Gandeys and Circus Starr: how we helped two very different circuses

2019 is already turning out to be another frantic year for us here at Rubber Box. As well as getting ready for the Prolight and Sound show (which we’ve covered in another recent post), we took two calls from two very distinct circuses in the past few weeks. One stages international shows in regions across the globe, whereas the other works hard on helping children and vulnerable people much closer to home. Here’s what we did for each of them!

Providing power to Gandey World Class Productions

Although Gandey World Class Productions is based in Congleton, right here in the UK, they put on shows all over the world. With over 40 years of history to their name, they’ve been staging jaw-dropping shows in far-flung locations like Hong Kong, Russia and the Middle East, as well as countries like Spain and other places in Europe. These shows are massive affairs, with fully-fledged pyrotechnics and talented acrobats, singers, dancers and many more types of physical performers.

For the most recent of these shows, they’re currently on tour with their version of the Greatest Showman (which you may already know as the successful musical film of Hugh Jackman fame). They contacted us to acquire specialised electrical distribution equipment that could fit their unique power requirements, just before their tour began. Now, the theatre and wider entertainment industry is amongst one of the key sectors we serve here at Rubber Box, so we’ve had experience of fulfilling these sorts of large-scale orders on similarly tight deadlines. We were able to turn around their order of bespoke power distribution boxes within the week, shipped off to the Circus for their engineers and lighting designers to use immediately.

Our rubber boxes are particularly useful for clients like Gandeys World Class Productions, as we specifically design them to be durable and scalable, so that they’re suitable to be used not just in the UK, but all over the world. Fantastic for countries with international operations, like Gandeys!

Providing help to the local community

Although the vast majority of the calls we get are in relation to our wide range of power distros (as you’d expect!) every so often we get the odd call that’s not. Recently we took just one such call, which was from Circus Starr – the circus with a purpose! Their mission is to put on performances and productions for those children who might find it difficult or overwhelming to participate in mainstream productions for whatever reason – whether this is due to life-limiting conditions or disabilities, low incomes or unfavourable living circumstances. Their performances are strictly ‘tut-free zones’, which is a mission statement we can definitely get behind here at Rubber Box. We were happy to make a donation to Circus Starr, which helped to send 10 vulnerable children and families to one of their shows. (Funnily enough, it was ‘the Greatest Snowman’ a title which is eerily similar to the show that Gandeys is currently staging, although massively different in tone and scale!)

Circus Starr were kind enough to send us a list of the various schools and centres in Burnley who would benefit from our donation. While (we’ll admit) we’re not 100% sure which ones we’ve specifically helped, there wasn’t a single one on there that we wouldn’t have wanted to support. Amongst the people which these schools and centres help are:

– Deprived families and other people on low income

– Young carers supporting families or friends

– Vulnerable parents and children

– People who are facing homelessness

– Children with autism or sensory impairments

– Those with special education needs

– Children and young people with complex medical requirements

– Families and individuals affected by Epidermolysis Bullosa

– Children and families living with cancer

By all accounts, the shows that Circus Starr put on are absolutely fantastic, and we’re proud to have been able to help here at Rubber Box! Sadly we’re not much cop at singing and dancing ourselves… but if you’re looking for new power distribution equipment on the other hand, that’s definitely something we can help with. You can shop for our power distros online here, or give one of our engineers a call on 01282 677 910. We’re here to help! (Just don’t ask us to sing Let It Go.)