Theatre and Dance

The West Yorkshire Playhouse think they've come up with a perfect way to keep the kids occupied in the Easter holidays, once all the chocolate eggs have been devoured - they're bringing all the fun and excitement of the circus onto the stage.

Franco-Catalan company, Circo De La Sombra will take over the Courtyard Theatre with their engaging and energetic homage to the traditional travelling circus. Bursting with acrobatic madness and drop-dead humour, six of Europe's finest circus artists have created a breathtaking show of frenetic pace and stunning skill.

Circo De La Sombra promises to be like no show seen at the Playhouse before, as slapstick meets pantomime meets circus - these astounding acrobats juggle with the imagination and leave audiences breathless as they fly and fall and dazzle the mind into astonishment.

Circo De La Sombra

Hailing from Catalonia, France and Italy, Circo de la Sombra offers some of the best in contemporary European performance. Using circus traditions from as far back as the middle-ages, and the stylings of a Victorian travelling show, Circo de la Sombra will take the audience on an acrobatic tumble that is sure to be nothing but gymnastic, artistic, fantastic!

Seen-to-be-believed acts include the Banquine, Rola-Bola, Planche-Sautoir and the static trapeze. Live accompaniment is supplied by Le Grand Osim Orchestra from Napoli with music from rural regions of Spain, France and Italy plus a hint of Portuguese fado and gypsy improvisation.

Le Grand Osim Orchestra and Circo de la Sombra met in 2005 at the Napoli Street Festival where both ensembles came together, united in a moment of spontaneous improvisation, and found their work so well suited that they decided to collaborate on a full show.

Circo de la Sombra appear at the Courtyard Theatre, West Yorkshire Playhouse from Wednesday 15 April until Saturday 18 April 2009. There are matinee performances every day but no evening performance on the Wednesday.