Circus Center will now be closed through April 7, in compliance with the Bay Area Shelter-In-Place order announced yesterday.

This extended closure increases the urgency of our Emergency Staff Fund campaign. We need your help to ensure that we can fully pay our teachers while closed AND have enough funds reserved for reopening. Please give to help support the people who keep Circus Center running:

DONATE

So far, 85 donors have given over $19,000 to our fund, and many students have emailed us (at info@circuscenter.org) to donate their unused class credits, too. Your generosity has lifted our spirits, and so have your comments:

• I know I am not alone when I say that so many of us count Circus Center as our home and the health, safety, and security of staff is paramount.
• I fully support Circus Center and the wonderful athletic arts they teach, therefore would like to support the instructors during this difficult time. I wish you all many blessings and donations!
• So thankful for everything Circus Center is and does. Hope everyone is staying healthy and safe.
• Thanks for setting a great example for gyms everywhere by aiming to pay staff fully during this time!
• I only moved to SF 4 months ago and absolutely randomly stumbled upon CC online. It was love at first sight! What a great place, amazing vibes, good energy, professional instructors! We are all in this together, please stay strong and keep up the good spirits! Can't wait to go back to Acrobatics, Handstand, and Stretching classes once this ordeal is over! And believe me, it will be over, and we'll all come out of it stronger and wiser
• Thank you for being an absolute treasure of the Bay Area. I haven't trained with you for many years but I cherish my memories in Circus Center and I hope to keep it around for many years to come!

If you are able, please make a tax-deductible donation today. Help us reach our goal of $60,000, so we can keep our teacher pay 100% through this closure:

DONATE

Based upon the closure announced by the San Francisco Unified School District, as well as guidance from the California Department of Public Health, Circus Center will be closed effective Saturday, March 14, 2020 until at least March 29, 2020. No classes, private lessons, individual user training, or any other activities will take place during this time. (The last class on Friday before closure will be Elena's Hoop 1 class at 6:00 pm.)

The Board and leadership of Circus Center will continue to monitor the COVID-19 situation, and will be in regular communication with our community in the days ahead.

Staff will remain available via phone and email – hours of availability will be announced soon.

As a non-profit organization, Circus Center relies on the support of our donors, students, and ticket buyers to help ensure that we can offer the highest quality circus experiences and make them accessible to as many people as possible. This starts with the extraordinary circus artists who teach our classes, perform in our shows, and bring our artform out into our city. The coronavirus situation is having a profound impact on them already, with many performance opportunities already lost. Like the spotters, catchers, and riggers, our community takes care of one another, and Circus Center is committed to paying our instructors and staff for as long as possible during the closure.

Someone will be in touch with you in the coming days to handle your class credits, tickets, and so on that can't be used because of the closure. In lieu of a refund, please consider making a donation to support the resilient Circus Center instructors and staff. Please keep supporting the people who keep Circus Center running.

DONATE

Thank you for taking care of yourselves and each other in these strange, unprecedented, and yes, stressful times. With love and compassion as our guides, we will be back, pursuing the beauty and artistry and truth of circus together.

Onwards,

Barry Kendall
Executive Director

Late in the day yesterday, San Francisco Mayor London Breed issued a directive prohibiting all mass (50+ people) gatherings in City buildings for the next two weeks, to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Circus Center operates out of a City building, so it is with deep regret that we must inform you that, in compliance with Mayor Breed's order, the March 13 & 14 performances of the Circus Center Cabaret will not take place.

Next week, our team will assess the possibility of postponing this edition of the Cabaret to a later date. The box office will then be in touch with all current ticket holders to either reschedule or refund your tickets.

At this time, the Mayor's order only impacts large gatherings like performances. All Circus Center classes and other programming continue as usual for now, and we continue to take the heightened precautions outlined in our previous statement.

Our top priority is protecting the health and safety of our patrons, artists, students, and staff. Understandably, this unprecedented situation is very disappointing to all of us. We appreciate your patience as we navigate this challenging time.

We wish you and those close to you continued good health, and we will continue to take all necessary steps to safeguard the wellbeing of our community.

Thanks again for your understanding,
 
Barry Kendall
Executive Director

PS – If you are interested in reading the Mayor's press release, click here.

Dear Circus Center community,

A couple of community members have called our attention to this part of our policy around late cancellation for drop-ins:

If you have to late cancel (<24 hrs in advance or up to 1 week after the class has occurred) due to illness or injury, please submit a doctor's note to the Front Desk to have your credit reinstated. Credits will retain their original expiration date.

Not everybody has easy access to a doctor at all times. Requiring a doctor's note in order to keep a late-cancelled credit risks creating an incentive for people to attend class when sick. We don't want that!

So, effective immediately, if you need to late-cancel due to illness, you do not need to provide a doctor's note. Just contact the Front Desk as soon as possible (and no more than 1 week after the class has occurred), let them know that you are/were sick, and they will reinstate your credit with its original expiration date. (Please be patient when waiting for the Front Desk to confirm your credit has been reinstated – as always, they are hustling for you!)

This policy change is temporary, and it's a little scary for us. Late cancellations typically mean a spot in class going empty, so restoring your credit means losing revenue, which we obviously need to stay open. But in order to best protect everyone right now, this is the right thing to do, and we trust you to use this exception responsibly, and not abuse it by claiming illness when you're not really sick.

The way we get through this is by taking care of each other. That's what Circus Center has always been about.

With all best wishes,

Barry

Dear Circus Center community members,

I hope this message finds you in good health and good spirits. This message is to update you regarding how Circus Center is preparing for the potential impact of COVID-19, also referred to as the "coronavirus."

What if I'm sick?
As a student at Circus Center, please don't come to train if you are sick. This is especially true if you are exhibiting a fever, cough, sore throat, or even minor cold symptoms. It may be a cold, but it may not be, and allowing yourself to rest will be important. Thank you for helping reduce the spread of illness within our community.

We have recently updated our policies to be more accommodating of students' health issues:

• Adult Class Drop-Ins
  • All drop-in class credits and packs have a 1-year expiration date – plenty of time to recover from even a serious illness or injury and come back to training.
  • If you early cancel (>24 hrs in advance of class), you always get your drop-in credit back.
  • [3/5/2020 edit] TEMPORARY POLICY CHANGE: If you have to late cancel (<24 hrs in advance or up to 1 week after the class has occurred) due to illness, we do not currently require a doctor's note. Just contact the Front Desk as soon as possible to have your credit reinstated. Credits will retain their original expiration date. (For more on this temporary policy change, read our blog post.)
• Session enrollments (adult & youth after-school)
  • Adult session enrollments come with a bonus class credit that you can use for any reason, including to make up for a class missed due to illness
  • Medical withdrawal: If a medical situation arises that will prevent you from participating for the rest of the session, Circus Center will credit 50% of the remaining pro-rated tuition to your account for future use. A medical doctor's note specifying the initial date of the illness/injury is required for medical withdrawal. 

Prevention
Under the leadership of our Facility Manager Jives, we are taking extra steps to clean and sanitize our facility. I have approved additional hours for cleaning staff, and our Board is assisting us with stocking up on the necessary supplies.

The most important prevention measures, however, are those that all of us can take as individuals. COVID-19 is in the family of viruses that cause the common cold, so symptoms and prevention measures are similar.

To help prevent the spread of germs:

• Wash hands frequently
• Do not touch eyes, nose, or mouth
• Cover mouth and nose when sneezing or coughing, using a tissue, sleeve, or facemask
• Avoid close contact with people who are sick
• Get a flu shot (recommended for everyone 6 months of age and older)

(Please note, this is considered good general advice from the CDC, but please consult with a medical professional for advice that is specific to the needs of your family.)

Potential Closures
Circus Center occupies a San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) building through an agreement with the City & County of San Francisco. Therefore, SFUSD is our primary authority for determining whether and when we close as part of a general response to an emergent event, whether it's an earthquake, poor air quality due to wildfires, or preventing the spread of a disease like COVID-19. SFUSD, in turn, takes its direction from local, state, and federal authorities, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Bottom line, if the schools close, we close.

The other closure scenario would not be general, but specific to Circus Center: if a COVID-19 case is detected that impacts us – for example, someone known to be sick with the disease has been in our facility. In such a case, we will follow SFUSD protocols to work directly with the San Francisco Department of Public Health to evaluate exposure risk and make decisions regarding quarantine/closure for the general health and safety of our entire community.

To learn more about what the City and SFUSD are doing to prepare, along with other helpful resources, please click: https://www.sfusd.edu/services/health-wellness/updates-regarding-covid-19

Circus Center takes the wellbeing of our students, staff, and community very seriously. We are monitoring this situation on a daily basis, and we will keep you posted if and when things change.

Sincerely,

Barry Kendall
Executive Director

AUDITION NOTICE

March 8, 2020

A Midsummer Night’s Dream…
An Immersive Circus Karaoke Spectacular!

Director and Stage Manager duo, Felicity Hesed and Thuan Lieu, are back again for the 2020 Summer Showcase and taking it in a wildly different direction. Shakespeare. But this isn’t your high school lit teacher’s Shakespeare. We are creating an immersive event filled with circus and comedy all set to a soundtrack of popular music that the audience can sing along to. Sound fun? It’s going to be a raucous good time!

Since the show will be quite different, the process for creating it will also be different. Beginning with auditions. We are not necessarily looking for finished acts to be slotted into this show. We are looking for people who have acts or can create acts that can be modified to fit into the story, structure, characters, and musical soundscape of this show. If you have a finished act but you’re willing to modify it, please audition! If you don’t have an act, but you have strong skills, sequences, and performance abilities, please audition!  If you are funny, we need you! If you want to be part of the ensemble, we need you too! If you want to help behind the scenes, you’re our hero!

Schedule:

• AUDITIONS – Sunday, March 8 from 5:00-8:30pm
• REHEARSALS - Sundays and some Saturdays from 5-8pm beginning March 15 (Performers will not be called for every rehearsal. A detailed rehearsal schedule will be available at the auditions. Please bring your calendars so you can write down your conflicts.)
• TECH – Performers and technicians called.
  • Saturday June 13 from 4-10pm
  • Sunday, June 14, from 2-10pm
  • Dress Rehearsal – Thursday, June 18 from 6-10pm
• PERFORMANCES
  • Friday, June 19 at 7:30pm
  • Saturday, June 20 at 2:00pm and 7:30pm
  • Sunday, June 21 at 2:00pm followed by Strike and Cast Party

Auditions:
We are holding group auditions for this show that will last one hour. The following slots are available:

• 5:00-6:00 – Theatre (only sign up for this time if you can do your act in the theatre)
• 6:10-7:10 – Gym
• 7:20-8:20 – Gym

During this time you will do the following:

• Present a prepared piece – this can be a finished act or a polished sequence. Please keep it between 1-3 minutes. Solos, duos, or groups are all welcome.
• Participate in group activities including learning a basic dance combination, singing in a group, and doing an acting/character exercise.

Interested in joining us on this wild adventure? Email auditions [AT] circuscenter [DOT] org to sign up to audition. Please include the following information in your email:

• Name and phone number
• Preferred audition slot
• Apparatus for your prepared piece
• Let us know if you are interested in being in the show but cannot be at the auditions

Questions? Contact Felicity and/or Thuan: felicity [AT] circuscenter [DOT] org and thuan [AT] circuscenter [DOT] org.