CIRCUS & THE BARD to be Presented at Tina Packer Playhouse

Shakespeare & Company and Spirit of the Circus will present Circus & The Bard, co-created by Allyn Burrows, Robin Eldridge, and Pedro Reis.

A mash-up of professional circus acts and Shakespeare's verse staged August 21 through 31 at the Tina Packer Playhouse, Circus & The Bard features internationally reputed aerialists, jugglers, quick-change artists, and more, performing alongside actors rendering relative Shakespeare moments.

Reis, co-founder of Circus Sarasota and the Circus Arts Conservatory (CAC) and Eldridge, a producer, director, and content creator, founded Spirit of the Circus in 2024 in part to foster collaborations like Circus & The Bard.

Eldridge said partnerships like this one help to illuminate circus arts from different angles through reimagined original work.

"If the circus physicalizes human feats of balance, strength, flexibility, etc., and Shakespeare reveals human emotion and behavior, then blending them lets both release their power, in tandem," she said.

Reis added that this collaboration is a perfect opportunity for entire families to share in an exciting production.

"Collaboration is a strong word in my vocabulary," he said, "and this show is for children of all ages. Truly, grandchildren, parents, and grandparents will enjoy it alike."

Finally, Burrows - Shakespeare & Company's Artistic Director - said he, Eldridge, and Reis weren't sure what form the production would ultimately take, but it began to grow organically once the circus acts and Shakespeare's verse began to coalesce.

"We didn't quite know where this was going at the beginning of the process," he said, "although we were very curious about what might come of the intersection of these apparently unrelated mediums, and to discover what alchemy might reveal itself when these two worlds collide exquisitely."

Thanks to the generosity of the Harvey and Virginia Kimmel Family Fund of the Philadelphia Foundation, Shakespeare & Company is offering free tickets to Circus & The Bard for youth and families with limited access to the arts. Up to 25 free tickets to this spectacle of circus acts and Shakespeare will be available for any show, August 21 - 31.