Transcript of audio interview with Binky Beaumont, from Gundey World Class Productions

Please note that the Transcript is computer generated, so might not be fully accurate at times...

[00:00:00] Yes. My name is Benki which is be. I ask why they want me. Are you ever twenty. And I'm from Gandey World Class Productions.

[00:00:47] You are world leading organization aren't you , within the circus industry?

[00:00:55] Yes. We're shackled only as the world to serve. So in terms of the diverse number of productions, which all because of the size of the productions, from shows to fair to Tors to television show Liberté, we've got the after show party, the bread to watch. We send a unit for the last 5 years to Hong Kong for Christmas. We've set out the whole person before we send production and dish out, you know, hardly by the United Arab Emirates. We have 200 street entertainers out on a private airplane to the International Dubai Shopping Festival.

[00:01:31] Do you base in tents, don't you? How did you get involved in this? Is it only.

[00:01:38] Yeah, we're facing in Cheshire just they sat back and we established ourselves here just at the turn of the last century, just over a hundred years ago, when Bob Gundi was on his way back from pantomime and his vehicle broke down on the on the AFSC in Cheshire. And we've been based here have a sense we have a very large bar here and we have the big meal out in Cheshire, in Compton, in Cheshire, where our main offices are, which support create all the productions that central over the world, employing a team with about 50 people.

[00:02:18] No circus. Everybody knows. Everybody knows it's going bankrupt because of the corona virus. How has it affected you yourselves?

[00:02:29] Well, we were actually the tool itself the year and we dealt with Oak Creek racecourse and we've been down just Stoke-On-Trent and in March to be there for about three weeks, we were forced to close as the COBRA crisis happened. So this have been prepared and rehearsed half open the season. Yeah, but we had there are currently between 35 and 40 circus's shut down across the UK. None of us have received any funding from the state, although initially one hundred and sixty million pounds was given to the office for emergency funding. However, none of that money has found its way through to branchy service.

[00:03:17] Why do you think that is? Do you think it's an overlooked or do you think it's going on the buildings?

[00:03:22] Well, the reason mainly is because surfaced in this country is not seen as an awful across the world. It is as it and a lot of Government support and funds, a lot of a lot of other countries are valued alongside opera, ballet and those country provide funding with the speech equipment and training shirkers was developed in the UK 252 years ago, recently celebrated the 215 Anniversary of Circus created by a chap from Staffordshire called Philip Ashley Channel, where they did it, where they as an awful but we ignored and devalued today.

[00:04:04] Why do you think that is?

[00:04:08] I think people see arts and culture, things like Central Valley and opera, whereas the surface is probably one of the first false statement. But you take your family to it's good, clean, fun. It's affordable.

[00:04:21] A big top will be set up in a town that possibly does a theatre. We go for people as opposed to people travelling 50 miles radius to conceal in a theatre which is often in a City Centre site crammed into the Victoria building. One of the big advantages we have with a big top is it's not a theatre building. We can send to the distance and we could open with sheeting. We can open up the side walls and use many entrances and exits. And we have all the facilities are outside the box office, just outside merchandise. Patrick, logical. Mobile toilets are all outside. Clearly not a permanent structure with the settings of toilets toners under stairwell. Like if theatre, many theatres work up in Victorian times and were built to get as many seats as possible into the building. And then afterwards, things like as much as access shellings and toilets were an afterthought. So if you guys would finish this one way and your section, the seats a long way out. I think, you know, we've all been there with people have to stand up, but it all goes. Excuse me. Excuse me. Excuse me. That is not going over. So conditions and a to all I see is adjustable. I was seating can be made. We can have gangways, watch the full four ways and you can have as many gangways as you want. And we could open in 14 days if we got green lights on the girls.

[00:05:47] How easy do you think it will be to persuade the Government to give you that crucial green light? And are you able to work properly?

[00:05:57] We wouldn't want to operate broke with this unit. We've got all the units everywhere in Europe, but in all Europe across the world, the surface production drifting off. It's only Engert. That isn't because we're being classed as a theatre yet. What's the difference between opening up a poke at less than put a small marquee outside the of space as opposed to was opening up the surface, which is a big blocky and socially than say we have all the facilities, all our seats are plastic and we can take in fast all the time. We can still find the toilets because they can it to mobile toilets. All this we can do. We can provide Hanwell stations. We can provide an easy one way system in a 10 cell structure. And yet we're not allowed to open because we're being classed as a BNZ. However, people are letting people go to these driving shows, these, you know, play football. Now, it's one of the things that are allowed that we just feel it's very unfair. But, you know, it's such a rich and others cultural performance, just the language of the language. You've got no speaking required anything screen recorded. His heritage spans centuries and this constantly because he's having to reinvent itself artistically and logistically to change it. I wish there was such an audience for every country. We've got no claps as to why of statements. So, you know, we make it affordable. We can said just give away sixteen thousand tickets a year to charitable companies. We raise it across. The show's over one hundred thousand pounds a year for hospitals including old Hague, the Edinburgh Children's Hospital, Birmingham Children's Hospital. Wherever we're in the city, wherever he says, we leave something behind and give something back to the community. And yet, you know, the Government's overlooks this and sees this as a as a lowest class of all form in the South. Does it all.

[00:07:55] How much does he bring in then for the economy? The circus? Do you reckon?

[00:08:01] Oh, oh. Older battle of the bands. 40 shows of the thousands of pounds in advance in business tax. We asked to pay for our office. Well, thanks to the venues, as we pay the health insurance that that covers, if they're calling in from abroad to use to use facilities, we have to pay day. Sure. It's that public liability. It's probably a couple of thousand two thousand pounds per person to bring them into the UK to make sure they're covered on the health insurance. So that if anything happens, it doesn't cost anybody anything. We do that across the board. And yes, when things like this happen because they're foreign entertainers, they are not entitled to any public funds. So we basically have to look out for everybody and make sure that they've got showers, make sure they've got access to the Internet so they can speak to their family when whichever country they're asked to make sure that they're happy and they're sad in the war. So we have to do that. As you know, we're not asking for the begging bowl out. The theaters are dropping all this funding. Now, one point six billion pounds has been announced today to support them. Again, we don't have anything we're not going to get a look at. We're not even entering the service in the U.K., as is celebrating its 268 Anniversary two years ago. The way things are going, this will die in the UK in 2020. This will be the death of British circus unless the Government actually steps up to help us.

[00:09:33] How important is that? A circus delay which has gone on from other Governments supporting? Because circus delay, you would have thought would be supported. So it's a big name.

[00:09:46] Is supported massively. It's a Canadian based company by the Canadian Government. It's been bailed out several times. It has contracts. Basically subsidy all over the world to perform our production staff.

[00:10:01] Our productions go all over the world to Hong Kong, to the UAE, to Singapore, wherever we ask, asked to send to show for the Government. We send it when we go. Everything is on us. We get them support from the UK Government, although we work with the Department of International Trade, the Government body. We don't get support to something shows across the world. We are approached by other private promoter or a company to send the show abroad. That's what we do, because often, you know, if the autumn periods, the weather in the UK is the best, we have a day for providing world class entertainment and have done so well over 40 years. We've been we've been saying these shows abroad, although we've been established for over 100 years. But it's so important to keep the day at everything we do is it's all coming back to the UK. This is the UK registered company. We're based in the north west of England. We've we've been here for a hundred years and we intend to stay here. We just don't get any assistance.

[00:11:01] If you're down in London, do you think it would be the same?

[00:11:05] Kucinich is because you think you point out in London? I think they would say it's a different category because the biggest circus based warnings about one of you based in London. Well, because we're northwest, we're from the northwest. Five generations, all of us live in the northwest and all the older by team. It's our home. We've always said it when we open that, actually. But just diversity talk like 2018 at the top. We insisted it was open at the traffic centre in Manchester. Melton looked at, which is where everyone else wants you to open it. But we always open our show. We open can the Circus Aintree racecourse every year. This is out of the northwest. We opened up. We closed the show here. It's our tradition we'll always do in the North West is our hope.

[00:11:52] Now, this year, you've also had a double whammy because at the beginning, the D.A. remember rightly, didn't you have a problem within 2 schools? Yes.

[00:12:01] It's not yet clear whether any tree racecourse, because, of course, we have the store case and we lost two weekends of shows. We have to drop everything for our team safety because of the safety. So we lost ten shows that we have to put it all back open, open again. And the weather was just horrendous. But then don't have that because normally we open a story and the weather's reasonable. You know, when we go, it's spelled out right. And shouted, but gosh, the stoke the shit. So it's been a double whammy for us. We lost the lost the show for the storm at the opening, which is when we're spending all the money to get everything ready for a new approach and the new costumes, the new music and everything that we move to Newcastle in the Staffordshire to the shock after the turn of it, after eight days, which they've got ten days to go that well, we would, you know, be set out very well. We're very, very busy that only.

[00:12:53] So this summer is a vital time for you to trade because you can't really operate in as easily over the winter period.

[00:13:00] Well, the short sells not so much for us, because what we do is we call the spring store, which runs from February until June. Then we have three complete large units, which we have other artists coming in from all over the world. And we work the board last year. So we put the three main circuses in came Butlin's, Skegness, Minehead and bulked up. That is a big thousand Sapientis tops, which we assemble fully flawed and everything. We've seen a thousand people who pay 2 to 3 shows a day of sell out people so that that three about two, three months until the first week of September. Then we do another 10 week for which autumn towards the end, September, October, and then in November, everything is shipped off to wherever the show is going. Whether it's the United Arab Emirates, whether it's going to Singapore or if we have 2 or 3 units out, everything it sets out takes 3 or 4 weeks to get there on the boat. They are just a few weeks off and then they fly in from wherever in the world they go back to. And we start again with rehearsals and percent of the production halfway across the world. That's that's what we do. But a lot of English surfaces will tour the UK from sort of March until end of the normally. But find out about November. And then we'll perhaps do a little Christmas show somewhere. But it's it's the whole thing. The fact is, is this is a UK industry that's in dire straits over 40. So you put hundreds of hundreds of people and we don't get any help or support.

[00:14:35] Can you the look at sea support from other countries, maybe it might be open union maybe.

[00:14:44] Yeah, I. And we could in Europe. All the services supported in the UK. There is no support. It never has been for British surfaced even when we're in the EU. You know, France, Belgium, Germany, Italy, Spain all get subsidies or get grants or get grants and money and low interest loans for equipment. We get nothing in the United Kingdom. We never do. We're self-funded and self supported and always have been. And the big guys killed in 50 years. We must be doing something right and there must be an audience. But it's now we can't have an audience because of the corona virus and the locked out. We're being penalised. We should be allowed to open up because we kind of grew up with social distancing. We cannot put up with affordable show as opposed to big expensive fetch tickets. And we can literally remove all the potential structure so we can operate where all the fans just go.

[00:15:41] How do you think it's going to impact as well? Almost.

[00:15:46] Well, that's something that's going to obviously make a difference, because we have a lot of workers coming from Europe. But a lot of our team working with us for so long. We employ several hundred people with the season, which most of them are artists that come from places outside the EU anyway, from Cuba, from where the web of the current artists coming from all over the world. So because of that, it doesn't it won't affect the production, but it does affect us out our tourist teeth, because a lot of our drivers and everything about the money pretty all from Europe. So it's isn’t going to make a lot more work for everybody. But, you know, it's just what we celebrate about. That's the way it is.

[00:16:31] One of the groups you dealing with is the Chinese state circus. Have you seen any problems because of the word China in it?

[00:16:40] Well, because it's not already told. Last time it in the UK was 2018 a unit. So we own created the Chinese state circus nearly 30 years ago. And that is our brand name. We own it. Nobody else could tour. And you disappear all over the world under the brand, the Chinese state circus. But no, there's no show in the UK at the moment. There's this tour out and we'll be in a couple of year’s time. But at the moment, there's no there's no production. We have many, many shows and too many shows. But the Chinese state circus, what happens is our producers, Carol Lin Co. will fly out to China. We'll select one of the acrobatic troupe in cooperation with the Chinese Government. They will then be commissioned 30 strong team of brought into wherever we are. The show is we have a country to show is it? That includes doctors, physiotherapists, managers, translators, interpreters, everything. There's a complete production that that will appear. We equipped we broke the rules and the show. All over it. Wherever we are, whichever puts you in the back is not in the UK. I've been in the UK 2018.

[00:17:47] So it was a circus. It's not just the Anslem, not you support it. It's also a whole raft of local people.

[00:17:56] Yeah, really. Oh, you've got stage technicians. We've got like each side as sound teams. We have only music specially written and recorded for us.

[00:18:04] We have a complete electrical company that basically puts it on the light to sound lighting, lasers and everything. We told them we tore as much equipment on one of the Gaddafi shows as you would see in any Western theatre. Above all, the cable ahead, the whole lot we have to make what is basically a greenfield site. It was a it's a complete with flooring, carpeting and the latest lighting lasers that set everything up, sound equipment, this old irrational. So, you know, we have a big team of probably 20 people that are involved in that. The several managers. We have a fully tainted by travel space travel agency, health and safety regulations right there, too. We have the latest training every year. And we have a team that is responsible for moving, of settling, setting up equipment. So, you know, they need to do is bring about six different quality.

[00:18:57] So how easy is it for them to get support, to make it individually, get support from the Government?

[00:19:04] Most of them are all self employed. So the only support they will get is the self employed as a percentage of that profit. But obviously, if you're self employed, everyone knows that if you were allowed to if you splatt expenses like your vehicles, costumes, your equipment, your accommodation, your fuel to move between. So. So the profit you make is that you were there. What, you actually get paid because you pay tax on that. So it's normally, you know, very it was very difficult for lots of people who are self employed, whatever business they're in. If you're a plumber, you've still got back by the time you're taking up your cost of your van and your equipment and your tools and everything else. It doesn't leave a lot of profit, unfortunately. Go for charity paying for profit. self employed people.

[00:19:48] Well, thank you. I hope this gets resolved shortly. Have you been in touch with your MP, by the way?

[00:19:55] Our Company has been in touch to our employees. We consistently talk to them. We're talking to the national Government. We're talking to. We're advising Government bodies about the ongoing situation. We're giving you all the information we can. We've taken all the latest Kovik trading, all our team have. We've put in all these measures in place. But guess our our senior management executive team all on a on a day to day basis, talking to these Government bodies, Government. You registered companies that will support and help us in this task, which is a massive task. So, yes, wait, wait, wait. Our company is very well established for a long time. We work a lot with the Government bodies. So we are asking. But the problem is you've got to get the right person here. And often it's not your local MP or fortunately.

[00:20:44] Well, Stephanie. Look, is there any way people can get into some of the support for yourselves?

[00:20:50] Our we can find as a family circus. It's Facebook of social media. There's t t e y ask that one spelled that wrong. Godless circus. And obviously, you know, any support, the state support, you know, is appreciated. But I wish Facebook, such as this debate site, we have over 40000 followers on there. But I support you guys in a way. We're doing stuff for that Library Day weekly quizzes with so many artists about our social media sites. Very, very busy. We got to reach about older people week. So, you know, we're very busy. So we can we keep it active and make sure people know where we are if they want to send us a message.

[00:21:31] Once again, thank you for your time. Good look.

[00:21:35] All right. Appreciate that. Thanks so much.