About

Wonderbolt Productions is a multi-faceted professional circus company based at the edge of the world in historical St. John's, Newfoundland & Labrador. Celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2022, Wonderbolt dazzles audiences near and far with their original circus acts and performances, and engages at-risk youth with their social outreach programs and professional development workshops.

History

Wonderbolt set out on its artistic voyage in 1982 when it created a whimsical clown based circus and travelled with it by boat to the most isolated communities in Newfoundland.

In recent years, under the Artistic Direction of founder, Beni Malone, we have created and toured a string of critically acclaimed full scale circus shows. We love incorporating circus skills and the physical arts to tell our stories, to inspire and astonish our audiences, and to create new perspectives on performance and entertainment.

Wonderbolt produces the St. John’s International CircusFest which brings together international, national and regional circus professionals for an incredible week of panels, workshops and shows. CircusFest also features a free Family Circus Day and a Digital Symposium.

The SPACE houses our successful iFly aerial program which presently trains over one hundred participants in the aerial arts along with our circus skill camps and workshops. It also serves as a cultural community centre for local arts and cultural groups.

Staff

Beni Malone
Anahareo Doelle
Marian White
Carole Demers
Ian Campbell
Connie Foley
Abigail LeDrew

Wonderbolt is also an active member of En Piste Canada’s national circus network and the Association of Professional Theatres of Newfoundland and Labrador (APTNL). During our first circus festival Wonderbolt spearheaded the formation of the Atlantic Circus Alliance.

Our artistic journey has lead to a company that deals with many facets of circus culture.

We have evolved our activities to meet the growing needs of our community and our industry. We are dedicated to inclusiveness and reaching out to the most vulnerable members of our community. Our initiatives reflect the growing maturity of our company and the spirit of innovation and optimism of our next generation of leadership.