These are pictures of a
circus march to 10 Downing Street to demand that the government either includes Britain's circuses in its bailout of theatre venues, or lifts the lockdown restrictions to let big tops reopen and start earning a living again.
The protesters attempted to deliver to
Prime Minister Boris Johnson a letter from the
Association of Circus Proprietors, which represents 18 circuses and around 500 performers.
ACP chairman and
Zippos founder Martin Burton told the news crews who covered the march:
"Sadly, circuses seem to have fallen through the cracks of all the rescue package schemes - we pay rent to individual landowners as we tour - and do not have business rateable properties.
"In addition, no commercial circuses have qualified for the any of the £160m emergency Arts Council funding despite generating significant income to the economy through the 30-plus UK circuses and internationally visiting shows such as Cirque du Soleil which combined are seen by around 20 million people a year."
"Its greatest slogan 'the show must go on' could well become a thing of the past if urgent assistance is not forthcoming."
Britain's circuses have been closed since the lockdown in March and remain so while easing of restrictions in other sectors has in recent weeks seen thousands of day trippers cram onto Britain's beaches and, since the reopening of pubs on Saturday 4 July, crowds of drinkers pack shoulder to shoulder in Soho with no regard for social distancing.
As circus insiders such as ringmaster
Chris Barltrop have pointed out, Britain's travelling circuses are better equipped to implement social distancing precautions during performances than many permanent venues. The sides of a big top can be opened for greater air movement or reconfigured to provide any number of exits, while the seating can be spaced as required. Additionally, circus performers are largely non-verbal so there is less risk of COVID-19 being spread by airborne droplets (a risk that has been attributed to performances including actors, singers and wind instruments).
Because circus companies live together on site, and travel together, it's possible to categorise them as a family bubble, negating the need for social distancing between the performers themselves. In many cases, individual acts comprise actual family units - something seldom the case in other branches of the performing arts.
UPDATE: 10 July, 2020
The government has since announced that 'outdoor theatre' can resume from 11 July. That includes circuses, although subject to meeting the social distancing and other requirements of the individual local authorities where they perform.
Gandeys is the first big top show to announce dates, with a Halloween show in October. Click here to read more.
Paulos, meanwhile, launches Britain's first drive-in circus on 16 July. Click here for more.
