Giffords Circus is a traditional English circus that tours the Cotswolds every summer. it is also performing at Chiswick House.
History
Established in 2000, Giffords Circus is a small circus company, founded by Nell Gifford and her husband Toti Gifford, that tours market towns of the Southwest.
Nell Gifford was involved with reshaping her circus to meet modern tastes. She was awarded a £10,000 grant and that enabled more people to be involved with producing a show. Barry Grantham was involved with the choreography. Three important women who assisted were the horsewoman Rebecca Townsend, the trapeze artist Emily Park on the trapeze and the aerialist Isabelle Woywode. In the following year Giffords Circus had their first themed show titled "Pearl".
Nell Gifford died in 2019. The circus was later managed by her niece Lil Rice. and has been directed for many years by Cal McCrystal.
Performers come from many different countries, but one regular is Tweedy the Clown (Alan Digweed) who joined in 2004. He was awarded the British Empire Medal in the 2023 New Year Honours list.
Tours
2004: "Pearl" 2006: "Joplin": with a 1960s theme 2008: "Caravan": set in a horse fair around 1900 2010: "Yasmine": inspired by the life of equestrienne Yasmine Smart, who played herself in the production 2011: "War and Peace": themed around Napoleon's disastrous intrusion into Russia, seen through the eyes of a Russian aristocratic family 2012: "The Saturday Book" 2013: "Lucky 13": based on the culture clash resulting from a high art opera- and ballet-themed circus show that is gatecrashed by a rowdy Transylvanian travelling circus 2014: "The Thunders": with the Greek Gods as its theme 2015: "Moon Songs": blending cultural images of the moon with the story of two young Ethiopian jugglers dreaming of fame 2016: "The Painted Wagon": centred on a group of 19th-century American homesteaders 2017: "Any Port in a Storm": with maritime themes, and telling the story of the circus visiting the 17th-century Spanish court 2018: "My Beautiful Circus": celebrating 250 years of the invention of the circus as an art form 2019: "Xanadu": with a 1960s hippy "Summer of Love" theme 2020: "The Feast": a non-touring show due to the COVID-19 pandemic 2021: "The Hooley" was an Irish dance themed show. 2022: "Carpa" had a Mexican theme. 2023: "Les Enfants Du Paradis".