This December Circus Center will premiere our fantastical new holiday showcase, Alice In Winterland, a theatrical-circus telling of the wonderland adventure set right here in our beloved San Francisco. With Alice all grown up and with kids of her own, she one day finds herself mysteriously called back to the land of her childhood dream only to find it’s oddly parallel to the joys and challenges of our own world. Ever brave and curious, Alice and her two kiddos follow the White Rabbit and his own bunny kiddos through the foggy night and find old friends in hilarious new conundrums, from a stuck-in-the-air Cheshire Cat to a members-only Mad Hatter’s Tea Party to an anti-holiday Red Queen! Alice and her family have the adventure of their lives by inspiring and discovering anew what the holidays are truly about, right underneath the cool gray city of love! This show is performed entirely by our curiouser and curiouser SF Youth Circus and adult students of Circus Center with their many wonderful circus skills and bold characterizations. Not to be missed this holiday season! 

Audition Date/ Time: August 22nd - 10am-4pm PDT (Lunch Break 12-1pm)

Appointments: Email sailor@circuscenter.org with “Alice in Winterland Auditions” as the subject line to schedule a time. And please fill out our survey at: https://forms.gle/k474dQDf2ZfYN7sg9 

Location: Circus Center

755 Frederick St.

San Francisco, CA 94117

Personnel: Directors: Colin Johnson, Sara Toby Moore

Artistic Director: Felicity Hesed

Production Manager: Sailor Galaviz

Preparation: If possible, please prepare a circus act showcasing your skills, a clown act, or a comedic monologue (under three minutes). *We understand that after a year+ of lockdown, many people will not have an act ready for auditions. That’s okay!  Please audition anyway! Come ready to play with an open mind and show us a few of your favorite tricks. Auditions open to all members of our circus community! 

Note: Students enrolled in classes in the Performance Department (Human Animation, Contortion Group Act Creation, and SFYC Performance Troupe) this Fall will automatically have a place in the show if they want. However, if you’d like to perform a featured circus act or a lead role, please still schedule an audition!

Winter Showcase Rehearsal & Class Schedule

[Not all participants will be required to attend all rehearsals, workshops, and classes - your involvement in the show will dictate the track you are placed on]

AUDITIONS

Sun August 22, 2021 - 10am-4pm

REHEARSALS:

Sunday 9/12/21 5pm-8pm
Sunday 9/19/21 5pm-8pm
Sunday 10/24/21 5pm-8pm 
Sunday 11/07/21 5pm-8pm
Sunday 11/14/21 5pm-8pm 
Sunday 11/21/21 5pm-8pm
Sunday 11/28/21 5pm-8pm

WORKSHOPS:

Saturday 9/18/21 2-5pm - Character Development Workshop - Studio
Saturday 9/25/21 2-5pm - Individual 
Saturday 10/02/21 2-5pm - Music Selection + Choreography - Studio
Saturday 10/16/21 2-5pm - Individual
Saturday 10/23/21 2-5pm - Costuming - Studio
Saturday 11/06/21 2-5pm - Individual 
Saturday 11/13/21 2-5pm - Individual 
Saturday 11/20/21 2-5pm - Makeup Workshop - Studio or Backstage

TECH:

Saturday 12/04/21 12m-10pm (Cast call 1pm)
Sunday 12/05/21 12pm-10pm (Cast call 1pm)
Thursday 12/09/21 4pm-10pm - Dress Rehearsal

PERFORMANCES:

Friday 12/10/21 7:30pm (call 5:00pm)
Saturday 12/11/21 2:00pm (call 12:00pm) and 7:30pm (call 6:00pm)
Sunday 12/12/2021 2:00pm (call 12:00pm)

This fall, we are very pleased to bring back Full Session Enrollment as a registration option for our adult students. Moreover, we are making session enrollment available for both in-person AND online classes!

Session enrollment means you pay upfront and are guaranteed a spot in the same class each week of the session. Session enrollment has been a part of Circus Center's culture and approach to circus training for many years, because we know that a regular, consistent training regimen is the best way to learn. So we don't just offer session enrollment – we make it our best, most attractive deal for you!

• Priority enrollment period (first shot at some of our most coveted classes!);
• The ONLY way to get our lowest prices:
  • $32/class for regular in-person classes,
  • $40/class for premium in-person classes,
  • $14/class for 60/90-minute online classes, and
  • $25/class for 2 hr online classes; plus
• One free drop-in credit per enrollment, in case you have to miss or just want to try something new!

Session enrollment for Fall classes opens on Tuesday, August 3 at 10am PDT (UTC -7). The priority enrollment period lasts almost two weeks, until registration opens for students using class credits and packs on August 16. Many classes will fill up with session enrollees!

To session enroll:

1. Pick out classes (Fall schedule comes out this Friday, July 30)
2. Make sure you have an updated payment method on your MindBody account
3. If you want to enroll in a class with a pre-requisite, check with the Front Desk team (info@circuscenter.org) and make sure the pre-req is on your account
4. Draft an email to info@circuscenter.org with your request. Include your first and last name, email associated with your MindBody account, and a list of all the classes you'd like to enroll in. For example, "Beginning Contortion Online on Saturdays at 4pm" or "All Levels Flying Trapeze on Tuesdays at 6:30pm."
5. Schedule it to send (or be at your computer ready to click send) right at 10:00am PDT on 8/3

When you review the class schedule for Fall 2021, we recommend considering a backup class or two just in case you don't get into your first choice. You can include your backup classes in your session enrollment request email. Please make it clear that they are backup options in the event the original classes you requested fill up.

Fall 2021 session runs September 7 – December 22, 2021. See you in class! 

 Dear Circus Center community,

As some of you already know, Circus Center very recently instituted a policy permitting verified fully vaccinated students to train without masks during certain times of day. Unfortunately, in light of recent developments in the pandemic, we are reversing course for now and requiring all students, staff, community members, and visitors to wear masks at all times inside our facility.

The rise of the Delta variant changes the risk mitigation equation. Delta is much more transmissible than previous versions of COVID. It prompts the body to produce, carry, and spread a much higher viral load, which translates into more serious sickness. And evidence from other countries and less vaccinated regions of our own country suggests that the Delta variant carries higher risks of infection and serious illness for children. Although San Francisco has very high vaccination rates, and the vaccines prevent serious illness, breakthrough cases are not uncommon, thereby creating more opportunities for community spread.

Our organization serves many children every day. As they are among the most vulnerable now in this pandemic, we must prioritize their health and safety. Although we mostly separate youth training times and spaces from adult training, the separation is imperfect, and instructors teach both populations constantly.

In addition to requiring masks at all times indoors, we are also taking additional measures to improve and test our ventilation regularly. Finally, please, everyone, WASH YOUR HANDS, and continue to wear a mask as much as possible indoors. We can get through this together, but only by taking action, not just for ourselves, but for the most vulnerable among us.

Courage,

Barry

WE ASKED, YOU ANSWERED.
 
Would you change your training practices if people around you (vax-verified) were unmasked?

• Yes, I would train more. - 117 (42%)
• Yes, I would train less. - 14 (5%)
• Yes, I would not train at all. - 12 (4.3%)
• No, it wouldn't change my training practices. - 133 (48%)

TOTAL: 276

Would you change your training practices if required to continue wearing a mask?

• Yes, I would train more. - 16 (7.5%)
• Yes, I would train less. - 58 (27%)
• Yes, I would not train at all. - 27 (12.7%)
• No, it wouldn't change my training practices. - 111 (52%) 

TOTAL: 212
 

OUR NEW MASK POLICY
 
The results are clear: the vast majority of our students would prefer not to wear masks inside our facilities. Based on this, and the current San Francisco health guidelines, we have decided to lift the mask requirement effective immediately, with the following restrictions:

• For the safety of our young students attending camp, everyone is required to wear a mask on weekdays from 9am to 3pm
• The same applies to anyone going to the downstairs studio on weekdays, from 3pm to 5pm, where after-care for campers is taking place
• In order to train without a mask, you must show proof of vaccinationto our Front Desk Team upon entering the building
• Should there not be anyone at the front desk when you come in, you must train with a mask until someone who can check your vaccination status is back at the desk
• To our young students who are still not eligible for the vaccine and attend afternoon, evening or weekend classes: please be aware that you may be training next to vaccinated students who will not be wearing masks

Please note that we are currently working on offering students the option of updating their MindBody accounts with their vaccination status. We will let you know about this option in the coming days.