In the hours following the mass shooting in Las Vegas Sunday night that left at least 58 dead and more than 500 wounded, Montreal’s Cirque du Soleil issued an official statement:
“A tragic shooting occurred last night in Las Vegas. To ensure the safety of our teams and audience members, all our theatres were immediately put into lockdown in collaboration with local authorities. Audience members who were attending our shows have since been authorized to leave the theatres.
“For the time being, none of our employees have been identified among the victims. We are in the process of checking in with each of them and organizing on-the-ground support for all our teams.”
But the hours following that statement, as the body count climbed and the process of checking into the wellbeing of the 1,500 persons employed by the Cirque du Soleil in Las Vegas continued, had clearly taken their toll by Monday morning.
“It’s been a sleepless night,” Cirque spokesperson Marie-Hélène Lagacé told the Montreal Gazette. “So far so good, we’re touching wood that none of our employees or their loved ones have been affected. But we have yet to get full confirmation.”
All of the Cirque’s eight productions in Las Vegas scheduled for Monday night have been cancelled and subsequent performances will be considered on a “one day at a time” basis.
“Our priority is to make sure all of our employees are safe and then to provide them and the community with support,” she said. “Las Vegas is our second home after Montreal. We want to provide all the support we can to the community and that’s where our focus is.”
— Cirque du Soleil (@Cirque) October 2, 2017
{ SOURCE: The Montreal Gazette, Cirque du Soleil }
