Cirque du Soleil’s Big Top Rises in San Pedro

Raising the TOTEM tent (photo by Megan Barnes)

A crew of more than 65 workers raised Cirque du Soleil’s signature blue and yellow big top in San Pedro’s outer harbor Wednesday, just over a week away from TOTEM’s opening night.

“The next step is for all the show equipment and bleachers to come in,” Production Manager David Millman said after the crew raised more than 100 poles supporting the 66-foot tall, 167-foot wide canvas tent that seats over 2,600.

Set up usually takes eight days, but because the crew has been on a three week break since wrapping up in Columbus, Ohio, it got a head start over the weekend, when some of Cirque du Soleil’s 64 trailers rolled into town.

“It’s all hands on deck right now,” Millman said. “We’re loving the set up here. The weather has been ideal. We’re surrounded by three sides of water and it makes everyone have a big smile on their face.”

Everything should be set up by next week, in time for a dress rehearsal on Thursday night.

Operations Director Tara Tallentire said members of the cast and crew are staying in and around San Pedro, and have a kitchen staffed with four chefs on site, as well as a school for children on tour with their parents.

In addition to laborers, the show is hiring 100 to 150 staff to run concessions and the box office. Today’s tent raise was the first big day of set up.

“The tent envelopes the stage, so it’s quite an intimate experience,” Tallentire said. “There’s not a bad seat in the house.”

TOTEM opens Oct. 11 and will run through Nov. 10 before going on to Irvine and Santa Monica. The critically acclaimed show traces the evolution of humankind from amphibians, to it’s aspiration to fly, telling the story through world-class acrobatic acts in extraordinary costumes against stunning visual effects and live music.

The show has been promoted on billboards and television in Los Angeles for the past few weeks. Numbers on ticket sales for San Pedro’s run of shows aren’t in yet, but the company estimates they’re doing well.

“When people see the acts they’re going to think, ‘How can they do that?’ and that’s really what people want to see,” said Company Manager Jeff Lund. “Everything is just top notch and state-of-the-art. ”