

(Stéphane controls the lights from the console, which consists of a large keyboard and several screens.)

Stéphane: Each act of the show will have an image and atmosphere with a name and a number. This way the artists aren’t surprised: each night it’s the same lighting that accompanies their act. Follow me!

(Stéphane heads toward the big top. Inside, members of the Kalanbanté troupe perform acrobatics and dance. The audience is sitting all around the stage.)

(Watercolour of a man hanging upside down from a key-shaped aerial hoop. He is holding a woman in a red costume by one hand. They are in a strange decor of large plants, nude people and strange creatures.)

Narrator: How is the idea of a circus show born? In the theatre, playwrights craft words for actors to say, telling a story onstage.

(Colour photo of a woman in a costume in an aerial hoop above a man in a bathtub. They are on the stage, in a strange landscape.)

Narrator: Circus artists don’t tend to speak; instead, they use their bodies or objects.

(Watercolour of a man walking with a cane on some kind of large leaf. He is looking at a naked man, who is upside down in a giant transparent ball at the tip of a stem. They are in a strange decor with large plants and a giant bird.)

Narrator: So how do circus troupes figure out how a new show will take shape without using words to tell the story? They often use a type of comic strip known as a storyboard.

(Photo of a scene in which a man with a cane is sitting on some kind of egg. He is looking at a person balancing on one hand in a giant transparent bubble that is resting on a flower. Large plants make up the decor.)

Narrator: Each drawing shows a moment in the show.

(Watercolour of a stage that is lit in three places. On the left, a person is on a bed. In the centre, a person is in a wheel. On the right, a character is sitting next to a painting. An old painting can be made out in the background.)

Narrator: Compare the storyboard and photos of Bosch Dreams, a show by the Québec-based troupe The Seven Fingers. . Do you see any differences?

(Colour photo of a man in a wheel on a stage. A bed is on the left, and a table, chair and painting are on the right. A woman walking toward the man is looking at the background, which depicts a country landscape.)