THE GALWAY ARTS Festival does not just have a Big Top. It also has a Mini Top, a specially constructed venue, located inside the Town Hall and carefully chosen to house an astounding act.
Exclusive to Galway this summer, and in a first for the Galway Arts Festival, Pignut Productions in association with Electric Bridget presents Flea Circus.
This is a miniature fully-working circus, complete with exciting acts and every thrill and spill a circus can provide - all performed by nature’s smallest and finest creations – fleas!
Almost too small for the naked eye to see, these naturally skilled and highly-trained performers have been specially shipped from abroad for the sole purpose of entertaining and delighting Galway audiences.
The fleas are currently in intensive rehearsals for their imminent Irish debut alongside locally based actors Jay Ryan and Electric Bridget’s Eileen Gibbons, and Helen Gregg.
Rehearsals are said to be going extremely well with the fleas enjoying getting to know Galway and its inhabitants. They have made private visits to many local establishments and last week took an open-top bus tour of the city. Rumours of in-fighting among the fleas have been hotly denied.
“Fleas are natural performers and love to be in the limelight,” says Eileen Gibbons. “I will say this however, contrary to popular opinion fleas are not placid creatures by nature. They are temperamental and highly strung even at the best of times.”
Flea Circus runs daily throughout the festival (but not on Sundays ) in the Festival Mini Top at the Town Hall Theatre. Shows start every half hour from 10.30am to 5.30pm and tickets are €5 per person. A maximum of 15 persons will be admitted for each performance.
For tickets contact the festival box office, Merchants Road, 091 - 566577. Tickets are also available through www.galwayartsfestival.com
