Misplaced Pages

#975024

71-545: Forest of Reading award winners are announced annually at the Forest of Reading Festival (previously The Festival of Trees), which is Canada's largest annual literary event for children, attracting as many as 15,000 youth annually. In addition to award ceremonies, the Festival also includes many author and illustrator events, including hands-on workshops. In the early 1990s, the OLA conducted

142-555: A $ 50 million injection from its shareholders and a $ 200 million loan from the Quebec government, on 29 June 2020 the company announced that it had filed for bankruptcy protection and was terminating 3,500 employees who had previously been laid off. CEO Daniel Lamarre stated the intention of the company was to rehire "a substantial majority" of terminated employees once coronavirus-related shutdowns were lifted and operations could resume, business conditions allowing. In connection with

213-481: A $ 750,000 deficit. To enable a 1986 tour, the Desjardins Group covered $ 200,000 of bad checks, financier Daniel Lamarre represented the company for free, and the Quebec government allotted it an additional year of funding. La Magie Continue , their 1986 production, proved more artistically successful with the direction of Franco Dragone. This extended to the creation of their 1987 show Le Cirque Réinventé . In

284-545: A bar and lounge inspired by Cirque du Soleil featuring live characters and projections. However, due to lukewarm reception, Celebrity Cruises announced in October 2005 that it would be removing the live characters and projections from the lounges and retooling its Cirque du Soleil offering so as to create a more standard circus performance. In December 2005, the collaboration premiered the 30-minute acrobatic show A Taste of Cirque du Soleil on both ships. It continued through 2006 and

355-639: A dedicated night where they received an award and delivered a talk. In 2004, Harbourfront Centre has hosted the Planet IndigenUS Festival, a multi-day celebration and global exploration of contemporary Indigenous civilizations. Harbourfront Centre runs year-round programming with a combination of indoor and outdoor events. In the winter months more emphasis is put on theatre shows. Main events: Main events: Cirque du Soleil Cirque du Soleil ( French: [siʁk dy sɔlɛj] , Canadian French: [sɪʁk d͡zy sɔlɛj] ; "Circus of

426-714: A mixed reception and was not followed by another production until Saltimbanco 's 1995 European tour, which better solidified Cirque du Soleil's presence in the European market. Cirque du Soleil also toured Japan in the summer of 1992 at the behest of the Fuji Television Network . Combining acts from their previous shows Nouvelle Expérience and Le Cirque Réinventé , they created their first arena show Fascination which toured Japan from May to August of that year. Fascination 's positive reception allowed Cirque du Soleil to play Saltimbanco there in 1994, thereby establishing

497-414: A night, 5% of the city's visitors, adding to the over 100 million people who have seen Cirque du Soleil productions worldwide. In 2000, Laliberté bought out Daniel Gauthier's stake in the company, and with 95% ownership continued to expand the brand. In 2008, Laliberté sold 20% of his share to the investment groups Istithmar World and Nakheel of Dubai , but later bought back their stake following

568-431: A nonprofit holding company named "The High-Heeled Club" ( Club des Talons Hauts ) to mitigate the losses of the previous summer. This allowed Les Échassiers de Baie-Saint-Paul to break even by fall 1981. The following summer, Laliberté and Ste-Croix founded La Fête Foraine , a street performance festival that featured circus performances and workshops to teach the circus arts to the public. Laliberté managed and produced

639-414: A round of layoffs at their Montreal and Las Vegas headquarters, including the complete closure of their Las Vegas costume and fabrication workshops. Each Cirque du Soleil production is a synthesis of circus styles from around the world, with its own central theme and storyline. Shows employ continuous live music, with performers rather than stagehands changing the props. The duration of each touring show

710-483: A small survey about recreational reading programs being offered by school libraries and concluded that more needed to be done to encourage reading for pleasure in school-aged children. Inspired by the success of the Texas Bluebonnet Awards , a reading award program that was selected through reader votes, OLA representatives adapted the program for Ontario to re-stimulate school library interest in reading through

781-447: A variety of projection surfaces. 45 Degrees produces custom-made experiential content for clients who are seeking high-end creative services for their events. From the 1990s until 2015, Cirque du Soleil produced a variety of public and private events and performances under its Special Events division. In April 2015, the company announced that its Special Events division formed a subsidiary company called 45 Degrees. Led by Yasmine Khalil,

SECTION 10

#1733093784976

852-442: A waterfront park, it became a non-profit organization in 1991. Funding comes from corporate sponsors, government grants, individual donors and entrepreneurial activities. Harbourfront Centre has a seating capacity of 2,000. Harbourfront Centre works with over 450 community organizations, and hosts more than 4,000 events a year in many disciplines such as theatre, dance, literature, music, film, visual arts and craft. The development

923-457: Is governed by a 26-person community based volunteer Board of Directors, and is assisted by approximately 2,000 volunteers who generously contribute their efforts and time. Harbourfront Centre is patrolled by its own in-house security team, which works closely with police to ensure that the property is protected. The Government of Canada faced mounting criticism from the City of Toronto government due to

994-414: Is typically between 2 and 2 hours and 30 minutes, including an intermission. Permanent shows are usually between 70 and 90 minutes in length without an intermission. Typically touring shows as well as resident shows perform a standard 10 shows a week. Touring shows usually have one "dark day" (with no performances) while resident shows have two. With the intent of diversifying its activities worldwide,

1065-470: The 2008 global financial crisis . In 2015, TPG Capital , Fosun Industrial Holdings , and Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec purchased 90% of Cirque du Soleil while Laliberté retained a 10% stake in the company. In February 2020, Laliberté sold his remaining 10% stake in the company to Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec for $ 75 million. Following a bankruptcy brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic ,

1136-799: The Las Vegas Strip . It premiered in December 1993. Its success as the company's first permanent production would later allow for the creation of two more permanent shows in 1998: O in Las Vegas and La Nouba at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida . During this time of expansion the company also founded their International Headquarters in Montreal's Saint-Michel neighbourhood and their multimedia division, Cirque du Soleil Images. In 1999 they premiered their film Alegría , also directed by Dragone. Following

1207-1147: The Toronto Eaton Centre ). The project transformed the industrial space into a mixed-use building that included shops, restaurants, offices, and exclusive residential condos (it once was the home for Premier Mike Harris ). Since its inception, Harbourfront Centre has been introducing Toronto audiences to artists and art forms that would not normally be seen in commercial venues. Artists who have performed at Harbourfront Centre: Celine Dion , Oscar Peterson , Robert Lepage , STOMP , Julio Iglesias , Spalding Gray , Philip Glass , Ann Murray , k.d. lang , Jim Carrey , Feist , Lillian Allen , and Gordon Lightfoot . In 2001, Harbourfront Centre organized "World Leaders: A Festival of Creative Genius," to pay homage to 14 renowned global cultural leaders. The participating artists included Issey Miyake , Guy Laliberté , Philippe Starck , Frank Gehry , Lily Tomlin , Stephen Sondheim , Bernardo Bertolucci , Robert Rauschenberg , Harold Pinter , Joni Mitchell , Robert Lepage , Peter Gabriel , Quincy Jones , and Pina Bausch . Each artist had

1278-555: The 45 Degrees subsidiary had become a division named "Cirque du Soleil Events + Experiences" under which the company now develops its special events and projects. In March 2004, Celebrity Cruises announced its first collaboration with Cirque du Soleil. By the end of that year, the collaboration had launched "The Bar at the Edge of the Earth" on both the Constellation and Summit cruise ships,

1349-457: The 56 miles (90 km) from Baie-Saint-Paul to Quebec City on stilts . This gave them funding for the stilt-walking troupe Les Échassiers de Baie-Saint-Paul , which then toured Quebec the following year in 1980. Although well received by audiences and critics alike, Les Échassiers was a financial failure. Laliberté spent the following winter in Hawaii while Ste-Croix stayed in Quebec to set up

1420-489: The Cirque du Soleil Entertainment Group as the name of the organization's new umbrella company. On 25 April 2018, the company announced that 45 Degrees, their special events subsidiary, had taken over the main company's creation and production department. On 5 July 2018, they announced their acquisition of the children's entertainment company VStar Entertainment Group and its subsidiary Cirque Dreams . Cirque du Soleil launched

1491-486: The Cirque du Soleil has created subsidiaries, such as multimedia environments and ticket selling tools. Outbox was built around the idea that event producers need a white label system to support them in selling tickets directly to customers. It allows all live entertainment venues to control their inventory, pricing, and consumer data without any third party involvement. 4U2C creates multimedia visual environments that combine video, sound, lighting and special effects for

SECTION 20

#1733093784976

1562-679: The Light Group opened the Light nightclub in collaboration with Cirque du Soleil at the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino in concurrence with the premiere of Michael Jackson One . It would later be host to the musical For the Record , the company's first project out of its theatrical division. In October 2015, Cirque du Soleil renounced its intention to be involved in Las Vegas nightclubs and has since dissociated itself from all its lounges and clubs. Both

1633-647: The National Arts Centre Award, a companion award of the Governor General's Performing Arts Awards , and in 2002 was inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame . In 1979, after having quit college and learned the art of fire breathing , Guy Laliberté organized a summer fair in Baie-Saint-Paul with the help of Daniel Gauthier and Gilles Ste-Croix. As part of a publicity stunt to convince the Quebec government to help fund this production, Ste-Croix walked

1704-529: The Red Maple Awards program was established for Grades 7–9 in response to growing school demand. Today, the Forest of Reading has expanded to include eight additional reading programs and is the largest program of its kind in the country. The stated objectives of the Forest of Reading are: The Forest of Reading consists of ten reading programs: The Forest of Reading retired awards are: Other lists: The school-aged programs have one large award ceremony in

1775-580: The Sandbox Hospitality Group, 45 Degrees, 4U2C, and Outbox Enterprises. In April 2014, Kurios: Cabinet of Curiosities , a touring tent show, premiered in Montreal to critical acclaim and was followed in November 2014 by Joyà , both the company's first resident show in Mexico and their first dinner theatre production. On 20 April 2015, Guy Laliberté announced that he had sold a 90% joint stake in

1846-622: The Sun" or "Sun Circus") is a Canadian entertainment company and the largest contemporary circus producer in the world. Located in the inner-city area of Saint-Michel , Montreal, it was founded in Baie-Saint-Paul on 16 June 1984 by former street performers Guy Laliberté and Gilles Ste-Croix . Originating as a performing troupe called Les Échassiers ( IPA: [lez‿eʃasje] ; "The Stilt Walkers"), they toured Quebec in various forms between 1979 and 1983. Their initial financial hardship

1917-467: The United States throughout 1988 and 1989, during which time plans for a second touring show named Éclipse started being developed. Due to artistic differences with these plans, Guy Caron, along with a number of artists, left the company causing the plans to be shelved. Gilles Ste-Croix, who had been away from the company since 1985, subsequently replaced Caron as artistic director. By the end of 1989,

1988-707: The absence of performing animals helped define Cirque du Soleil as the contemporary circus ("nouveau cirque") that it remains today. After financial successes and failures in the late 1980s, Nouvelle Expérience was created—with the direction of Franco Dragone —which not only made Cirque du Soleil profitable by 1990, but allowed it to create new shows. It expanded rapidly through the 1990s and 2000s, growing from one production to dozens of shows in over 300 cities on six continents. The company employed 4,900 people from 50 countries and generated an annual revenue of approximately US$ 1 billion in 2017. The multiple permanent Las Vegas shows alone play to more than 9,000 people

2059-612: The acts tell a story. Further influences from the Circus of China, Cirque Arlette Gruss, and Circus Roncalli led Cirque du Soleil to approach their shows in a more theatrical fashion with live music and no technical crew on stage. To assist in this shift towards a theatrical production, Laliberté and Caron hired Belgian director Franco Dragone to direct segments of their 1985 production, Cirque du Soleil . The company's first non-Quebec performances in Ontario in 1985 were unsuccessful, leading to

2130-533: The addition of a French festival in Toronto. The Evergreen Award winner is announced in November and the award is presented during the OLA's Super Conference in Toronto. Harbourfront Centre Harbourfront Centre is a cultural organization on the waterfront of Toronto , Ontario , Canada, situated at 235 Queens Quay West. Established as a crown corporation in 1972 by the Government of Canada to create

2201-533: The amount of money being spent for Montreal on both Expo 67 and the 1976 Summer Olympics . Hence, the Government of Canada decided that it would build Harbourfront Centre and the Government of Ontario would build nearby Ontario Place in order to revitalize Toronto's industrial harbour and increase tourism to the city. As a result, the Government of Canada committed to buying 100 hectares of land to be appropriated for public use. In 1972 "Harbourfront Corporation"

Forest of Reading - Misplaced Pages Continue

2272-956: The children's show Big Top Academy through TVO in October 2018. In November 2018, it premiered the touring tent show Bazzar in India, the company's first production to tour in that region. In 2019, the company opened six shows: the touring tent show Alegría: In a New Light ; the touring arena shows Axel and Messi10 ; the touring theatre show 'Twas the Night Before ; and two resident shows — X: The Land of Fantasy in Hangzhou, China and R.U.N in Las Vegas. During this time Cirque du Soleil also acquired The Works Entertainment company for $ 40 million to further diversify its subsidiaries. In February 2020, Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec announced that it had acquired Guy Laliberté's remaining 10% stake in Cirque du Soleil, bringing its total ownership in

2343-514: The closure of Zed due to poor ticket sales as a direct result of the March 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami . In November 2011 MGM Grand asked the company to close and replace Viva Elvis by the end of 2012 due to poor ticket sales. In February 2012, the company announced the closure of Zaia due to disappointing ticket sales and in November 2012, despite critical praise, announced the closure of Iris, also due to low ticket sales. In December 2012,

2414-450: The company announced a new division — Cirque du Soleil Média — in conjunction with Bell Media, followed by the release of their second film Worlds Away . At this time Cirque du Soleil also announced 50 layoffs. The layoffs consisted mostly of 30 employee positions at their International Headquarters in Montreal, including three vice-presidents. With the high output of shows between 2007 and 2011 in combination with its multiple closures,

2485-448: The company began gradually reopening several of its shows, beginning with all its Las Vegas-based resident shows (with the exception of Zumanity , which permanently shut down in November 2020) and some of its touring shows in late 2021 and 2022. However, some touring shows that had been temporarily suspended due to the pandemic were retroactively permanently closed at this time, including Totem , Volta , and Axel . In November 2021,

2556-504: The company began slowing down its operations. In 2012 and 2013 it only opened two shows: the touring tent show Amaluna and the resident show Michael Jackson: One in Las Vegas. On 16 January 2013, Cirque du Soleil announced that it would be laying off 400 of its 5000 employees worldwide, most of which at their International Headquarters. The company noted that it had not been profitable in 2012 despite having garnered over $ 1 billion in revenue that year. Later that year, on 30 June 2013,

2627-487: The company faced headlines when acrobat Sarah "Sasoun" Guyard-Guillot died after falling during a performance of Kà in Las Vegas, its first on-stage death in its history. In January 2014, Cirque du Soleil announced the creation of Cirque du Soleil Theatrical, a division aimed developing more traditional theatre productions in order to diversify their production output. The company subsequently announced numerous subsidiaries in addition to its Theatrical division, including

2698-435: The company from 10% to 20%. On 19 March 2020, responding to the COVID-19 pandemic , Cirque du Soleil announced that all 44 active shows worldwide would be suspended, and that 4,679 employees, comprising 95 percent of their staff, would be temporarily laid off, effective immediately. These actions brought the company into a state of financial collapse with a debt of over $ 1 billion. Although it received financial support with

2769-613: The company once again faced deficit due to internal conflicts amongst the company's leaders as well as from lukewarm reception to their revamped tour of Le Cirque Réinventé in the United States. In response to this, Cirque du Soleil took their plans for their previously shelved show Éclipse and developed it into Nouvelle Expérience . Franco Dragone returned as director in addition to a creative team made up of Dominique Lemieux, Michel Crête, René Dupéré , Luc Lafortune , and Debra Brown. Nouvelle Expérience premiered on 8 May 1990 in Montreal to critical acclaim, touring North America through

2840-577: The company premiered the touring show Corteo . The same year, the Cirque du Soleil switched ticketing companies to go with Outbox's technology, a white label system, of which it also became a shareholder. Cirque du Soleil premiered two shows in 2006: Delirium , their first significant touring arena show, in January of that year and The Beatles Love , their first collaboration with The Beatles , in June. Similarly, in 2007 they opened two more productions with

2911-557: The company to the investment groups TPG Capital, Fosun Capital Group, and La Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ) for approximately $ 1.5 billion, while retaining a 10% stake in the company himself. The sale received regulatory approval from the Government of Canada on 30 June 2015. Under the new ownership, the company began majorly restructuring its executive leadership in order to focus on increasing their profitability. Their finance director, chief operating officer, and numerous vice-presidents were all replaced within six months of

Forest of Reading - Misplaced Pages Continue

2982-458: The company was sold to a group of its creditors led by Catalyst Capital Group in November 2020. The company's creations have received numerous prizes and distinctions, including three Drama Desk Awards ; seven Primetime Emmy Awards ; multiple Gemini Awards ; a Daytime Emmy Award ; a Juno Award ; and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame . In 2000, Cirque du Soleil was awarded

3053-402: The company's Creative Content and New Ventures divisions, respectively. In 2002, the company created the touring show Varekai and in 2003 premiered the resident show Zumanity in Las Vegas, their first " X-rated " show performed only for adults aged 18 years and older. The company also produced their first television shows that year: the documentary reality miniseries Fire Within and

3124-466: The company's first ice show . Under the ownership of TPG Capital, Fosun Capital Group, and La Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec, Cirque du Soleil took steps to diversify and rebrand the company. On 6 July 2017, Cirque du Soleil announced that it had acquired the Blue Man Group as a new subsidiary of the company for a reported cost of US$ 65.5 million. On 21 November 2017, the company announced

3195-559: The company's market in the Asia and Pacific region for their subsequent tours in the late 1990s and 2000s. In 2000, the company produced their IMAX film Journey of Man . Shortly afterwards, at the beginning of 2001, Daniel Gauthier left the company and was bought out by Guy Laliberté, bringing his ownership stake in the company to 95%. Gilles Ste-Croix also soon left to found the horse-based touring show Cheval , leading Laliberté to hire Lyn Heward and Daniel Lamarre as Presidents and C.O.O.'s of

3266-450: The company's previously announced 2021 production Nysa was cancelled as a direct result of the pandemic. With the exception of the resident shows Joyà and X: The Land of Fantasy , which reopened with limited capacities in the summer of 2020, Cirque du Soleil did not reopen its shows for over a year following its worldwide COVID-19 performance suspension in March 2020. In the summer of 2021,

3337-482: The company's sale. Notably, the position of Chief Operating Officer held by Charles Décarie was given to finance lawyer Jonathan Tétrault. In November 2015 the company premiered the touring arena show Toruk — The First Flight based on James Cameron's Avatar franchise. It was followed shortly after by the touring tent show Luzia and the company's first Broadway musical Paramour , both opening in April 2016. By

3408-537: The end of 1991 and later residing in Las Vegas in 1992 and 1993. Their following touring shows — Saltimbanco , Alegría , Quidam , and Dralion — proved to be equally successful. The success of Nouvelle Expérience 's contract in Las Vegas led to a deal between Cirque du Soleil and the Mirage Casino-Hotel to create a permanent show, Mystère , residing in Treasure Island Hotel and Casino on

3479-430: The end of 2016 the company had also launched the preschool television series Luna Petunia on Netflix. In 2017, it launched three more productions. Séptimo Día — No Descansaré , an arena show based on the music of Soda Stereo , premiered in March for a short year-long tour targeted largely at South and Central American audiences. In April 2017, it premiered the touring tent show Volta and in October, Crystal ,

3550-642: The fair for 2 more years, becoming a moderate financial success. In 1983, the government of Quebec gave him a $ 1.6 million grant to host a production the following year as part of Quebec's 450th anniversary celebration of the French explorer Jacques Cartier's arrival in Turtle Island (North America). This became Cirque du Soleil's first production Le Grand Tour du Cirque du Soleil . The company's first production Le Grand Tour performed in Quebec for 13 weeks in summer 1984. Although several issues persisted during

3621-432: The filing, Cirque du Soleil entered a stalking horse bid from its shareholders with the intention of drawing outside bidders to buy the company. In July 2020, the company's shareholders offered a proposal that would allow its creditors to obtain a 45% stake in the company while the current shareholders would maintain a 55% shared stake. On 17 July 2020, a takeover proposal by the company's creditors valued at US$ 1.2 billion

SECTION 50

#1733093784976

3692-550: The first tour (including a collapsed tent and conflict between artists), it was a financial success. After securing funding from the Canadian government for a second year from the help of Quebec premier René Lévesque , Laliberté hired Guy Caron, head of the National Circus School , as Cirque du Soleil's artistic director . Laliberté and Caron reworked the company's performance style to emulate that of Moscow Circus by having

3763-405: The former Zumanity theatre at New York-New York Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, followed by the touring show Echo in 2023. In July 2024, the touring theatre production Songblazers premiered, but was shortly cancelled in November of the same year due to "logistical reasons." That same month, the company announced the closure of two performance venues in its Blue Man Group subsidiary as well as

3834-602: The new company continued to produce special events for Cirque du Soleil while expanding to offer creative content outside Cirque du Soleil as well. 45 Degrees later merged with the C-Lab (creative laboratory) division of the main company, continuing to produce special event performances while also designing shows with new concepts (such as the dinner-show concept in Joyà and the ice concept in Crystal ). In April 2019, Cirque du Soleil announced that

3905-616: The opening of The Beatles Love in Las Vegas in June 2006, Cirque du Soleil opened the Revolution lounge at The Mirage resort in 2007, its first venture into the Las Vegas nightlife business. The lounge was based on the work of The Beatles , in conjunction with the concept of The Beatles Love . In 2009, the company opened the Gold Lounge at the Aria Resort and Casino based on the life of Elvis Presley and their show Viva Elvis . In May 2013

3976-449: The premiere of La Nouba in 1998, the creative team that had developed all of the company's shows from 1990 to 1998 left. Starting with the creation of Dralion in 1999, Cirque du Soleil began producing shows with entirely new creative teams. Le Cirque Réinventé marked the company's first performances outside of North America when it performed in London and Paris in 1990. The show received

4047-674: The promotion of reading for pleasure. The program was also intended to increase awareness for Canadian books and authors. The first Forest of Reading Awards program, the Silver Birch Awards program, was launched in 1994. It targeted children in grades 4–6 and focused on both fiction and non-fiction books. As the program gained traction, the Silver Birch Award attracted the attention of principals and teachers who encouraged its adoption in ever-widening circles, providing teacher-librarians with much needed support. Five years later, in 1999,

4118-689: The resident show Wintuk in New York City and the touring tent show Koozå . In July 2007 the company made their first effort to convert tent shows to arena settings by launching Saltimbanco 's arena tour in London, Ontario (this custom would be followed by other tent shows in later years). The company opened three resident shows within the span of 3 months in 2008 — Zaia in Macau , China, Criss Angel Believe in Las Vegas, and Zed in Tokyo, Japan — which furthered their practice of producing multiple shows at

4189-494: The resident show Drawn to Life premiered — the company's first new production since the start of the pandemic. Later that month, Cirque du Soleil announced that Daniel Lamarre would be stepping down as president and CEO of the company and transitioning into the role of executive vice-chairman of the board, while former chief financial officer and chief operating officer Stéphane Lefebvre would take over as president and CEO, effective 1 December 2021. In 2022, Mad Apple opened in

4260-447: The same time. That year Cirque du Soleil also announced that they sold a 20% stake in the company to Dubai investors Istithmar World and Nakheel in order to finance their goals, including plans for a resident show in Dubai directed by Guy Caron and Michael Curry (according to Laliberté, these plans were later "put on ice" due to the 2008 recession ). In 2009, they launched 3 more shows:

4331-555: The spring, which is delivered at the Forest of Reading Festival (formerly the Festival of Trees) at the Harbourfront Centre , Toronto. The festival take place over three days and includes workshops, author signings, and the awards ceremonies themselves. In 2012, the Festival began touring with Satellite Festivals, which have been held in Thunder Bay, North Bay, Parry Sound, Ottawa, Sault Ste. Marie, Kitchener and London. 2014 also saw

SECTION 60

#1733093784976

4402-568: The summer of 1987, Cirque du Soleil was invited to present Le Cirque Réinventé at the Los Angeles Arts Festival. Despite only having enough money to make a one-way trip, the company agreed to open for the festival in September of that year. Le Cirque Réinventé 's first American performances were an instant critical and financial hit, allowing them make a profit of over $ 1.5 million by the end of 1987. The show continued to tour Canada and

4473-467: The touring tent show Ovo , the touring theatre show Banana Shpeel , and the resident show Viva Elvis in Las Vegas. At this time Cirque du Soleil began being criticized for the quality of their productions. Banana Shpeel became labelled as one of the company's first "failures" when it was panned by both critics and audiences; Criss Angel Believe and Viva Elvis also received negative reviews. The touring show Totem premiered in 2010 and

4544-466: The variety series Solstrom . In 2004, Cirque du Soleil premiered the resident show Kà at MGM Grand in Las Vegas, directed by Robert Lepage. In September of that year, the company launched their record label, Cirque du Soleil Musique, after their agreement with BMG Canada expired. In 2005, Lamarre took over as President of Cirque du Soleil from Laliberté while Heward took on the role of executive producer for special projects. In that same year

4615-621: Was approved as a benchmark bid in the company by the Quebec Superior Court . On 17 August 2020, Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec reported that it had to write off the US$ 75 million investment which it had made only four months prior, in February. On 24 November 2020, it was announced that the company emerged from bankruptcy and was sold to a group of its creditors led by Canadian investment company Catalyst Capital Group . In January 2021,

4686-549: Was established as a federal Crown Corporation. In 1975, the top portion of the CN Tower was housed at Harbourfront Centre, and schoolchildren were asked to sign it before it was installed. In the following decades, the area saw a number of uses, hosting children's summer day camps in 1978, and hosting the Cirque du Soleil which performed in the area in 1985. The first WOMAD festival in Canada

4757-422: Was eventually discontinued. On 9 November 2015, Cirque du Soleil announced that it would be re-entering the cruise ship business in collaboration with MSC Cruises . The partnership plans included a $ 21 million investment by MSC to create special theatre spaces in four of their Meraviglia class ships while Cirque du Soleil would create eight new shows, two on each ship in alternating performances. The partnership

4828-415: Was held at Harbourfront Centre in 1988. Harbourfront Centre was formed on January 1, 1991, as a non-profit charitable organization with a mandate to organize and present public events and to operate a 10-acre (40,000 m ) site encompassing York Quay and John Quay (south of Queens Quay West). In 1982, Queen's Quay Terminal was remodelled by Zeidler Partnership Architects (the same firm that designed

4899-683: Was later branded as Cirque du Soleil at Sea. In June 2017, it launched its first two productions on the MSC Meraviglia — Viaggio and Sonor . This was followed by Syma and Varélia on the MSC Bellissima in March 2019 and Cosmos and Exentricks on the MSC Grandiosa in November 2019. Two more shows were planned to launch on MSC Virtuosa in 2020 until the COVID-19 pandemic forced all Cirque du Soleil at Sea productions to close. Following

4970-562: Was relieved in 1983 by a government grant from the Canada Council for the Arts to perform as part of the 450th anniversary celebrations of Jacques Cartier 's voyage to Canada. Their first official production Le Grand Tour du Cirque du Soleil was a success in 1984, and after securing a second year of funding, Laliberté hired Guy Caron from the National Circus School to recreate it as a "proper circus". Its theatrical, character-driven approach and

5041-687: Was soon followed by three more shows in 2011: the resident show Iris in Los Angeles and the touring shows Michael Jackson: The Immortal World Tour and Zarkana . Although the company was still growing at this time, it continued to face several issues with its newer productions. Zarkana and Michael Jackson: The Immortal World Tour received poor reviews and the company had a string of closures. Banana Shpeel closed in Toronto in October 2010 after cancelling its previously-announced engagement in San Francisco. In July 2011, Cirque du Soleil announced

#975024