My Beautiful Circus | Giffords Circus, UK Tour, 2018
A jubilant celebration of 250 years of circus as an art form, My Beautiful Circus toured the English countryside throughout summer 2018, bringing gravity-defying acrobatics, physical comedy, and the magic of traditional big top performance to communities across southern England. Directed by award-winning comedy director Cal McCrystal, this production marked Giffords Circus’s ongoing mission to create intimate, artistically ambitious circus experiences that tour to rural areas often underserved by major arts organizations.
Opening on May 4, 2018 at Fennells Farm near Stroud, the show toured prestigious locations including Sudeley Castle, Daylesford Farm, Blenheim Palace, Oxford University Parks, Chiswick House and Gardens, Windsor Great Park, and Stonor Park near Henley-on-Thames, before returning to Fennells Farm in September. Each performance unfolded under Giffords’ traditional canvas big top, creating an atmosphere of intimacy and community that defines the company’s approach to circus arts.
The show featured Tweedy the clown’s return, international acrobats performing breathtaking aerial work, and the unique experience of Circus Sauce—described as “the UK’s only travelling restaurant”—allowing audiences to dine before performances in a festive carnival atmosphere.
Costume Design Vision
takis’ costume design for My Beautiful Circus honors the rich visual traditions of circus performance while supporting the extreme physical demands of contemporary circus arts. The designs span a spectrum of circus archetypes: elegant aerialists in flowing silks, clowns in exaggerated period-inspired costumes, acrobats in streamlined performance wear, and ringmaster figures in formal tailcoats and top hats.
The color palette embraces the bold primaries and saturated hues associated with traditional circus aesthetic—vibrant reds, brilliant blues, sunny yellows—punctuated with metallic accents, sequined details, and theatrical embellishments that catch the light during performances. Each costume must withstand the rigors of nightly touring, rapid costume changes, and physical acts that include aerial work, tumbling, and physical comedy, all while maintaining visual impact in the intimate 414-seat big top environment.
The design celebrates circus’s theatrical heritage while embracing contemporary construction techniques, creating costumes that read as both nostalgically familiar and freshly conceived. Fitted bodices with stretch panels, reinforced stress points, and hidden safety features ensure performers can execute demanding physical work while maintaining the flowing, fantastical silhouettes that define circus imagery.
Creative Team
- Director: Cal McCrystal
- Costume Designer: takis
- Choreographer: Kate Smyth
- Founder: Nell Gifford
- Producers: Giffords Circus
Production Context
My Beautiful Circus represents Giffords Circus’s commitment to preserving and evolving traditional circus arts for contemporary audiences. Founded in 2000 by Nell Gifford, Giffords has become one of Britain’s most celebrated contemporary circus companies, touring rural communities with productions that combine world-class circus performance with theatrical storytelling, live music, and immersive design.
The 2018 production’s celebration of circus’s 250-year history positioned the art form within its long cultural tradition while demonstrating its continued relevance and vitality. Giffords’ approach—presenting circus under a traditional canvas big top, touring to regional locations, creating narrative frameworks for circus acts—has influenced how British audiences experience circus, emphasizing intimacy, artistry, and community over the scale and spectacle of larger commercial circus productions.
Cal McCrystal’s direction, beginning in 2012, brought his background in comedy and physical theatre to create shows where circus acts feel integrated into cohesive theatrical experiences rather than assembled variety programs.