Entertainment company Cirque du Soleil, best known for its mesmerizing shows that fuse acrobatics with performance art, has filed for protection from creditors in Canada.
While it develops a plan to restart its business, which has been shuttered since mid-March because of the coronavirus pandemic, the company said people should hang on to their tickets to the new show that was slated to open at Walt Disney World’s Disney Springs.
The Orlando residency will be one of the company’s first shows to resume, it said in a statement. The new show, called “Drawn to Life,” uses music and images from Disney’s animated films as a backdrop for gymnasts and aerial dancers. It was was originally slated to open April 17.
But Montreal-based Cirque this week announced it was terminating 3,480 employees of the more than 4,000 who were furloughed when its shows around the world shut down in mid-March.
The resident shows in Las Vegas and Orlando will resume before the rest, the company said in its restructuring plan. In an email to the Tampa Bay Times, a spokeswoman said there isn’t a confirmed opening date for the Orlando show, “but we expect it to be later this year.”
The artists in those Orlando and Las Vegas shows were not affected, though they remain furloughed for how. The company said it aims to rehire a “substantial majority” of its remaining employees once lockdowns are lifted.
“As the performance you purchased has been postponed, we are encouraging you to keep your tickets and contact us to exchange them for a future date,” a message on Cirque’s ticket center says. “All tickets that are not exchanged will be automatically refunded within 30 days of the performance.”
While the news is vague on when the Cirque show will resume in Disney Springs, Walt Disney World theme parks are scheduled to open July 11 and 15. Some restaurants and shops at Disney Springs have been operating since May, though not all of them are back in operation.