Lithuanian Season in France Presents Three Contemporary Circus Premieres

Every year at the end of October, Auch transforms into a hub for modern circus arts, welcoming troupes eager to showcase their best work. This year, as part of the Lithuanian Season in France 2024, Lithuanian contemporary circuses will take center stage.

The Lithuanian organization Teatronas, in collaboration with French partners Circa (Auch), Le Prato (Lille), Le Palc (Châlons-en-Champagne), and Le Plus Petit Cirque du Monde (Bagneux), will highlight the diversity and vibrancy of Lithuanian contemporary circus art.

During the festival in Auch from October 18th to 26th, three contemporary circus premieres will be presented: “How A Spiral Works” (by Art for Rainy Days), “Nappies Project” (by Marija Baranauskaitė-Liberman), and “InTENSE” (by Taigi Cirkas).

Gildas Aleksa, manager of Teatronas, stated: “Cinema has Cannes, theater has Avignon, and the circus has the city of Auch, home to the circus festival with the largest international visibility in Europe. When we learned of a diplomatic event of this scale in France, we proposed the idea of presenting something truly unique—a Lithuanian contemporary circus program.”

The project initiated by Teatronas is distinctive, featuring an additional creative stage—residencies at national circus centers in France, leading to presentations for local audiences.

Monika Citvaraitė-Lansbergienė, program curator at Teatronas, commented on the unique partnership: “Residencies are a crucial aspect of the project, allowing our artists to adapt to the French context, where competition in the circus scene is much more intense. This not only enhances the quality of their work but also helps artists build confidence as the premieres approach.”

The 37th Circa Festival in Auch will take place from October 18th to 26th. For more information on the projects, please visit www.teatronas.lt, https://lithuanianculture.lt/, and https://circa.auch.fr/festival/.

This project is part of the Lithuanian Season in France 2024, organized by the Lithuanian Culture Institute and the French Institute in Paris. The projects of Teatronas are financed by the Lithuanian Council for Culture.