Cirque du Soleil

After a fantastic show at the Royal Albert Hall, Cirque du Soleil held their after show party at Imperial College London in January 2008. More than 800 guests were present for the big celebration.

Into the trees...

The London premiere of Cirque du Soleil’s Varekai at the Royal Albert Hall infused a stormy January night with the enchantment of a faraway forest.

As the company takes its final bow and retreats into the forest, the spell gently lifts and some 800 members of the audience head across the road to Imperial College London (ICL) for the afterparty.
“It’s a big celebration for us,” Groen says, “and it really does add something to the premiere by
keeping the buzz going, giving people a chance to talk about the show rather than just going home.
We have a number of corporate guests who may stay for only a couple of drinks, but this year I
was amazed by how many people were there to the end. We have five British performers in Varekai
so it was a chance for them to see friends and family. They had whole entourages with them, it
was great to see!”

Less than five minutes walk door to door, the proximity of ICL to the Albert Hall was obviously crucial. Brooks-Nevin, who has produced Cirque’s aftershow party since 2004, the contrast of the college’s
contemporary, glass-fronted, Foster & Partners-designed entrance building with the hall’s Victorian splendour was also a great starting point for this creative evening.