Discovery Kids & Cirque du Soleil Team for Live-Action Show

Discovery Kids is collaborating with Cirque du Soleil Images on an original English-language live-action series produced by Apartment 11 in association with TVOKids.

The show takes place in a fictional boarding school for child circus performers, who must learn how to work together and test their limits as young artists, athletes and acrobats. It is being filmed at the international headquarters of Cirque du Soleil in Montreal. Producer, director and composer Cris Morena is on board as an executive producer and songwriter, with Leila Basen (Heartland) serving as head writer.

“Discovery Kids is extremely excited to embark on this venture, and we could not have chosen better partners than Cirque du Soleil Images, Apartment 11 and TVOKids,” commented Carolina Lightcap, ‎the executive VP and chief content officer of Discovery Latin America/U.S. Hispanic. “The series delivers dream fulfillment through circus performing arts in a magical and musical context, which is sure to delight our Discovery Kids audience.”

“Cirque du Soleil is looking to develop new forms of entertainment, speak to new audiences and further expand its global reach,” said Kristina Heney, the chief marketing officer at Cirque du Soleil. “This series is a natural continuation for us in our foray into youth entertainment, after over 30 years of producing world-renowned live shows that appeal to the entire family. Our vision is to apply our creative kaleidoscope to build unique worlds that nurture kids’ creativity.”

Jonathan Finkelstein, Apartment 11’s president and executive producer, noted: “I’m thrilled to be working again with Discovery Kids and TVOKids. The extraordinary nature of the circus and specifically Cirque du Soleil will allow us to have so much fun telling stories. Every viewer is going to love this school!”

“The series also builds on TVOKids’ long-standing track record of developing award-winning, innovative content that engages kids while ensuring parent trust,” added Marney Malabar, TVO’s director of kids’ TV. “This show addresses important themes of building resilience, coping with failure and over-achievement, and instilling confidence. These are critical for a child’s success in school and in life. TVOKids is incredibly proud to partner in this new project to help kids build the skills they need for the future.”