How Cirque du Soleil Does It

Writing in The Telegraph, Sally Williams looks behind the scene at Cirque du Soleil:

There are currently 13 different Cirque shows around the world, six so large they couldn't even fit in a tent. Visitors to Las Vegas can choose between five resident Cirque shows, including Ka, where the performers fly, and so does the stage; O, where props include 1.5 million gallons of water; and most recently, Love, based on songs by the Beatles.

At Cirque, it is not the ringmaster who is in charge, but head office in Montreal, which is run like a multinational conglomerate with separate departments for developing markets, casting, costumes and props, and talent-scouting – basically human resources. This building issues all manner of edicts, from the Cirque way of serving popcorn during the interval to the cleaning timetable for the Big Top (once a fortnight).