When Calgarians get their first chance to see Cirque du Soleil’s latest big top show, Echo, the aim will be to leave them feeling very entertained, inspired, and maybe looking at the world a little bit differently.

Echo invites audiences into a fantasy world where the protagonist Future meets a variety of human and animal characters and discovers how to shape and rebuild a world we all want to live in.

Echo’s Artistic Director Fabrice Lemire said that fantasy is entirely by design—enticing audiences to step away from their daily lives and be entertained by the experience.

“When you come to Cirque, it’s because you know there’s going to be a why, and sometimes they’re gonna keep you on the edge of your seats. So, I’m hoping that they’re going to be entertained and they’re going to come out with a smile and bright eyes,” he said.

“We always try to get a message out of the experience, and there’s always a sense of reflection. When you go home, you go back to what just happened, and then where do you stand with what just happened and how did you feel?”

Compared to Cirque’s previous show in Calgary, Kooza, the costumes are minimalist in design.

That choice to use a giant grey cube and largely grey and white costumes was done to allow the audience to focus on the artists’ performances on stage, but also allows for some of the most advanced lighting and projection technologies to create a shifting set.

Lemire said that the cube becomes both prop and stage, with artists performing on or in it, but also with the projections continually changing the way it looks.

“It’s also a massive role in the plot. In the storytelling, the cube can look like a Rubik’s Cube of some type; it’s a piece. It’s multiple facets and pieces, and those facets are, to me, windows or doors to opportunities,” he said.

“So, when the protagonist goes and opens those windows, she’s not quite sure what the on the other side at first, but then when you go in, there is this very nice way of looking within yourself as well. When passing the wall, the fresh wall on the other side of the cube. It’s also going inside yourself and learning who you are and what is your purpose in life.”

Finding purpose in life, and on the stage

Lemire’s purpose on Echo is to act as the father figure for the various performers from around the world, of which there are dozens.

On a show where the primary focus is on the circus acrobatics, including the rarely seen Washington trapeze, where performers balance on their heads on a trapeze bar, that Lemire has to find the balance between producing a beautiful show but also attending to the needs of the artists.

“I think it goes down to this: Caring for the performers… goes a long way for the quality of your shows, so a large part of our role would be also to be there and present. Let’s not forget that those artists defy gravity, take risk. Risk is big when they go on stage,” he said.

“I think it’s important to make sure they are in the very right place, mentally and physically. The mental is super important.”

Keeping the performers at peak mental and physical condition is Olympian-turned-head-coach for Echo, Lee McDermott. The connection between McDermott and Lemire provides the secret recipe to putting on a high-performance show day after day, week after week.

“It depends on a given week, but basically, I’ll come in and work with each individual group of artists or acts that we have and go through step by step what we need for the show. The show needs come first, and then anything that’s developmental for the show will go post at the back end of a training,” said McDermott.

“So, I’m split into two parts. I’m working in the artistic tent… and I’m working on on stage.”

No risk, no reward for audiences

The job of the head coach is to assess risk, but also ensure that the show works within the boundaries of acceptable risk to give the signature Cirque look.

That means working with the performers, the automation team, and the other crew that allows for the show to come together seamlessly.

“The acrobatic component then goes on top of that, and I work closely with the artists to make sure that we’re pushing the boundaries, making sure something looks spectacular and amazing, but also something that we can produce on a weekly basis and a daily basis within those parameters as well. So it’s a fine balance to be made,” said McDermott.

“It’s a collaboration. So, it’s not just me and the artist. I have to work with the artistic director, so that’s very different from working as a coach in a sport, where it’s mostly me, artists and maybe the physical therapist. I now work with a huge team that everybody has a say over what is OK, but ultimately the decision comes down to myself and the artistic director.”

Creating the show is just as satisfying as it is for audiences to watch, said McDermott.

“Sometimes when I’m having a down day, I’ll actually go out the front of the house and watch everybody coming in to watch the show and I’ll listen to people’s comments and see their smiling faces,” he said.

“It takes me about five minutes I’ll come back in and go, ‘OK, this is why we do it. This is what makes people happy.’ And when we have standing ovations at the end of the day, it’s pretty rewarding.”

Echo from Cirque du Soliel runs at Stampede Park from Aug. 30 to Oct. 19. Tickets are on sale at www.cirquedusoleil.com/canada/calgary/echo/buy-tickets.