Cirque Du Soleil Internships available!

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While at LDI in October, I took a backstage tour at Cirque: Ka. I was told by several people that one of the best ways to get a job with Cirque is to get an internship. Apparently, about half the interns get hired. Our CB secret agent* at Cirque just sent me a message to pass on to you. Cirque currently has two internships available! There is a "technical theater" and a "stagemanager" position. The only real restriction I see is that you have to be able to get college credit for doing it.

Find the jobs listed here and Good luck! Maybe you can get the internship and become a secret agent too!

:legalstuff:
*
Many major employers in the industry require their employees to not talk about where they work publicly. If our CB member who works for Cirque identified (her)himself that way, we would tend to think that (s)he speaks for the whole company. If (s)he gives advice, is (s)he speaking as an individual or a representative of the company... big companies tend to not like this. We have several CB members with very cool gigs that unfortunately aren't allowed to publicly post about them. Our friend at Cirque has been kind enough to occasionally privately share messages like this with me to forward on to everyone.
 
Something I'd be interested about is how long most of the crew actually stay on for.

From what I've heard from circus performer friends they go through performers at a fair rate as most only hang around for a season/tour, then leave to go elsewhere. I'd be curious if it's similar with their techies, or the the techs usually are in it for longer.
 
Something I'd be interested about is how long most of the crew actually stay on for. ...
Speaking solely of Las Vegas, I believe there are at least six techs who have been with Mystere since its inception in 1993. Others went to O, then Zumanity, then , then LOVE. Applications are currently open for the CityCenter Elvis show. Each time a new resident show opens, there is a mix of new-hires and some transfers. The transfers create openings in existing shows, which are also filled with new-hires and transfers. The recidivism rate;), at least for the resident-shows division, is fairly low among the CDS organization. I find it mildly humorous that they call their Hiring Department the "Talent Acquision Team," as though talent was a commodity. See Join Cirque.
 
I find it mildly humorous that they call their Hiring Department the "Talent Acquision Team," as though talent was a commodity. See Join Cirque.

Yeah, but doesn't Disney call all it's employees "Cast Members" regardless of position? I wonder if that ever rubs someone the wrong way?
 
In the first part of your post you sound as if techs stay around for a while, but then later your comment about a low recidivism rate makes it sound like people only rarely come back for another show.

[action=dsm]is confused.[/action]
 
I was making an ill-conceived attempt at humor by purposefully confusing recidivism rate with retention rate.:(

Cirque techs tend to stay with the company a long time, (although not always with the same show).
 
The electrician I was paired up with for my LDI Job shadow of Ka had been with them since the start. There were some others I talked to who had been there from the start as well. I was told that Ka has one of the higher turnover rates because the other cirque shows like to steal Ka crew (especially for new shows). Since Ka is such a complex show it is a great training ground to find out who has the right stuff. You get a lower level job at Ka, prove yourself for a while, and then find yourself getting a better position at a new show. Getting the job in the first place is the hard part.

I talked to some technicains who are not Cirque employees while down there. Their feeling was Cirque is a good employer however they seem to like to hire young hot shots with short but impressive resumes and mold them into the system. They felt Cirque doesn't seem to like to hire a lot of old pros who have been around the block a few times and are more set in their ways.
 
Unfortunately, I don't actually live in the US, and I doubt I could get credit towards my physics degree for it, so I'll probably have to wait. They do sound like a good place to work though.
 
Unfortunately, I don't actually live in the US, and I doubt I could get credit towards my physics degree for it, ...
Re: the former, Cirque's corporate headquarters, and where all shows are initially conceived and designed, is in Montreal, Quebec. As to the latter, sometimes some "out of the box" thinking is required in convincing a university. Certainly a great deal of physics goes on during the mechanical engineering of a Cirque show.
 
Re: the former, Cirque's corporate headquarters, and where all shows are initially conceived and designed, is in Montreal, Quebec. As to the latter, sometimes some "out of the box" thinking is required in convincing a university. Certainly a great deal of physics goes on during the mechanical engineering of a Cirque show.

How do you make an 80,000 pound stage deck fly 75' in the air, tilt up to 110 degrees, and be able to rotate 360 degrees continuously? I think there might be a hint of Physics involved.
 
As I said at the start of this thread... While taking a backstage tour of Ka at LDI 2008, I was told by several people that one of the best ways to get a career with Cirque Du Soleil is to get an internship. If you are in college and you want to play with some of the biggest toys around, now's your chance. Looks like you need to be at least a Jr. and be able to get credit for doing the internship.
 
Valid Necropost!!!

I saw on the Cirque du Soleil website that internships are open for the Spring. You can find all the information on the job page: https://cirquedusoleil.taleo.net/careersection/2/joblist.ftl

Both stagehand and stage management internships are available. It says that you must have them complete by Oct 15th (all the details are on the site).

Haha, didn't even notice that this was from way back, the post said that Theater tech and Stagemanager positions were available, I clicked and that's what was there XD

If only I wasn't in highschool anymore...
I hope something like this opens up after I graduate.
 
Donkey they do this every year. If I remember correctly you must be a college Jr. or Sr. in order to apply.
 
Necropost because it's relevant again!

Cirque internships for the Las Vegas shows are posted on their job website for this summer. https://cirquedusoleil.taleo.net/careersection/2/moresearch.ftl?lang=en

Stage Management and Technical internships are posted.

To qualify:

Internship Opportunities are available for Summer and Fall 2010.
The ideal candidate will possess the following qualifications:
Hold enough credits within your college or university to be a Junior or Senior;
Have a 3.0 G.P.A (cumulative or within your degree program;)
The ability to receive college credit for the internship;
The ability to participate the entire length of the internship program;
Experience participating in college or high school theatre performances;
Ability to communicate in English;
Ability to use Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and Internet;
Excellent verbal and written communication skills;
Willing to work on weekends, nights and holidays as needed or required;
Ability to provide your own transportation and housing while participating in the in internship;
Ability to live or provide for your own means on a minimum $7.55 per hour pay rate.
 
Hey, the internships for technicians are open again on Cirque's jobsite. Applications are taken over the internet, but they also do onsite interviews at major shows like LDI, InfoComm, NAB, and USITT. Here's the ad for this time around:

Theatre Internship Opportunities, Resident Shows Division, Las Vegas (Spring, 2011) - RES03475

Description

This position will report to a representative of Company Management, Stage Management or Operations Management: Your goal will be to gain the training, certifications and experience you need to enter the exciting field of technical theatre, stage management or company management for a production or theatre company.

As an intern you will gain hands-on experience, develop skills in one of our various departments (technical, stage management, company management or even project engineering) as well as gain knowledge about the operations of the production company;
You will learn more about your field of study and your career goals while establishing a network of professional contacts, mentors, and references;
You will gain insight into the key competencies, skills, and work characteristics employers seek;
You will be expected to follow all employee guidelines, policies and procedures as well as act in a professional manor;
You will be required to meet all mandatory assignments/projects and readings issued by your manager;
You will be expected to do all other duties as assigned by your manager.
*To be considered for this position you must attach an essay to your cover letter when applying for the position.
The essay requirement is:
Minimum 300 words;
How would an internship with Cirque du Soleil help you meet your future goals and what distinguishes you from other candidates?

Qualifications

Internship Opportunities are available for Spring 2011.
The ideal candidate will possess the following qualifications:

Hold enough credits within your college or university to be a Junior or Senior;
Have a 3.0 G.P.A (cumulative or within your degree program;)
The ability to receive college credit for the internship;
The ability to participate the entire length of the internship program;
Experience participating in college or high school theatre performances;
Ability to communicate in English;
Ability to use Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and Internet;
Excellent verbal and written communication skills;
Willing to work on weekends, nights and holidays as needed or required;
Ability to provide your own transportation and housing while participating in the in internship;
Ability to live or provide for your own means on a minimum $8.25 per hour pay rate.

*To be considered for this position you must attach an essay to your cover letter when applying for the position.
The essay requirement is:
Minimum 300 words;
How would an internship with Cirque du Soleil help you meet your future goals and what distinguishes you from other candidates?

Job: Production and Technical Support & Operations
Primary Location: Las Vegas (USA))
Organization: Resident Shows
Travel: No

Job Posting: 2010-Sep-17
Unposting Date: 2010-Oct-15
 
Everything I have heard from Cirque is that the internship is the best way to get into the company. It is a very loyal and self contained company. They almost exclusively promote from within, so the best way to get in is to start at the bottom. The theory being that when you start as an intern they can train you and mold you into the perfect employee for their company. I have wanted to work for the company for many many years now, but have never been able to get in. The only reason I never applied for the internship when I was in school was because I am from the northeast. When you intern in Las Vegas they don't pay enough to live off of (it's an internship, so that's not a surprise) and they don't provide any housing or assistance. Therefore, to intern you kinda have to already live in Las Vegas, have family/friends in Vegas that'll let you crash, or be independently wealthy. But, once you are in, you are all but guarenteed a career as long as you want it.
 
Xander one of our CB friends who works for Cirque (and needs to stay anonymous) sent me a PM and wants you, and everyone else, to know the following. Yes it is true that they don't pay much for the internship (close to minimum wage). But there are plenty of affordable housing options. Some of the staff even offer their extra rooms for a reasonable rates. Most of the interns are from out of state, many from the east coast, few appear to be from wealthy families. Don't be discouraged in applying. If you want it bad enough, there are plenty of ways to make it happen. From what our friend said, it sounds like if you can afford to live on campus at college you should be able to afford to do the Cirque internship.

If you have any followup questions either post them here or PM me and I'm sure our friend will be happy to answer (as long as he/she can remain anonymous).
 
That's good to know for anyone out there that wants to apply, but I graduated from college several years ago. I have moved on :) and just hope someday my career will lead to Cirque. I was pretty bummed when they canceled the Red Curtain Event here in NYC.
 

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