24 hours; 31 shows; 160 staff and volunteers. That’s just some of what went into the attempt to set a Guinness Record for the longest circus performance that Phare, The Cambodian Circus staged in March this year.
While Phare is waiting to have the record validated, WiT caught up with Osman Khawaja, executive director at Phare Ponleu Selpak and Dara Huot the CEO of Phare Performing Social Enterprise for episode 3 of GEVME’s Virtual Experience Makers series, to find out what goes on behind the scenes of staging a potentially record-breaking virtual circus performance.
The genesis of Phare’s story is a familiar one, too often told throughout the pandemic; tourism evaporated and revenues disappeared overnight.
But in Phare’s case, those revenues, derived from performing to 800 visitors daily pre-pandemic, also represented 60% of the budget to run Phare Ponleu Selpak, the outreach arm of Phare which provides free K-12 education and performing and visual arts training to more than 1,000 students each year.
That was a mission too important to fail.
The way they saw it, there were two crucial challenges that lay ahead for Phare to stay operational. The first was to attract locals to the circus, and the second was to pivot to virtual, so they could still reach an international audience.
But the pivot to virtual presented multiple obstacles. Apart from the upfront production costs, which are substantial, Osman reflects on the very special energy and vibe that Phare’s performances are known for, “The biggest challenge is the intimacy and energy of a live show and how to capture that online; the setting is unique, capturing it virtually is challenging. You really have to change the way the entire production is presented and filmed for online viewing, so there’s a big shift needed around that.”
Another obstacle they faced was in staging their annual gala virtually. While that would give them a chance to reach out to a global audience despite the pandemic, the fear was that they would be unable to connect and engage with people the way they would with a physical gala.
It was this final consideration that tipped the scales; if they were going to do a virtual event, it would have to be something momentous that could capture the imaginations of their virtual audience. Something like a Guinness World Record attempt.
They get by with a little help from their friends
It sounded like a great idea in theory, but as they did their research and learnt about the criteria they would have to meet to qualify for the record (no repeated acts, 50 people in the audience at all times), it dawned on the team that this was going to be a “mega production”.
But, Huot observes, “the bigger the challenge, the bigger the opportunities for creative solutions”, and the team at Phare wanted to use this big challenge as a way to also reach out to locals – to raise their awareness about Phare or as Huot puts it “to challenge our friends so that they are willing to engage with us, be with us, and even donate”.
Meanwhile, as Phare’s audacious attempt to make history was getting started, another piece of the puzzle landed in place – a sponsor. Osman credits Cambodian Telco Cellcard with being the boost they needed at the right time to see the project through. Cellcard, he tells us, sponsored not just cash to cover costs and pay the artistes (another Guinness requirement), but also offered in-kind support, promoting the event to influencers, and bringing in a mobile cell tower so that they could stream the event live without any interruptions.
Even with corporate and community support, the magnitude of the undertaking was staggering. 31 different shows meant 31 different sets to transition through, changing backdrops, sound, and lighting, while not exceeding a certain amount of breaks per Guinness’ requirements.
Osman describes having to continue with acts ongoing onstage while changing the lighting and sound setup, “because for some we have live music, some was recorded, some are modern instruments, some are traditional… all that changes, sometimes while the performance is still going on”.
Remarkably, even with a full run rehearsal not possible, the entire event went down without a single glitch – a testament to the solidarity and teamwork of the Phare family.
Overcoming technical challenges just the first step
On top of the technical challenges, there were other concerns too.
For performers who are used to feeling the energy of a huge crowd, the reduced crowd meant having to dig deep into their own creative resources to bring the energy to their performances.
Huot shares how he tried to keep morale high throughout the 24 hours, but that his utmost focus was on keeping everyone safe, ensuring that the team followed standard operating procedures and safety standards despite these being extraordinary times.
For Osman, it was the uncertainty that took the greatest toll. He relates how nail-biting the experience was, “you know you put in all this energy, this money, this effort, the planning required around it, and then tomorrow [everything] could be cancelled.” As the situation changed daily, all they could do was keep pushing forward and hoping for the best. As it turned out, they completed their 24-hour performance in the morning on 08/03/21, and that same day in the evening, the Prime Minister announced the closure of all events nationwide.
So was all the stress and uncertainty worth it? While Osman and Huot aren’t rushing to stage another record-breaking performance, they say the one they did was worth all the effort.
Osman describes the euphoria of actually accomplishing it and realising that as an organisation they had been able to come together to accomplish this incredible feat, “it gives me goosebumps just thinking about that”, he says.
Huot says the experience proved their raison d’être, renewing his sense of community spirit, “this is an amazing community, this is real solidarity… really pure love from everyone involved”.
He shares that there were some initial fears that they would fall below the 50-member audience threshold set by Guinness, especially in the middle of the night, but then “we had monks coming from pagoda, staying the whole night with us”, Huot continues, “we never had any audience that is less than 100 people in the Big Top”.
It really is moving to hear about these spontaneous outpourings of love and support, but the proof of the pudding is in the numbers.
All told, there were more than 11 million social media views of the circus marathon and its related videos.
During their physical galas, they customarily raise about $20,000-$30,000 and were hoping to raise $50,000 with their larger reach online. That night, they raised $97,000, and people continued to donate for days after the event.
They have now raised more than $150,000, but the thing that most delights Osman and Huot is that $30,000 of that came from Cambodians, much of it from single dollar donors. In a country that has lost so much of its historical art and culture to years of conflict, and where locals don’t necessarily see cultural events as something worth paying for, this is a ringing endorsement of the value that Cambodians see in Phare and their mission.
And the journey they embarked on – going virtual in a big way – looks set to continue paying dividends.
For one thing, the successful partnership with Cellcard has proven Phare’s credibility as a partner for corporate sponsorships, and Phare’s fundraising strategy has shifted to include corporations in supporting the costs of student training.
They are also looking at ways to make virtual experiences a part of future performances, for example in the form of virtual backstage tours (which was incidentally a prize at the recent gala) or by incorporating 360-degree experiences in future shows.
There are plans to offer show content digitally as well, as soon as possible. Huot notes that a lot of work goes on behind the scenes to deliver digital content with the kind of production value that does justice to the medium and to the experienced Phare performers. While waiting, they are also considering releasing the footage from the most recent record attempt.
Uncertainty still looms over the region, but with Cambodia looking at a possible Q4 reopening, and the boost to morale that must have come from successfully staging such a bold record attempt, it’s little wonder why the smiles that Cambodia is known for might be a little more pronounced on our guests.
So what is it that goes into a record breaking virtual event again? 24 hours; 31 shows; 160 staff and volunteers. That, apparently, and a whole lot of heart.
• Featured image credit: Lunamarina/Getty Images
