One of Company Manager Jeff Lund’s favorite moments on the road is taking people on the exclusive “Behind the Scenes” tour and seeing their jaws drop when they witness what actually goes into running a Cirque du Soleil touring show. The TOTEM tour is a complex, smooth-running, 65-trailer village on the move buzzing with life.
Jeff Lund has been with Cirque du Soleil for more than 10 years. Starting in the “O” box office selling tickets, he moved swiftly from Usher to Production Coordinator to Assistant Company Manager. He then took on the Company Manager role on Mystère, CRISS ANGEL Believe and KÀ, and currently fills that position on TOTEM.
Diversity and culture
“I’ve always really appreciated the incredible diversity at Cirque. I consider myself lucky to be able to interact with people from different cultures and professions every day. What I love is that, despite this magnificent diversity, we all share a culture and common values that are unique to the organization.”
This diversity is plain as day in TOTEM – an eclectic group of 52 artists, plus a number of chefs and electricians, teachers and plumbers, riggers and ushers, and the list goes on. All part of a bustling village on wheels, this collective group makes the magic happen on the stage every night.
Life behind the curtain
On show nights, Jeff and his team raise the curtain for enthusiastic fans on what really goes on beyond the spotlight to give them an in-depth understanding of the heart and soul of Cirque du Soleil and what makes the company so unique.
Not only do they learn about the Cirque du Soleil environmentally friendly operations and its long-standing commitment to giving back to the community, they get to experience first-hand the nuts and bolts of show operation and to witness the passion and dedication of all the people involved. They are whisked away under the Big Top just as the crew is “presetting” the show using cutting-edge technologies and state of-the-art equipment. They learn about the touring lifestyle as they are taken back of house through the school to the kitchen, where the cast and crew get some grub, take a break and use the computers to chat with friends and family back home. They visit the Artistic Tent where the artists work out and chill out. They also get to take a peek inside “Trailer 54” – the technician’s workspace – where the props, the audio and the rigging gear are maintained. In a production like TOTEM, nothing is left to chance and every little detail counts.
Learn more about TOTEM Behind the Scenes at CirqueClub!
{ SOURCE: CirqueClub }
