Yorkshire rehearsal facility chosen by Cirque du Soleil to house its training base

A Yorkshire rehearsal facility was chosen by Cirque du Soleil to recreate its Montreal training base in its entirety.

Production Park, located in Wakefield, was selected by the Canadian circus troupe due to the unrivalled variety of its wraparound services. As the UK’s premier live events, film and TV campus, the company was able to fulfil its requirements in a short timeframe.

Cirque du Soleil recently returned to the Royal Albert Hall with the show, LUZIA, but in order to raise the curtain, a large space was required. Production Park housed Cirque du Soleil in Studio 001, one of its arena-sized rehearsal facilities.

During its tenure, Cirque du Soleil was able to call upon technical support from the park’s research and innovation centre XPLOR, support from Backstage Academy students, and Rockpool Tour Catering to feed the crew, creating over 300 meals daily on-site in its purpose-built restaurant, including a traditional Christmas dinner for the entire troop.

Hosting Cirque du Soleil at Production Park was a boon for the local economy as its members, from around the world, made Wakefield their home for several months.

Gerard Edwards-Webb, director, TSD Cirque Du Soleil, said: “Production Park provided a complete end-to-end solution, which was fully aligned with our needs and requirements.

“Having everything under one roof was remarkable – I cannot think of another facility in the UK that could have offered solutions to all our challenges within such easy reach. In addition to enabling our troupe to rehearse in a safe, tailormade environment, it also saved us a lot of time and money.

“Without the space and incredible facilities offered at Production Park, our team would have had to travel across the country and frequently interrupt schedules. Production Park truly provided a one-stop shop for getting our show back on the road!”

Lee Brooks, co-founder & CEO, Production Park said: “It was great to welcome our friends from Cirque du Soleil to Production Park. The unique nature of this global brand requires a host with specialist infrastructure, technical know-how and support.

“Our campus is one of the only places able to offer such services for such iconic performers, it’s what we do – from one of our arena-sized Studios and ancillary spaces to 24/7 technical support and our award-winning catering services. We look forward to welcoming them back soon.”