Cirque du Soleil is coming back to the Don Haskins, and this time they’re bringing a colony of insects with them. Cirque du Soleil presents “OVO,” a story of a mysterious egg and a love story between a big-city bug who falls in love with a ladybug.
The “OVO” plot follows a foreigner going into a colony of different insects. There are butterflies, ants, dragonflies, crickets and even clowns. The newcomer falls in love with the ladybug and the show follows a colony of insects with a lot of different stories.
Director Deborah Colker was inspired to come up with the plot of “OVO” through Brazilian music and the world of insects. “OVO” is the Portuguese word for egg. The Brazilian inspiration resonates through the music and costumes.
Catherine Audy, who plays a butterfly in “OVO,” said the costumes used in the show were made in Montreal.
“We have a lot of different costumes in the show. We do our own makeup, but for the costumes we have a team of three people in wardrobe in here that wash our costumes and do repairs. It’s very colorful (our show) so the costumes are amazing,” Audy said.
“OVO” is a large production that has been on the road for a year and plans to keep traveling for another five years.
“We have been touring since April (2016) in arenas. All of the team has been together for a year now. There are 100 people on tour,” Audy said.
The production will remain in the U.S. until September and head to Europe in October later this year. Audy also said that the show will run for another five years. She describes her job as a “lifetime choice” because of all of the time it requires her to be on the road and on tour. Although difficult, she said she’s having fun traveling the world doing what she loves.
The performers train every day even when they are on a break.
“We are in the arenas a few hours before the show. A few hours a day. We are still training a lot because our body needs it,” Audy said.
The cast and crew definitely put in a lot of hard work to deliver a grand show every night across different cities. What makes “OVO” so special is that it caters to all audiences.
“The kids enjoy it and the adults laugh a lot. The high acrobatics level of the show and the clowns are really funny. It’s really for the whole family,” Audy said.
“OVO” shows April 12 through April 16 at the Don Haskins Center. Tickets are available through UTEP Ticket Center or Ticketmaster.com.
