Circus / News
Acclaimed performance collective to celebrate 30-year anniversary with special ball
The Invisible Circus, which has mesmerised audiences for three decades with its unique blend of circus, theatre, music and cabaret, will return with a special anniversary ball.
The Bristol-based performance collective recently enthralled audiences at the after-party of the inaugural Bristol Legends awards.
Led by Doug Francisco, the troupe entertained the merrymakers at the Legends night at Ashton Gate with stellar routines.
The Invisible Circus will host a two-night celebration at Ashton Court Mansion on April 10 and 11.
The Invisible Circus entertained the merrymakers at the Legends night at Ashton Gate with with stellar routines – photo: ShotAway
The Anniversary Ball will transform the historic venue (which has been rescued from falling into disrepair by Artspace Lifespace, its guardian for the last seven years) into a maze of circus, theatre, live music and cabaret.
Audiences will roam through a series of performances staged throughout the mansion, featuring jugglers, acrobats and sideshow acts in a carnival-style spectacle.
The event also celebrates the group’s two-decade partnership with Artspace Lifespace, founded by members of the Invisible Circus, which has spent 20 years bringing disused buildings in Bristol back into use as creative and community spaces.
Over the years, the collective has staged shows everywhere from Regency theatres and circus venues to old fire stations and industrial spaces.
The Invisible Circus, which has mesmerised audiences for three decades with its unique blend of circus, theatre, music and cabaret, will return with a special anniversary ball – photo: Rae Hadley
Known for its flair for storytelling, the group’s takeover of Christmas Steps in 2024 and 2025 retold the area’s colourful past with characters drawn from different eras.
These included Jacobite rebels, the Victorian tightrope walker Carlos Trower, puritanical preachers, robbers, eccentric physicians with macabre fascinations, drag queens and even Second World War soldiers.
After spending the 1990s exploring Europe’s rich performance traditions, the troupe established itself in the UK in 2002.
The Anniversary Ball will transform Ashton Court Mansion into a maze of circus, theatre, live music and cabaret – photo: The Invisible Circus
The anniversary comes at a pivotal moment for the organisation after the troupe lost its long-time creative base at Unit 15 Creation Space in St Philip’s to redevelopment two years ago.
In response, it has launched renewed efforts to protect the city’s fragile ecosystem of independent arts venues and creative spaces.
Doug Francisco, co-founder and creative director of The Invisible Circus, during the Christmas Steps takeover, playing a WWII soldier – photo: Milan Perera
As Artspace Lifespace’s custodianship of Ashton Court Mansion draws to a close, the anniversary ball will serve as a finale, while launching a new campaign to support Bristol’s creative sector and help secure long-term homes for artists in the city.
For tickets, visit www.headfirstbristol.co.uk/whats-on/arts-mansion-ashton-court
Main photo: Andre Pattenden
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