Animated and spectacular circus acts featuring aerial performers, contortionists and extreme costumed costumed characters will make this year’s pageant a rally everyone can support.
San Diego, Calif.—Imagination Entertainment, the premiere creative producer of cirque-style shows, Broadway-style revues and business theatre, takes pride in helping San Diego LGBT Pride Parade and Festival organizers infuse a medley of entertainment—from balancing acts to Chinese Poles, and roaming cirque-styled Imaginators to aerial performers—into its 35th annual event July 18 – 19 in Balboa Park in San Diego, Calif.
San Diegans, already familiar with Imagination Entertainment as the original creators of the Cirque de la Mer show at Sea World and internationally renowned, award-winning iL CiRCo, will be treated to 10 professional, highly credited performers featured on stages throughout the Festival and three roaming characters who will delight Festival goers. The Parade will wow crowds with 15’ tall extreme costumed Imaginators who through performance theatrics are brought together at a whimsically decorated grand stand with a message of unity and equality.
Pride events are as important today as they ever have been notes San Diego’s Pride Executive Director Ron deHarte which is why they have sought to diversify the entertainment for 2009. “As we continue to enhance the pride parade and festival, collaborating with Imagination Entertainment was a logical step. They will help us offer entertainment never presented in our venue before. We are looking to create “wow” experiences at the Festival and Imagination Entertainment’s team will do just that!”
“We’ve been talking about doing this for years and want to help the Pride organization look past the traditional pride entertainment and do something more reminiscent of Rio’s Carnivale,” explains Imagination Entertainment’s President and Executive Producer Sam Trego. “San Diegans are a sophisticated audience whether gay or straight, and they want other styles of entertainment that cater to the extreme diversity of the gay community.”
“We’ve created new performance venues on the Festival grounds for the Imagination Entertainment artists and I think our attendees will enjoy the unexpected performances,” explains deHarte. “There are a wide range of performances programmed over the two-day festival with about 80 bands, dance groups, comedy acts, theatrical performances and event puppet shows for the kids.”
Amy Gale, producer for Imagination Entertainment, draws on the iL CiRCo show for inspiration in providing the entertainment for this year’s Pride event. “This will not be staged as our typical iL CiRCO show,” explains Gale. “We like to use different music and costumes that really mirror the event and make it unique time after time. So we consistently deliver amazing acts, but we stage the performances based on the event.”
Imagination Entertainment’s performers can be seen both days of the event and Trego hopes that this is a way for Pride events across the country to see that they can shake things up a little and continually reinvent what they offer attendees year after year.
“San Diego Pride is reaching a much larger audience today than ever before,” says deHarte. “Raising awareness, standing up and having a voice is a very important process in any civil rights movement. Pride events serve that purpose.”
“Having worked on events all over the world, I hope this inspires other Pride organizers across the country to see another style of entertainment that fits their purpose but still raises the level of performance,” says Trego. “Organizers need to spice it up a little and cater to the diverse tastes found in their audiences.”
Trego looks forward to a long lasting relationship with the San Diego Pride organization. “If you think this is big, wait until next year,” exclaims Trego. “They are talking about bringing in Broadway next year. This is just the perfect way for us to give back to our community”
To learn more about Imagination Entertainment shows and performers visit www.imaginationent.com. The San Diego LGBT Pride Parade and Festival will be held July 18 – 19, 2009. For more information visit www.sdpride.org.
About Imagination Entertainment: From cirque-style shows to sensational Broadway theatrical revues and business theater, Imagination Entertainment has set the standard of excellence for public theatrical entertainment and special events productions since 1995. And consistent with its namesake, Imagination Entertainment works diligently to creatively inspire audiences around the world with award-winning productions that exceed its clients’ business objectives.
Founder and president Sam Trego has produced over 1800 corporate general sessions, product reveals, awards banquets, and theatrical productions for clients such as IBM, Honeywell, Samsung, the 2000 Sydney Olympics, Firestone, Continental Casualty Companies, MCI, McDonald’s, Pontiac, and the hit show at Sea World San Diego “Cirque de la Mer.” The troupe has played to over 5.5 million people since its first show on May 31, 1996, and this highly acclaimed production has won awards throughout the world for its unique artistry.
Our production team hails from the Moscow Circus, Cirque du Soleil, and touring Broadway productions to name a few. Imagination Entertainment bridges the gap in quality between the Broadway stage and special event production. To learn more, or book an event, visit www.imaginationent.com or call 619.640.6500