Circus act The Time Machinist rolls back into Calgary

Justin Dale knew at age 13 that he wanted to be a circus performer. At 17, he told his parents he was going to Montreal's National Circus School — and he wasn't taking no for an answer.

Dale had studied theatre, dance, and Taekwondo, but the Cyr wheel — a six-foot metal wheel that performers manipulate with their bodies — captured his imagination. "There was this huge wheel in the corner that no one seemed interested in," Dale said. "I decided to give it a try. It was a little like skateboarding or snowboarding. You end up being a human coin."

He mastered it. In 2016, Dale was named Cyr World Champion and went on to perform with Cirque du Soleil's Corteo across Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. In 2015, he co-founded Le Cirque de la Nuit.

Now, after a 2023 premiere here, the company is bringing back The Time Machinist, its theatrical circus production. The remounted show runs May 22 through 24 at the Grand — a new script with enhanced dialogue and visual effects, thanks to a Canada Council Grant that will fund an Alberta, BC, and Ontario tour.

The production follows Owen Mittagen Vottenberg III, a self-proclaimed genius who showcases acrobats he's gathered during time-travel expeditions. Expect aerial skills, trapeze, Cyr wheel, acrobatics, hand balancing, unicycle, juggling, dance, and singing woven into a narrative with physical comedy and theatrical storytelling.

Dale directs and co-wrote the script but won't perform in this iteration — though he'll be part of the Calgary Stampede's BMO stage this summer. All the featured artists are seasoned performers, he notes. The production came together partly because of cancellations: the company was originally set to tour the Middle East but lost that tour overnight due to military conflict.

Tickets and showtimes at the Grand.