CORNWALL, Ontario – Cirque du Soleil’s new show AXEL, will be premiering at Cornwall’s Civic Complex this weekend. The show will run on Friday, Oct. 4 at 7:30 and the following day at 3:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
Janice Robinson, Facilities and Rental Coordinator with the City of Cornwall said that this event has been three years in the making.
“They loved the building and we started negotiating from there,” she said. “It is the biggest production we have ever had in my 22 years at the Complex.”
This will be the first time that Cirque du Soleil will have performed in Cornwall and the first time ever that they will have performed their new show, AXEL.
There are 150 people who are a part of Cirque due Soleil’s crew. Many are staying in Cornwall at the Nav Centre, and Robinson explained that a lot of them have made use of local facilities and frequented local stores and restaurants.
“People who utilize Lamoureux Park have watched some of them practice on the grass,” she said. “Some mornings, they’ll do yoga in the bandshell.”
Robinson said that the Cirque du Soleil crew has received a warm welcome in Cornwall.
“What we told them is that when you come to Cornwall, you aren’t just using the building, you are family to us,” said Robinson. “That’s what sets us a part.”
After they finish their show in Cornwall, Cirque du Soleil will be performing AXEL in at least 40 other cities.
During the lead-up to the performance, Cirque du Soleil has taken over the Cornwall Civic Complex, with only the box office, ticket office and financial services office still open to the public.
On Thursday, Oct. 3, Cornwall Seaway News was invited on a brief media tour of behind the scene’s of Cirque’s latest show. A few photos of the practicing performers can be seen in our slideshow below.
