Giffords Circus have a new spectacle currently on tour until September 2026. Waterfield comes into London later this month, at Chiswick House and Gardens.
In advance of seeing the show, I asked tour manager Mikey Fletcher to tell us something about how Giffords works on-stage and off.
Current tour details can be found at: https://giffordscircus.com/book-tickets/.
Take us behind the scenes on a typical day at Giffords Circus. What happens when the audience isn’t around?Â
Travelling with the circus is an experience like no other. You start each season with a group of 90% strangers, who by the end of the Tour become like family.
On a day off, you have the country’s beautiful and palatial (sometimes quite literally) gardens on your doorstep. So you are never without a beautiful stroll in nature, or a relaxing time around someone else’s wagon or caravan to pass the time.
BBQs are shared, film nights, trips to the local villages, or simply catching up on the ever-growing washing basket that you have neglected to attack for the last week!
Waterfield is a new, ambitious production inspired by the English countryside and the animals who live there. Are there any new acts or themes we should watch out for?
Every year, our show follows a new theme, bringing a new storyline and, in turn, new acts to our ever loyal audience. Waterfield features a breathtaking array of costumes designed by the genius that is takis, a musical score curated by Musical Director James Keay, and a beautifully enchanting script and storyline by writer and director Cal McCrystal.
This year, we have several acts never before seen in our Giffords Circus Big Top; we have the daring ‘wheel of death’ act performed impeccably by the incredible Valencia Flyers from Columbia, a 9 strong Acrobatic Troupe ‘Addis Ababa’ who perform tricks and skills questioning how is that humanly possible, the beautiful and mesmerising duo strap routine of the incredible Sienna Sisters who perform majestic feats in the air.
Jessyka Jasters’s hypnotic foot-juggling routine is perfectly complemented by her partner’s juggling number, whose cheeky chappy ‘Rodney Rabbit’ character (Sonny Caveagna) charms adults and children alike. We have at the heart oue home grown and in-house trained animal acts who are planted firmly at the heart of Giffords Circus, and this year, Alice Gifford has trained Maizie the Shire Horse, Tinkerbell the Miniature Shetland Pony and our beloved Giffords Circus unofficial mascot ‘Brian The Goose’ with grace and calm.
The Jasters return following their appearance in ¡Carpa! with their death-defying knife-throwing and crossbow act as an immaculate display of trust and precision. This year, we have the addition of the loveable and hilarious clowning duo ‘Olivia and Stefan’ or ‘Ratty and Mole’ as they are known in our show- they thread the needle of our storyline perfectly and are the epitome of ‘if at first you don’t succeed… try, try again,’ and the audience falls in love with them throughout our show.
Not to forget to mention our incredible house band ‘The Grasshoppers’, who create the soundtrack to our summer, with an array of ‘all British soundtrack’ celebrating British music artists of the past 5 decades led by the breathtaking vocal talents of the internationally acclaimed theatre, TV and film singer Jenna Dearness-Dark.
Giffords Circus is always on the move. How do you keep the operation running smoothly and make sure all participants are kept healthy and happy?
Keeping 72 people on the road is a juggling act in itself. We perform, we cook, we build and pull down the big top, we serve, and by the end of the season, 268 times. We look after each other, relying on the community and camaraderie that the lifestyle depends on.
The people are what make the magic real, so the care we show our team is at the forefront of my approach. We organise an osteopath to come to us at most grounds, to ensure that our bodies are cared for to meet the demands of the world we build and live in. We have a warm-up area back stage, a travelling gym so bodies are kept in tip top condition- seeing people train after a three-show day is something I will never be able to understand, but that is the tenacity of a circus performer in action.
We care for each other, pick each other up when we are down, which is only natural for a hugely demanding tour; we offer mental health support for those who may need it, and we have one or two (or 20) parties dotted in around the schedule to allow us all to breathe out and toast all our hard work.
What’s been the best story from the tour so far?
While I was outside the tent after a show this year, I was walking around Front of House, thanking our audience for coming. An older gentleman came up to me, grabbed my hand in his two, shook it vigorously, and said thank you. He told me he was going through treatment for cancer, and this was the first time in months he forgot the hard time he and his family had been facing. He said it was the tonic that they all needed. That made the hard times even more worth it!!!
How would you sell Waterfield to a first-time Giffords attendee?
From the moment you arrive in the field, lined with traditional burgundy showman’s wagons, and Front of House attendants in traditional Livery, with the smell of popcorn, candyfloss and home-cooked food in the air, you are transported into another world for a blissful period. That joy hits you before the show begins. Waterfield brings unbridled fun for all ages. Audiences of all ages, enjoying the same entertainment- imagine a West End show in a field… that’s it in a nutshell.