Cirque du Soleil in San Diego

from today's San Diego Business Journal news brief:

Big Top Rises at Del Mar Fairgrounds for Cirque’s Latest Acts
By LIZ WIEDEMANN - 1/14/2008

"The Cirque du Soleil likes San Diego.

One reason is strong ticket sales, according to Heather Riley, general manager for Cirque du Soleil’s Corteo.

“Our 22,000-square-foot tent gets great visibility from Interstate 5 at the Del Mar Fairgrounds, which prompts more interest and sales,” Riley said." ...

"She says the tent’s 2,700 seats will not sell out for every show until after the premier, but the goal of 100,000 tickets sold will likely be achieved quickly, she said.

While the cast and crew of shows are permanent employees of Cirque, the company contracts both a general and specialized technical labor force.

“Locally, we’ve hired about 100 people before Corteo is set to begin, and we typically double that staff after the show starts,” Riley said." ...

"Riley says that in temporary labor alone Corteo should account for more than a half a million dollars in local labor payroll." ...

"Internationally, the business has more than 3,800 employees, including nearly 1,000 artists. At Cirque’s 1984 inception, 73 people worked for the company.

Cirque du Soleil has not received grants from the public or private sectors since 1992, and the touring shows have made nearly 250 stops in over 100 cities worldwide since it began." ...

for the complete article see:
http://sdbj.com/enews_article.asp?aID=37720015.778459.157431
3.5737227.9315229.484&aID2=121092&lid=30&sid=&cID=Z