The Nugget Newspaper - News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon

The Venardos Circus is returning to Central Oregon yet again. The animal-free, Broadway-style circus presents their all-new "Let's Build a Dream" show at the Deschutes County Fair & Expo Center June 8-18.

The 2023 Venardos Circus is traveling with a new, custom-crafted, Italian-made, red-and-white-striped tent that offers expanded seating around a central stage. It adds 100 seats including new elevated premium gallery seat at the back of the tent.

With an increased demand for tickets and sold-out shows nationwide, the circus expanded its space and experience, while keeping intimacy at the heart of the Venardos Circus.

Kevin Venardos, founder, ringmaster, and host of the circus, is excited to see his circus expand and grow and continue to entertain audiences.

He has always had the circus in his blood. While living in New York City, he auditioned for any performance career he could find. Venardos then auditioned as a ringleader in one of the Barnum & Bailey circuses.

"That transformed my life, and I was working in the Big Apple Circus as the ringmaster and eventually moved to LA to perform there," he said.

He continued pursuing his circus career, knowing it was calling him.

Venardos surrounded himself with performers and friends who believed in his dream, and their own dreams to be performers.

"If you have good people around you that believe in the dream, there is nothing you cannot do," he said.

Their motto is #LiveYourCircusDream, and that shines through in their shows, as each performer lives out their passion.

Every one of the performers is a part of the entire production process.

"Another part of a small, intimate event, when the guests arrive here, if they feel like we aren't right with each other, they can feel that, and that robs them of some of the magic they might otherwise feel. We make it a priority to work together as a team and plan to fix whatever problems they might be," he said.

With a more extensive production, Venardos can provide services for people that make the load-in and load-out process easier and provide amenities for performers.

"I believe we've done the best we could at each step, and that's part of growing, and I am excited about the future," he said.

"Our cast and crew is thrilled to return to Redmond with our brand-new show," said Venardos. "This story promises to amaze and inspire and may even tug at a few heartstrings. Building a dream takes heart, courage, and tenacity, but the outcome can be beautiful."

Photo provided

Audiences will enjoy an intimate experience in the tent.

They have seven performers on the stage, with each performer offering two acts.

"The 90-minute production show, I've found, with the extremely varied age demographic that's just the right amount of time - but is a very satisfying experience," Venardos said.

"The VIPs are getting a grab bag as part of their ticket, and we also have premium seating. It changes the guests' experience as we started having sold-out houses," said Venardos.

"With this dream and with the support of this team, we transformed what might have been an end into something possible when you keep following and don't let go of the dream," he said. "I love that community in Redmond, and it's one of the most beautiful times of the year when we get there," said Venardos.