Presentations of circus creation projects – Circa 2026 Festival in Auch

From 20 to 22 october 2026

Organized by ARTCENA, the National Center for Circus, Street Arts and Theatre, in partnership with CIRCA – National Circus Centre of Auch Gers Occitanie, the Presentations of circus creation projects constitute one of the highlights of the professional meetings of the 39th edition of the Festival of Contemporary Circus, which takes place in Auch from October 16 to 23, 2026. A true platform for supporting circus creation, this event has become essential for companies in the process of creation and professionals looking for the shows that will shape the seasons to come.

For three consecutive mornings, Tuesday 20, Wednesday 21, and Thursday 22 October 2026, from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., presentations will take place at Ciné 32, located on Allée des Arts in Auch, at the heart of the festival. These presentations will bring together artists, companies, programmers, festival directors, cultural venue managers, producers, co-producers, distribution networks, institutions, and professional partners around a common goal: to foster connections between project leaders and the organizations that can support them through to creation and distribution.

Organized jointly by ARTCENA and CIRCA, these professional meetings allow 24 companies to present their works in progress. Each artistic team has dedicated time to unveil its unique vision, explain its creative process, present the stages already completed, share its artistic intentions, and outline its needs in terms of co-production, residencies, financial support, mentorship, and distribution. These presentations thus offer professionals a concrete glimpse into the future creations of contemporary circus before their premieres.

Beyond their role in supporting artistic creation, these meetings also provide an important opportunity for programmers to scout for new talent. They allow venue managers, festival organizers, and distribution networks to identify new shows, meet artistic teams directly, and plan their future seasons. They also foster the development of national and international collaborations between companies and various stakeholders in the sector.

The 2026 selection reflects the richness and diversity of contemporary circus arts. The selected projects explore a wide range of forms, blending circus, theatre, dance, performance art, visual arts research, contemporary writing, acrobatics, aerial arts, balancing, object manipulation, and hybrid disciplines. This program highlights both established companies and emerging artists from France and around the world.

The 24 projects selected for this edition are:

Bashar Murkus with The Little Prince – Practice of Departure;
Blind Gut Company with Beat from the Bone;
Cassandre Schopfer and Nina Sugnaux with One Square Meter;
Cie Courant d'Cirque / asbl Noùmeno with Poisson-Clown;
Doctor Paradi's Circus with The Black House;
Cirque Pardi! with Flux (working title);
Malunés Collective with Néo(n)-Crusade;
Peddlers with Anamorfa;
Barks Company with Foundations;
Basinga Company with Sentiers Battus;
IetO Company with Nos Jardins;
Compagnie Les Vibrantes with Nos Aveux;
DAFQA with KLOD;
Off Surface with Icare – Second Birth;
Katell Boudrandi-Saj with Corps à Cordes;
Kitsch Kong with ENTRE;
The Pale Fox's Daughters with AUDACIEUSES;
Lineae with Spaces Between;
Mathieu Despoisse with Faillir;
Project.PDF with Chapters;
Riksteatern with Nagonting;
Sencirk with JAR-JAR (the path traveled);
SenCirk' with Rol boy guiss – the heart that sees;
Sinking Sideways with EZRA.

This diversity illustrates the vitality of contemporary circus and the plurality of artistic expressions supported by ARTCENA and CIRCA. The projects address a variety of themes and offer very different aesthetics, ranging from intimate creations to large-scale forms, including interdisciplinary research and experimental proposals.

The presentations are reserved for performing arts professionals. Registration is handled directly by the CIRCA Festival professional team via email at pro.festival@circa.auch.fr. Participation allows you to attend the various presentations, meet the artistic teams, and network with the many professionals present throughout these three days.

As part of the momentum of the 39th Festival of Contemporary Circus, these meetings complement a particularly rich program of shows, creations, discussions, and events dedicated to contemporary circus. They fully contribute to the mission of ARTCENA and CIRCA to support creation, assist artists in developing their projects, and promote their dissemination within French and international professional networks.

These presentations thus constitute a strategic meeting for all professionals wishing to discover in advance the future creations of contemporary circus, meet the artists who carry them, develop new production or distribution partnerships and follow the evolution of current circus writing within one of the reference festivals in Europe.

• Site ARTCENA
• Page officielle de l'événement
• Site officiel de CIRCA
• Espace professionnel CIRCA
• Festival CIRCA

39th CIRCA Contemporary Circus Festival 2026