Thursday, September 14, 2017

Cirque Exotique du Monde: A Note From the Playwright


A word from the playwright: 

The world of Cirque Exotique du Monde is a confluence of two historic occurrences; the story of an ethnographer who collected morbid curiosities for his museum and the story of Circus Sarrasani, a prominent circus that began in Germany in 1901.  Ethnographer, Dr Gonzalez de Velasco’s story tells of a complex individual flawed by his dehumanizing pursuit of “oddities”; a pursuit which had a devastating impact on the lives it touched.  Circus Sarrasani is the story of a community and the changes forced upon it to survive.  ircus Sarrasani, weathered two world wars but at a significant cost. Most tragically, in WWII it was required to hand over performers to the Nazis if they did not meet the Nuremberg criteria of pure Aryan descent or if they displayed non-conforming traits or characteristics.  

The play begins in 1936 Berlin, a time of rising gross and blatant intolerance. We know now that this time foreshadows a tragic historic turn. Though this is a story inspired by historic events, it’s truly the story of family, community, and the individuals both within and without.  It is a story of acceptance and not accepting. It is the story of collective identity, personal identity and the constant struggle of finding one’s place.

Kathy Boussina

Playwright

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