NDP Circus, formed of mutli-disciplined artists from different backgrounds, showcased a new adaptation of ‘Notre Dame de Paris’ in 2019. Originally devised to pay tribute to Notre Dame Cathedral and honour the important issues raised in Victor Hugo’s story. Having completed 38 shows during a tour of France, Wales and Scotland, culminating in a full run at the Edinburgh Fringe, we are now planning a 2020 tour to cross borders with this story. 

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The cast were chosen from different artistic backgrounds to build a creative melting pot and enhance co-creation. All cast members brought unique skills to their roles and group scenes. Cast members developed solo pieces in their respective disciplines; dance, opera and theatre. Techniques such as visualisation, mime, mask work, and combining dialogue and physicality were integrated through workshops and 1:1 sessions. Quasimodo and Esmeralda underwent intensive physical theatre training to embody and understand their characters. Group scenes were constructed collaboratively amalgamating skillsets to achieve large-scale physical theatre and circus scenes. 

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NDP Circus worked with Cadw to bring the show to Tintern Abbey, with over 1,000 audience members. Working with local government and community organisations in order to increase accessibility to performing arts in the local community inspired us to continue telling this story.