Gifford's Circus

Giffords Circus is a traditional English circus which tours the Cotswolds area every summer.

Established in 2000, Giffords Circus is a small circus company that delivers circus / theatre fusion to the villages and market towns of the south west. It combines dance, comedy, horses and live music in a two-hour show, located on village greens in a small white tent surrounded by handmade burgundy and gold showman’s wagons. Giffords Circus was founded and is run by Nell and Toti Gifford who, when not on the road, concentrate on landscape architecture. Nell is the sister of the designer Emma Bridgewater.

Shows

• The 2004 show was called 'Pearl'.
• The 2006 'Joplin' tour had a 1960s theme reflected in the costumes and music.
• The 2008 tour was called ‘Caravan’ and was set in a horse fair in around 1900.
• The 2010 tour was called Yasmine and was inspired by the life of legendary equestrienne Yasmine Smart, who played herself in the production.
• The 2011 tour was entitled War and Peace and details Napoleon's disastrous intrusion into Russia from a Russian Aristocratic family's view.
• The 2012 tour was called 'The Saturday Book'. A 90-minute show for all ages, with a witty collection of vignettes, tableaus, stories and paintings.
• The 2013 tour was called 'Lucky 13', and details the consequences of the culture clash that results from a 'High Art' opera and ballet themed circus show that is gatecrashed by a rowdy Transylvanian travelling Circus.^[1][2]
• 2014 The Thunders, took the Greek Gods as it's theme.
• 2015 Moon Songs blended cultural images of the moon with the story of two young Ethiopian jugglers dreaming of fame.
• In 2016 the show was The Painted Wagon^[3][4][5] and centred on a group of American 19th century homesteaders.
• 2017 used maritime themes and saw the circus visiting the 17th century Spanish Court.^[6]

External links

• Giffords Circus
• BBC review, 2004
• Kwabana Lindsay
• Giffords 2013 'Lucky 13' review
• The bluestocking who ran off to join the circus

References