Saudi Arabia has inked a new agreement with the Canadian entertainment group, Cirque du Soleil, which will bring its signature shows to the Kingdom, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported on Tuesday.
The agreement was signed by Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan al-Saud, Minister of Culture and Chairman of the Theater and Performing Arts Commission, and Gabriel de Alba, Co-Chairman of Cirque du Soleil Entertainment Group Board of Directors, during a meeting in New York.
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Under the agreement, several shows will debut in the Kingdom, including The Illusionist, Now You See Me, Paw Patrol Live – Race to Rescue, Trolls Live, and Blue Man Group World Tour, SPA revealed.
Additionally, Saudi Arabia may also play host to a new Cirque du Soleil resident show unique to the country. So far, Cirque du Soleil has performed six shows in the Kingdom since 2018.
The latest was a performance honoring the renowned Argentinian football player Lionel Messi that was held in November during Riyadh Season 2021.
Owing to a successful run and the Kingdom’s attractive culture-oriented growth, the two parties plan to establish a regional Cirque du Soleil training academy and office, SPA added.
This will entail an educational curriculum for youth across the country. International circus school exchanges and artist-in-residence programs are also being developed.
Performing arts in the Kingdom have expanded rapidly since the establishment of the Ministry of Culture in 2018. The Theater and Performing Arts Commission aims to have 4,500 graduate performers and more than 4,000 qualified trainees by 2030, all according to the SPA release.
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