The Picklewater Free Circus Festival
The Picklewater Free Circus Festival brings back free circus to Bay Area Families through August and September at San Francisco's Union Square.
Presented by Jewels in the Square,
The Picklewater Free Circus Festival returns for its third year at Union
Square. The PickleWater Free Circus Festival is a free festival of
circus arts featuring some of the best in Circus Arts from around the
bay area, the festival will entertain and inspire bay area families
while celebrating the rich tradition of circus in San Francisco and
aroudn the bay.
Presented Sundays June 19, July 10th, July 17th and July 24th.
Picklewater Free Circus Festival returns to Union
Square. Offering a mix of professional and student performers, free
circus lessons and spectacular shows filled with danger, excitement,
laughter and awe, the festival celebrates the long rich
tradition of Circus Arts in the bay area.
San Francisco has along rich tradition of circus
arts, producing some of the greatest circus artists in the world today,
with hundreds of performers living and studying here in the bay area.
The Picklewater Free Circus Festival, was founded 4 years ago by Abraham Dover,
local clown and circus producer, who wanted to celebrate the
history and future of circus around the Bay, while providing free and
low cost entertainment to Bay Area families.
The Festival is sponsored by MJM Management Group, San Francisco Parks Trust, the San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department, and Picklewater Circus.
The Picklewater Free Circus Festival will be
presented as part of the 2011 Jewels in the Square concert season at 2 pm on the Union Square main stage.
Admission to all shows is free and free circus skills lessons will
also be given for attendees.
The Festival Program follows;
June 19th
2:00 pm
Performers from Circus Bella
Circus Finelli
Pi, The Physical Comedy Troupe
July 10th
2:00 pm
The Family Sardine
Judy and Punchy
The Family Sardine
July 17th
2:00 pm
The Family Sardine
Jamie Conventry and Friends
The Family Sardine
July 24th
2:00 pm
Jamie Convetry and Friends
Thomas Truman John
The Family Sardine
Picklewater Circus at Hallidie Plaza
This Fall Picklewater Circus, presented by Union
Square Bid, brings a variety of fresh, inspiring, and amazing new
performers to Hallidie plaza for a series of free shows running from
July through December. Pooling some of the best circus and street
performance artist in the bay area, will bring a broad variety of
entertainers the San Francisco’s Circus Community to San
Francisco’s streets in a ground breaking new collaboration with Union
Square BID.
For three years the Picklewater Circus has
created astonishing circus shows that entertain families around the
bay area, including Union Square’s Picklewater Free Circus Festival
and their new traiditonal “turn of the century” circus
extravaganza “Circus Americana”. This fall Picklewater Cirucs will
present preformers of all stripes, for audiences young and old at
both Union Square and San Francisco’s Hallidie Plaza.
The Hallidie Plaza Performance series consists of the following Picklewater Circus performers.
Thomas Truman John is a world class juggler, clown
and street performer who has played for us at Hallidie Plaza and Union
Square in the past. Thomas John is the creator of the Bay Area's only
Children's Show for Adults. A blend of humor, skill, and wit that
will leave you laughing and wondering if that was meant for adults, or
the kids.
With explosive performances, built on Juggling,
Clown, Audience Participation, and circus apparatus, Thomas John
regularly entertains crowds at Pier 39, in his own production "The Red
Suitcase Show" and most recently as the lead in Monkey King, a circus
interpretation of Journey to the West directed by Cirque Du Soleil’s
Jeff Raz.
Luz Gaxiola is a clown and
musical prodigy. Luz is also is one of the founders and stars of
Circus Finelli who can be seen every other week at Stage Werx theatre.
She is a multi instrumentalist who's performance consists of high
energy clown, playing music on multiple instruments, signing, and
assorted circus apparatus. Playing trombone, accordion, percussion and
a variety children's toy instruments, often all at the same time, Luz
is engaging, mischievous, hilarious, awe-inspiring and absolutely not
to be missed.
Jan Damm is a multi-talented
performer and circus artist based in San Francisco. He has
studied clowning with some of the modern masters including Avner
Eisenberg, Julie Goell, Jeff Raz, John Gilkey, and Master Lu Yi.
Jan has performed with Circus Bella, LA Circus in Japan, Circus
Zoppe, The New Pickle Circus, and Cirque Magnifique in Houston.
He is recently returned from 'MoistureFest' variety festival in
Seattle. Jan Damm is currently one of the stars of Circus Bella, and
mixes traditional circus apparatus like rolla bolla and diabolo, with
acrobatics and clown.
Mahsa Matin, Mustard the Clown,
offers a one-of-a-kind circus comedy experience featuring music and
slapstick clowning. Matin is a graduate of the San Francisco Clown
Conservatory, a 5 foot unicycle extraordinaire, and master musician
specializing in trombone, trumpet, guitar, and percussion instruments.
As the worlds most talented multitasker, Mustard dazzles audiences
with her stupefying ability to merge all her talents simultaneously.
Mahsa Matin has made it her mission to make people
laugh and has performed her physical comedy rooted in the ancient art
of silliness throughout the U.S., China, and New Zealand.
Matin has performed in the original circus
adaptation of Alice In Wonderland, directed by Jeff Raz, Cirque du
Soleil performer. The International Cultural Parade of Beijing
invited Matin to represent contemporary circus stilt walking of the
United States. Currently Matin performs with Circus Finelli,
San Francisco’s all-women clown troupe directed by San Francisco
Mime Troupe director Michael Gene Sullivan.
For more information please mail us at gherkin@picklewater.com