The acrobatic and artistic mastery of Cirque du Soleil’s OVO has thrilled millions of audiences across 40 countries, and the cast and crew will soon be back in Chattanooga.
OVO’s Senior Publicist on Tour, Janie Mallet, said the idea of OVO (“egg” in Portuguese) took years to bring to fruition. OVO offers audiences a look into a day in the life of insects through sound, color and movement. Heart-stopping aerial acrobatics, dance, and colorful costumes will highlight each species’ personalities and abilities. Funny and chaotic, yet adorable and wonderful, OVO charms our inner child with its sweet exuberance.
Mallet said OVO is a show well suited for young children and audiences who might not speak or understand English well, because the story is told through the buzzing language of insects and original musical scores.
While audiences will marvel at the aerial acrobatics, contortionists, jugglers, trampoline artists and other performers, what takes place behind the scenes is equally important to the show’s success.
Mallet said the traveling show includes 52 cast members and just as many technicians, producers, costume designers and production personnel. She said these folks are crucial in making sure all travel documents and passports are done and ensure chartered flights; bus schedules and hotels are ready. The entire team travels together. They are currently touring the United States after returning from shows in Europe and the Middle East.
“OVO, was created in 2009,” Mallet said during a phone interview on her way to Lexington, Kentucky. “We’ve actually been touring the world for the past 15 years.”
The cast and crew also represent 25 nationalities.
Mallet said when the team arrives in Chattanooga, they will hire an additional 100 employees to help them build the stage, platforms and aerial rigging needed for the show. The job requires the unloading of 20 semi-trucks full of equipment the day prior to their premiere. Initially this took days, but with years of experience under their belt, Mallet said it gets done faster.
“It takes about 12 hours,” she said.
On the day of the show’s premiere, the backstage and technical crews go through final sound and safety checks.
Then the pageantry begins. The show runs for 2 hours with an intermission.
And when the curtain closes after the last performance, it’s off to the next location.
“Approximately three and a half hours after, we will be packed up and ready to go the next city,” Mallet said.
Most of the cast and crew of OVO have traveled together for many years. Mallet said one cast member has been with the show for the entire 15 years. She said they are truly a family.
“I definitely do spend more time with them than I do with my actual own family just because of the nature of the traveling show,” she said. “We do travel together, we work together, we hang out together, we eat catering together, we stay at the same hotels. So, we do become close.”
While OVO is in its 15th year, Cirque du Soleil is celebrating another milestone.
“This year we are celebrating our 40th year so we’ve been around a while now,” Mallet said. “Forty years ago, it started with a small group of street performers that had an idea of reinventing the circus and focusing on the capabilities of the human body and pushing those boundaries and not using animals.”
Today Cirque du Soleil employs over 4,000 people and is considered one of the largest employers of artists and leaders of live entertainment.
OVO will perform in Chattanooga, Tennessee, at the McKenzie Arena from October 3rd to October 6th.
Performance Schedule:
- Thursday, October 3rd: 7:00 p.m. ET
- Friday, October 4th: 7:00 p.m. ET
- Saturday, October 5th: 3:00 p.m. & 7:00 p.m. ET
- Sunday, October 6th: 1:00 p.m. ET
Tickets are now available online exclusively for Cirque Club members. Membership is free—sign up at cirqueclub.com.
General ticket sales are available at cirquedusoleil.com/ovo.