The Fair

Since 1997, the city of Reus has unfolded Trapezi, the Circus Fair of Catalonia. Year after year, each May, the streets and theatres of the town are filled with shows, the squares become performing spaces and Reus is transformed into a circus ring.

Trapezi’s hallmark is defined by being open to new aesthetics and format trends and new ways to understand and experience circus. The fair becomes a reference framework for all circus goers, professionals, programmers and the audience, who when May comes they have a reason to gather in Reus.

The Circus Fair of Catalonia, Trapezi, has been received the National Circus Prize in 2012, awarded by the Spanish Ministry of Culture. Previously, in 2007, the Generalitat (the Catalan Government) granted the then-artistic directors of Trapezi with the National Prize in recognition of their contribution to strengthening and developing the circus in Catalonia, either artistically as well as the impact on the audience; for its will to decentralize cultural events and invigorate the county, for being a gathering and exchange point, and for becoming a benchmark festival amongst European ones.

In this XXI edition, Leandro Mendoza Artagaveitia (Cíclicus Espectacles S.L.) has taken over the artistic management. The new directorship starts with a project willing to consolidate a Trapezi’s fair with a local identity aiming to become an essential tool for Catalonia’s circus and a benchmark for the professional sector on an international level.

The new project of the artistic directorship aims for promoting and enhancing Trapezi, a fair with an extensive background, in order to make it become a showcase to display Catalonia and everywhere’s circus in all its artistic trends.

This year’s programme offers shows by Catalan, Spanish and international companies representing different trends, formats and techniques. All their proposals fulfil the premise established by the directorship: they present an excellent technique and/or variety of acts and/or circus disciplines, professional productions and a clear will to communicate with the audience. Therefore, the programme responds to an artistic line and a varied and harmonious programme regards the schedules, audiences (family, adults, and professions) and the spaces where is presented.

The core novelty of this year is the start of the direct support to the shows’ co-production. In parallel we are working to generate a network of co-producers to support artists and offer them resources to make their more demanding shows’ creation and production processes feasible and with wider artistic teams.

As the promoter of the Catalan circus, Trapezi, not only has to work during the celebration of the fair, but to be its agent throughout the year in several national and international events seeking partnerships and future collaborations.

Trapezi has to be the showcase of our circus, but also something more: a gathering and common working space of the circus sector of Catalonia with cultural local and international agents.

2015

2011

2007