Giffords Circus is set to celebrate its 25th anniversary with Laguna Bay, a spectacular new show directed by the acclaimed Cal McCrystal, featuring the return of Tweedy the Clown.
Described as a national treasure, Giffords Circus produces shows worthy of the West End but staged in a 600-seat Big Top in the green fields of the Cotswolds and beyond.
Laguna Bay will tour from 17th April to 28th September, with the London press night scheduled for Thursday, 5th June at 7pm.
Over the past 25 years, Giffords Circus has captivated and entertained over one million people with its unique, creative, and dazzling shows. Giffords Circus expertly challenges the preconceptions of a traditional circus while retaining the charm, glamour, nostalgia, and magic of a vintage village green circus.
Cal McCrystal, director of Giffords Circus, said: “For our 25th anniversary, we have invited a dazzling mix of new faces and old favourites that will surprise and delight our beloved audiences. Set in the buoyant and sunny era of 1950’s America, Laguna Bay is a spectacular blend of fun, excitement, and charm. To come to Giffords is to immerse yourself in another world and escape everyday life for a few blissful hours. Our astonishing mix of thrills, skills, adventure, romance, theatrics, and hilarity will change all your preconceptions of traditional circus.”
Laguna Bay promises to be Giffords’ most ambitious show to date, featuring the return of the much-loved Tweedy the Clown BEM. Tweedy has been at the heart of Giffords Circus for over 15 years, bringing new comic routines and skills to the show each year. He is accomplished in most circus skills and proficient at playing various musical instruments. Tweedy has won many comedy awards and his talents are in demand in circus, theatre, TV, and film, both at home and abroad.
Maximiliano Stia returns following his role as Merlin the Wizard in last year’s Avalon show. Maximiliano first appeared at Giffords in 2013 and again in 2015 and is a versatile magician who discovered his passion for magic at the age of 14.
Sito and Dany Santos Silva, publicly known as The Rivelinos, will also join Giffords for their fifth season.
The Ethio-Salem Troupe hail from Addis Ababa in Ethiopia, from a circus school founded in 2002 by gymnastic coach Biniyam Alemu. Last seen at Giffords in the 2023 show Les Enfants du Paradis, they will present their newly honed juggling act and hoop diving with a jaw-dropping twist.
Singer and actress Nell O’Hara returns for a third Giffords season after making her debut in Les Enfants du Paradis. She studied at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, graduating in 2022.
Randy Forgione Vega, a fourth-generation circus artiste from Spain, will be performing his breathtaking aerial strap act.
Since 2012, Giffords Circus shows have been lovingly created by award-winning director, writer, and performer Cal McCrystal, who has an established career spanning theatre, opera, film, TV, and radio. Amongst many notable career highlights, Cal was Physical Comedy Director on the Royal National Theatre’s multi-award-winning hit One Man, Two Guvnors, which transferred to the West End and Broadway.
Laguna Bay will launch on 17th April 2025 at the home of Giffords Circus, Fennells Farm in Stroud. Following its opening run, it will then continue to tour some of the most picturesque sites across the Cotswolds and South England, including Bowood House & Gardens in Wiltshire (1st – 6th May), Sudeley Castle & Gardens in Gloucestershire (9th – 19th May), Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire (22nd May – 2nd June), Chiswick House & Gardens in London (5th – 22nd June), Evenley Wood Garden in Northamptonshire (26th June – 7th July), Stonor Park & Gardens in Oxfordshire (10th – 14th July), Barrington in Oxfordshire (17th – 28th July), Frampton Court in Gloucestershire (31st July – 4th August), Minchinhampton Common in Gloucestershire (7th – 18th August), Marlborough Common in Wiltshire (21st August – 1st September), Statton Meadows in Gloucestershire (4th – 15th September) before returning back home to Fennells Farm in Stroud to close the season (18th – 28th September).
Listings and ticket information can be found here.
