FESTA, A NEW DESTINATION TO DISCOVER
You are invited to our imaginary hotel deep in the heart of the mountains; a wonderful place where a celebration is waiting for you that won’t fail to move you. FESTA, the new show from Cirque du Soleil in Andorra, will include surprising acrobatics, dream-like stage design and an endless party atmosphere
CharactersThe story
The festive story opens with the hotel concierge, an endearingly eccentric character who is taking a nap on his lunch break and dreaming of love. With their boss distracted, the hotel staff get busy planning a surprise party to mark the hotel’s 10-year anniversary.
Suddenly, a loud horn wakes the concierge from his slumber as a group of enthusiastic vacationers burst into the hotel. Their arrival kicks off a colourful and chaotic adventure, with the hotel team and guests coming together in a feel-good celebration of friendship, life and love.
With celebratory storytelling, colourful characters and epic acrobatics, FESTA will draw you into a world with no limits and leave you feeling uplifted like never before.
The Scenic Environment
The set design centres around a grand and luxurious hotel lobby. A bustling place where staff and guests are constantly passing through but that remains warm and inviting.
The intention is to create a welcoming and enveloping space, playing with the architecture and light to draw audiences into the story. The set design crew constructed a grandiose wall that mirrors the majestic mountains and landscape of Andorra.
The Music
FESTA features musical compositions from some of Cirque du Soleil’s most celebrated shows and acts, reworked and remastered to give them a fresh new twist while respecting their original essence. The result is a soundtrack that is both contemporary and classic Cirque du Soleil.
The sound universe features classical instruments and a symphony orchestra to give a warm, organic feel, seamlessly combined with modern electronic sounds using synthesizer ensembles.
The intention behind the music was to create a soundtrack that supports the fun and celebratory energy of the show. Drawing inspiration from a mix of festive and contemplative sounds, the score delivers a captivating and memorable musical experience.
The Costumes
- 20 costume designs
- 250 hours to finalize all creations
- Colour palette: light pink, gold, silver and black
The vision behind the costume design was to create an elegant and fashionable aesthetic but without being too perfect. Each concept and piece features a slight imperfection to represent the authenticity and humanity of the characters.
The goal is to create a strong and beautiful but still believable visual identity and universe. The aesthetic is intentionally theatrical rather than editorial to give the costumes a signature circus look and feel.
The idea behind the costumes for the concierge and hotel staff was to create classic uniforms with a fun and playful twist, with a bold colour palette and striped pattern creating a sense of cohesiveness.
The Characters
The Concierge
We first meet the concierge as he’s taking a nap on his break and dreaming of love. He’s moved beyond words with the love he feels when the hotel staff and guests come together to celebrate the hotel’s 10-year anniversary—and his role in making FESTA such a magical and memorable place.
The Hotel Staff
Overwhelmed at first, the hotel staff rallies to show their guests a warm welcome and make sure they’re entertained. Joyful and dynamic, the hotel staff and guests come alive to the rhythm of the music, filled with fond memories as they say goodbye in a spectacular finale.
The Vacationers
The moment the vacationers arrive at FESTA, the hotel comes alive with energy and excitement. This dynamic group is made up of colourful characters with diverse personalities, united in their mission to make this the trip of a lifetime. Enchanted by the magic of FESTA and the bonds they weave between them, the vacationers get to witness the love showered on the concierge and be a part of this special day of celebration.
Acrobatic Acts
The fun and whimsical world of FESTA is brought to life with mesmerizing performances by multidisciplinary artists from around the globe.
Prepare to be wowed with original acrobatic feats, along with fresh spins on some of Cirque du Soleil’s most iconic acts.
DISCOVER FESTA’S CREATIVE TEAM
A special thank you to the creative team, the production team and to the artists that have put all of their passion, creativity and talent into this new exclusive event of the Cirque du Soleil in Andorra, which promises to be as festive as it is fascinating.
STEFAN MILJEVIC
Director of Creation
SIMON GUILBAULT
Set Designer
EDESIA MORENO BARATA
Acrobatic Performance Designer & Assistant Stage Director
ORIOL TOMAS
Show Director
AUDREY TOULOUSE
Make-up and Hair Designer
MARIANNE BENNY PERRON
Props Designer
SÉBASTIEN DIONNE
Costume Designer
ÉRIC CHAMPOUX
Lighting Designer
ANTOINE SEYCHAL
Musical Arranger
STEFAN MILJEVIC
As a film director, creation director and stage director, Stefan Miljevic has been forging a thriving career in film and entertainment for the past 25 years. He received a bachelor’s degree in Arts and Literature from Concordia University (Montreal) in 1995 and a Certificate in Film Directing from the Institut National de l’Image et du Son (Montreal) in 1998.
In the past 15 years, Stefan has worked on and created shows for companies such as Cirque du Soleil, Circo de Bakuza (France), and Moment Factory (Montreal); for international clients such as Fiat, McLaren Mercedes, GM, Microsoft, FIBA, EUFA, SAP, IWC, Adidas, Bell Canada Oakley, L’Oréal & the Pan Am Games. He also directed the opening and closing ceremonies of the Euro 2016 in Paris, France, as well as the UCL Final 2014 ceremony in Lisbon, Portugal.
He has acted as Creative Director for Cirque du Soleil’s touring ice show, CRYSTAL (2017), the Las Vegas resident show, R.U.N (2019) and FUZION (2022) that took place in Saudi Arabia. He also directed the live action video sequences of R.U.N., based on a script penned by filmmaker Robert Rodriguez (Sin City, Alita, Desperado, El Mariachi).
SIMON GUILBAULT
Simon Guilbault has been creating set designs since the beginning of the 2000s. He has worked in different fields over the years.
Few of his recent designs were for different theatres such as Mille (2023) directed by Mani Soleymanlou, Les filles du Saint-Laurent (2021) directed by Alexia Burger and Zoé (2020) by Olivier Choinière. Furthermore, he designed sets for Operas; in fact he collaborated with stage director Oriol Tomas and created sets for La Traviata (2019) at the Icelandic Opera and for Twenty-Seven (2019) at l’Atelier lyrique de l’Opéra de Montréal.
Simon Guilbault’s work with Cirque du Soleil started with the stage design for the show Stone – Hommage à Luc Plamondon (2017), and then he designed the sets of Bazzar (2018), Juste une p’tite nuite – Hommage aux Colocs (2018), Joyeux Calvaire – Homage aux Cowboys Fringuants (2019), Rebel (2019), Divas (2022) and more recently for Amora (2022).
Simon collaborates with the actress, director and author Marie Brassard creating set designs for Jimmy (2001), The Darkness (2003), The Invisible (2008) and Trieste (2013), plays that have been acclaimed both in Quebec and internationally. He has also worked in the film industry such as in the production design for Lost Song (2007) by Rodrigue Jean and Le bruit des arbres (2014) by François Péloquin.
EDESIA MORENO BARATA
Born and raised in Barcelona, Edesia started her performance career as an elite athlete with the
Rhythmic Gymnastics Spanish National Team. In 1998 she was spotted by Cirque du Soleil, who recruited her as an artist and toured the world for 10 years with the productions of Saltimbanco and Corteo.
Since 2007, Edesia has collaborated as an Artistic and Acrobatic Coach, Acrobatic Choreographer, Acrobatic Performance Designer, Stage Director, Casting Leader and Event Designer on more than 40 different creations around the world with Cirque du Soleil, The 7 Fingers, Cirque Eloize, Cirque Dreams and Friedrichstadt Palast Berlin.
During the year 2020, Edesia becomes the Creative Designer and Artistic Director for two interactive night walks: AGORA - Path of Light and ECLIPSE – Walk with light; with Limbic Media company, and as a Co-Founder, brings to life a performing arts consultant firm, named SPARC intl.
For 25 years, driven by a contagious passion, the ability to produce results, and not be afraid to be challenged, Edesia has developed unique skills combining organizational sense, flexibility, respect, leadership, team spirit, and creativity throughout her career.
ORIOL TOMAS
A multidisciplinary show director, Oriol Tomas has been collaborating for the past twenty years with companies that combine creativity, technology, music, tradition and innovation. He is the recipient of the 2015 Claude Rostand Grand Prize for the best opera production awarded by the Syndicat de la Critique théâtre, musique et danse de France.
In recent years, he has directed a number of productions that have brought him international acclaim, including Verdi's La Traviata at the Icelandic Opera, Mozart's Don Giovanni at the Opéra de Tours and the Opéra de Reims, Gershwin's Porgy and Bess with the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, Ian Gordon's Twenty-seven at the Opéra de Montréal, and Beethoven's Leonore for the Lafayette Opera in Washington, DC, and in New York. He also directed Sauget’s Les Caprices de Marianne in fifteen opera houses in France.
In 2023, Oriol Tomas’s work includes Festa by Cirque du Soleil, La Traviatade Verdi for the Opéra de Massy and the digital audio performance for the Canadian company Video Phase.
AUDREY TOULOUSE
Audrey Toulouse’s creative makeups & designs combined with her acute teaching skills helped her pave her way to numerous TV, Stage & Theatrical sets. Her 19 years-and-going career brought her to work in more than 20 different countries around the world. In the past few years, she designed makeups for a plethora of local & international productions such as Cirque du Soleil, Moment Factory and Matane production.
To this day, Audrey still pursues her passion. One brush stroke after another, she attempts to push the boundaries of makeup as it is known today.
MARIANNE BENNY PERRON
Following a major degree at the Université de Montréal in Art History, Marianne pursued graduate studies in Set Design at the Institut del Teatre in Barcelona.
In 2012, she began working as a set and prop designer with the Catalan company LaminimaL: Teatre Sistemic, whose name appears on the program of Barcelona theaters such as La Sala Beckett, Atrium and Atic 22. During her stay in Spain, she co-founded the company Théatre des objets, Retrocolectivo, which will bring her original creations in Valencia, Barcelona and Montreal.
Upon her return to Quebec, her taste for materials and objects led her to work as a set and prop designer. She started in the field of the chamber opera with the company BOP (Ballet-Opéra-Pantomime), the Ensemble Paramirabo and the Opéra Bouffe du Québec. She then evolved in a theatrical environment focused on puppetry and objects.
Since 2017, Marianne specializes in props and is mainly involved in the circus world. She regularly collaborates with Cirque du Soleil, The 7 Fingers and Cirque Éloize.
SÉBASTIEN DIONNE
With a degree in scenography from Conservatoire d’art dramatique de Québec, Sébastien Dionne quickly distinguished himself in costume design. He has since then, designed for many productions for theater, circus, contemporary dance, cinema, musicals and many special events.
His artistic signature is characterized by his Haute Couture-inspired approach with a strong interest in period costume design. He’s especially known for his creations for major classical and contemporary productions as well as his collaboration with Robert Lepage (Ex Machina), Icelandic Opera and Cirque du Soleil. Over the years, his work has been rewarded 5 times over 11 nominations by the Prix d’excellence des arts et de la culture de Québec / Les Prix Théâtre for Best Costume Design.
First time creating costume for Andorra, it will be his 7th collaboration with Cirque du Soleil Events and Experiences.
ÉRIC CHAMPOUX
Eric Champoux has to his credit the lighting design for more than a hundred productions. He studied at the National Theater School of Canada where he met the writer Wajdi Mouawad in 1997 to whom he created the lights of most of his creations including Incendies, Seuls et Des Héros to name a few.
Coming from the Montreal’s theatrical milieu, he was quickly invited to work for the worlds of circus and opera. He has collaborated with the Pacific Opera Victoria for The Magic Flute directed by Oriol Tomas in 2017 and on Rinaldo directed by Glynish Leyschon in 2018. Eric also worked on several occasions with the Opéra de Montréal such as Jake Heggie's highly acclaimed Dead Man Walking, Falstaff directed by David Gately, etc.
Eric Champoux regularly collaborates with The 7 Fingers, notably for Le Murmure du Coquelicot, The Princess of Circus and Prime Time, both commissioned by the Moscow Musical Theater and more recently Cadence on ice for the Montréal En Lumière festival.
He has worked with Cirque du Soleil creating the lights for OVO, Axel, Juste Une P’Tite Nuit (Tribute to the group Les Colocs), Joyeux Calvaire (Tribute to the group Les Cowboys Fringuants) and more recently Amora in LaValette.
ANTOINE SEYCHAL
Antoine Seychal is a creator of sound for the performing arts, live shows, cinema, video games, and more. Originally from Paris and now living in Montreal, he composes and produces music mixing electronic and orchestral sounds accompanied by various musical styles from around the world.
Drummer since his childhood, as well as sound designer, Antoine Seychal’s musical approach is immersive, creative and vibrant. He has collaborated in numerous productions with Les 7 Doigts, Ubisoft, Virgin Group, Moment Factory, Hallucination Collective and Cirque du Soleil (Saudi National Day 2022 and Jeddah 2023) but also abroad such as in North America, Europe, Middle East and Asia.
Antoine also had the chance to participate in recordings with the Prague Symphony Orchestra and the Montreal Philharmonic Orchestra. Today, his musical approach evolves in order to create and compose on different projects with the intention of searching for the sounds of tomorrow.