Machine De Cirque
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2013
- HeadquartersClarke City, Canada
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Machine De Cirque does
Machine de Cirque is a contemporary circus company founded in 2013 in Quebec City, Canada, that creates and tours original circus productions combining acrobatics (including a Guinness World Record-holding teeter board act), theatrical storytelling, live music, costume design, and immersive staging. The company operates a portfolio of 11 original shows spanning intimate duo acts (Ghost Light, Robot infid\u00e8le), traveling productions (Truck Stop, La Galerie, Changes), and large-format spectacles (Les 3 G\u00e9ants, Grand-Mess') featuring casts ranging from two to 20 artists. Operations are anchored at the \u00c9glise Saint-Charles de Limoilou, a former church acquired in 2020 and operated as the company\u2019s creative hub and ticketed venue through its Centre Manivelle sub-brand.
Machine De Cirque firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Machine De Cirque
- Legal name
- Machine de Cirque
- Website
- https://machinedecirque.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2013
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Machine De Cirque industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Live Entertainment / Circus Performances
- NAICS
- Other Performing Arts Companies (711190), Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (71111), Other Amusement and Recreation Industries (7139)
- SIC
- Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Circus & Physical Theatre (MPAGABAL)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Circus, Magic & Variety Shows (THAJAFAH)
Keywords
Where Machine De Cirque is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Clarke City
- HQ country
- Canada
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Machine De Cirque business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others
Revenue model
- Ticket Sales and Performance Revenue: Revenue generated from touring performances at international festivals, venues, and cruise ships. The company maintains an active touring schedule with performances across multiple continents.
- Corporate and Private Events: Custom circus performances designed for corporate events, conferences, weddings, awards ceremonies, and other special occasions. Services include concept and design, choreography, live music, costume design, and immersive experiences.
- Festival and Venue Bookings: Professional performances booked through international festivals and venues including Chamaeleon Theatre Berlin, Hawke's Bay Arts Festival (New Zealand), and various cruise ship contracts.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Corporate event custom performances |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
Machine De Cirque product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Machine de Cirque creates and produces contemporary circus shows combining acrobatics, theatrical storytelling, live music, and immersive experiences. The company delivers original touring productions, custom circus spectacles for corporate and private events, cruise ship entertainment contracts, and short films, while operating Centre Manivelle as a creative hub and performance venue.
Product overview
Machine de Cirque is a Quebec-based circus company producing live performances and events. The portfolio includes 11 original circus productions spanning theatrical shows (Ghost Light, Robot infidèle, Kintsugi), walking/experience shows (Errances, Fleuve), large-scale productions (Grand-Mess', Les 3 Géants), and traveling shows (Truck Stop, La Galerie, Changes). The company also operates Centre Manivelle, a converted church venue serving as its creative hub, and offers custom event spectacle services for corporate and special occasions. Shows range from intimate duo performances to productions featuring up to 20 performers, combining contemporary circus with music, theater, and multimedia elements.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Machine de Cirque (Original Show) The company's founding show featuring six male circus artists performing acrobatics, juggling, and teeterboard acts with comedic storytelling. Premiered in 2013.
- Truck Stop: La grande traversée A nomadic show depicting an unusual group of campers traversing the American continent, featuring five circus artists and one musician. Created in 2015.
- La Galerie A museum-themed show where seven acrobatic performers and one electrifying musician transform a monochrome exhibition into a color explosion. Created in 2018.
- Fleuve An outdoor circus experience inspired by the St. Lawrence River, featuring five original tableaux with 16 circus artists in an immersive 50-minute journey. Created in 2019.
- Ghost Light: entre la chute et l'envol An award-winning duo performance featuring acrobatics, choreography, ghostly lighting, and live music, exploring the story of two beings propelled toward each other. World premiere in 2019 at CIRCA Festival in France.
- Errances - 1916: le second brasier A walking/experience show set in Église Saint-Charles de Limoilou, featuring 20 circus artists across five scenes in an immersive, 45-minute theatrical journey. Created in 2020.
- Les 3 Géants A mega-production for Montréal Complètement Cirque festival exploring collective resilience and change, featuring live DJ music and acrobatic performances. Created in 2021.
- Changes A theatrical circus experience designed for German GOP cabarets, exploring themes of change between past and present, set in a time-frozen gas station. Created in 2021.
- Robot infidèle A poetic and musical circus show questioning humanity's relationship with work and machinery, featuring surreal humor, live music, and virtuosic object manipulation. Premiered in 2022 at Festival Spa in Belgium.
- Kintsugi A contemporary circus production set in a mysterious bus shelter, exploring human connection and resilience through acrobatic performances. World premiere in 2023 at Vaison Danses Festival in France.
- Grand-Mess' A grand festive spectacle created specifically for Église Saint-Charles de Limoilou, featuring 14 performers in a jubilant existential parade celebrating human condition. Premiered January 2024.
- Custom Event Spectacles
Quantifiable outcome
- 2000+ performances delivered internationally with 1.2 million cumulative spectators
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Machine De Cirque
Customer profileNamed customers12 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Machine De Cirque technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
Machine De Cirque partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Conseil des arts du CanadacoreMajor government arts funding body providing operational and project support. Supported Truck Stop through the Nouveau chapitre program with exceptional project funding.
- Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec (CALQ)coreProvincial arts council providing funding and support for Quebec circus productions and touring.
- Gouvernement du QuébeccoreProvincial government providing cultural development funding through various programs including SODEC tax credits.
- Ville de QuébeccoreMunicipal government providing cultural development funding and support for local arts organizations.
- Patrimoine CanadaminorFederal heritage funding for cultural projects and initiatives.
- Desjardins - Caisse d'économie solidairecoreFinancial cooperative providing sponsorship and support for arts and cultural initiatives, including the Prix d'Excellence des arts et de la culture.
- École de cirque de QuébecminorLocal circus school providing training pipeline and artistic collaboration opportunities.
- Éco scénominorSustainable production consulting for eco-conscious show design and production, particularly for Les 3 Géants.
- Cirque KikasseminorLocal partner for Errances event providing bar services and collaboration for the immersive experience.
- TOHU (Montréal)minorMontreal circus venue providing creation residency for Ghost Light production.
- ArtsEmerson (Boston, USA)minorAmerican presenting organization providing creation residency for Ghost Light.
- La Brèche - Pôle National des Arts du Cirque de NormandieminorFrench national circus arts center providing creation residency for Ghost Light in Cherbourg-en-Cotentin.
- Le Diamant (Québec)minorQuebec City performance venue providing creation residency for Ghost Light.
- TVAminorMajor Quebec media partner supporting Grand-Mess' and other productions.
- Le Journal de QuébecminorRegional media partner supporting Grand-Mess' and other productions.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Machine De Cirque competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Archaos: French contemporary circus company (Pôle National Cirque) producing original acrobatic and theatrical circus works for international touring. Comparable to Machine de Cirque as a French-speaking contemporary circus ensemble with similar artistic profile and touring structure.
- Cirque Éloize: Montreal-based contemporary circus company producing original touring shows (i, Cirkopolis, Hotel) with international festival and venue presence. Closest geographic and stylistic peer to Machine de Cirque — both Quebec-rooted contemporary circus troupes serving similar festival programmers and corporate event buyers.
- Cavalia: Quebec-origin large-scale theatrical production company (Odysseo, Alegria) combining live performance with equestrian arts under big-top tents. Comparable in operating model to Machine de Cirque — original creation, international touring, premium live entertainment for broad audiences.
- Compagnie XY: French contemporary circus collective known for acrobatic ensemble performances (Il n'est pas encore minuit, Möbius). Comparable as a contemporary circus company producing original acrobatic works for international festival circuit with similar ensemble size and artistic ambitions.
- Les 7 Doigts de la Main (The 7 Fingers): Montreal-based contemporary circus company creating original productions (Traces, Cuisine & Confessions, Passengers) for international touring and cruise lines (Princess Cruises). Highly comparable to Machine de Cirque in business model — original circus creation, international touring, cruise partnerships, and corporate events.
- NoFit State Circus: UK-based contemporary circus company producing touring shows (Bianco, LEX) that blend acrobatics, dance, and live music. Directly comparable to Machine de Cirque in artistic style (theatrical circus with music) and in operating model of festival touring plus bespoke commissions.
- CIRCA: Australian contemporary circus ensemble producing critically acclaimed touring works (Opus, Leviathan, Humans) performed across major international festivals and venues. Comparable to Machine de Cirque as a contemporary circus company with festival-grade original productions and global touring circuit.
Broad incumbents
- Cirque du Soleil: The dominant global contemporary circus entertainment company, producing large-scale touring shows, resident productions, and theatrical experiences. Comparable to Machine de Cirque in core product (circus performances) but operates at massively larger scale with a much broader portfolio including resident Las Vegas productions.
Emerging players
- Gandini Juggling: UK-based contemporary juggling company producing original performance works that fuse juggling with dance, mathematics, and theatre (4x4 Ephemeral Architectures, Life). Partially comparable to Machine de Cirque in approach to elevating circus skills into contemporary performance art for festival and touring audiences.
Regional players
- The Flying Fruit Fly Circus: Australian youth circus company producing original contemporary circus productions for both family audiences and festival programmers. Comparable to Machine de Cirque as an original-production circus company, though primarily serving the Australian regional market with similar scale.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Machine De Cirque social profiles
Digital presenceMachine De Cirque financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Machine De Cirque leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles16 records
Machine De Cirque subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries2 records
Machine De Cirque funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Machine De Cirque M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Machine De Cirque
What does Machine De Cirque do?
Machine de Cirque creates and produces contemporary circus shows combining acrobatics, theatrical storytelling, live music, and immersive experiences. The company delivers original touring productions, custom circus spectacles for corporate and private events, cruise ship entertainment contracts, and short films, while operating Centre Manivelle as a creative hub and performance venue.
Is Machine De Cirque a public or private company?
Machine De Cirque is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Machine De Cirque founded?
Machine De Cirque was founded in 2013. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Machine De Cirque based?
Machine De Cirque is headquartered in Clarke City, Canada, in the North America region.
How does Machine De Cirque make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Ticket Sales and Performance Revenue is the primary driver. The others are corporate and Private Events and festival and Venue Bookings.
Who are Machine De Cirque's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Archaos, Cirque Éloize, Cavalia, Compagnie XY, Les 7 Doigts de la Main (The 7 Fingers), NoFit State Circus and CIRCA. Cirque du Soleil is listed as a broad incumbent. Gandini Juggling is listed as an emerging player. The Flying Fruit Fly Circus is listed as a regional player.
Does Machine De Cirque have an API?
No public API is recorded for Machine De Cirque.
What industry is Machine De Cirque in?
Machine De Cirque's product category is Live Entertainment / Circus Performances. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAGABAL, Circus & Physical Theatre, with a secondary code of THAJAFAH, Circus, Magic & Variety Shows. Its NAICS code is 711190 and its SIC code is 7900.