Macallan and Cirque du Soleil unveil spectacular immersive theatrical show to celebrate the whisky brand’s 200th anniversary
IN a fusion of artistry, innovation, and nature, Macallan has joined forces with the world-class performers of Cirque du Soleil to create an unforgettable experience marking Macallan's 200th anniversary.
The collaboration between the Speyside distillery and Cirque du Soleil has been more than a year in the making and has resulted in a magical sensory theatrical experience, titled Spirit.
Performed in a converted warehouse turned theatre on the Macallan estate, the show promises to be a magical and immersive journey into the heart of the Scottish Highlands.
Complete with elaborate sets, including a real running river, intricate costumes and incredible performances from Cirque du Soleil’s acrobats, the experience transports attendees into a world where nature and storytelling intertwine. The tale follows Davonna, a spiritual guardian of the Highlands, and Ayla, a young colourist on a quest to reconnect with her father's memory by recreating an illusive shade of red which reminds her of her whisky maker father.
Stuart Cassells, Macallan’s General Manager said: “This year we are celebrating 200 years of the Macallan, founded in 1824, we want to tell that story in a very unique memorable way. Cirque du Soleil are the best storytellers in the world and we wanted to collaborate with them to tell that story, we really excited to have this here on the Macallan Estate in Speyside.
“This is a celebration and a wonderful collaboration between two brands that are devoted to craftmanship, innovation and nature. That is really a shared belief that is important to us and it is wonderful to share that with the world, we have a brilliant opportunity in the next 200 years of Macallan to share that a bit wider and bring that about in a whole new way.”
The show features talented performers from across the world, with performers from Cirque du Soleil’s home country of Canada, the UK, Spain, China, Finland and Cambodia showing their world class circus skills. The show is also a unique experience for the artists, who will perform for around 150 people each night, making the show a far more intimate experience than typical performances.
Marie-Hélène Delage, Cirque du Soleil’s Creative Director for Events & Experiences said: “We call it a sensory theatrical experience, it gives the audience the opportunity to hear and taste, they are able to touch and play and the performances are very up close and personal.
“The intimate experience gave us a lot of freedom to actually be able to create that proximity to the performances, to see the emotion, the artistry and the high level of the performance. We get to create a connection to the audience with this show that we don’t always have the privilege to have.”
Behind the scenes, world-class makeup artists and costume designers have painstakingly created work that matches the mystical nature of the show.
Makeup designer Maryse Gosselin has spent up to 30 hours teaching cast members to create their performance makeup, with a focus on theatrical and fashion to create the mythical and animalistic creatures of the show. The makeup will take up to two hours each day to do and Maryse has been sure to keep her work nature focused, with environmentally friendly glitter, sponges and lashes.
Costume Designer, James Lavoie has also been working to create the elaborate costuming to match the shows intimate experience, he said: “At Cirque often in the big top shows to get the look that we want that mixes with the acrobatic performance our fabrics are totally custom made. This show is a different approach which was terrifying and exciting because of the proximity that the guests have to our artists, which isn’t offered in every Cirque show. We got to work with silks and fabrics that might not be feasible in a big top touring show and that was really exciting for us as designers and for the audience too, there are all of these little details in the costuming that they will be able to see up close during the experience.”
Cirque du Soleil Spirit will be running at the Macallan estate from 9 - 31 May 2024 - with one experience per day, excluding Sundays, there are a limited amount of tickets left, which can be purchased online at: https://www.themacallan.com/en
