· ✦ · Le Château de Cirque · ✦ ·

Our
Story

Cinema · Church · Circus School · Montréal · 1931 – Today
Act I

The Building

6956 Rue St-Denis · Little Italy · Montréal

A 1931 Art Deco cinema, built for wonder, reborn as a temple — then a temple of circus. Always spectacular.

1931
The Cinema

Built in the heart of Little Italy, the Château opened as an Art Deco cinema. Its soaring ceilings, ornamental architecture, and theatrical proportions welcomed crowds who came to marvel at the silver screen.

···
The Church

After the cinema closed, the building became a house of worship. Its spectacular architecture survived the decades — cathedral ceilings, haunting acoustics, undeniable presence — awaiting its next revelation.

Today
The Circus School

The Château was discovered online — a forgotten theater — and immediately recognized for what it could become: the perfect space for a circus school. It came alive again as a place of training, creation, and performance.

The Château de Cirque — facade The Château — historic photo
Act II

The Discovery

How the Château became our home

"A forgotten theater, rediscovered. A space too grand for an ordinary idea."

The Château was discovered online — an abandoned performance hall on Rue St-Denis — and immediately recognized as the perfect setting for a circus school.

The ceiling height, the scenic proportions, the natural acoustics of a former cinema, and the atmosphere charged with history — everything was there, waiting for the right project.

Today, under the direction of the Château's Directors, this vision continues: a singular space in Montréal where circus is experienced as an art form, in a setting that commands wonder.

Interior of Le Château de Cirque
Act III

The Founders

The team behind the Château

Tim Holt
Tim Holt
Co-Founder & Artistic Director

A former animatronics designer and theme park special effects creator, Tim brings rare expertise in the technical arts of live performance. Professional puppeteer, stage clown, and video projection designer, he is also co-founder of Soul Penny Circus. At the Château, Tim unites his disciplines in a single space where craft meets poetry.

Erica Holt
Erica Holt
Co-Founder & Programs Director

A trained theater director, Erica shapes the Château's educational programs with a sharp eye for artistic transmission. As director of the Summer Circus Camp, she builds experiences that combine technical rigor with the joy of movement, for children and adults alike.

Fae Champagne
Fae Champagne
Co-Founder & Production

Fae Champagne coordinates the Château's artistic production, from special event programming to partnerships within the international circus community. Her experience with Soul Penny Circus — including a presence at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival — positions the Château on the world circus stage.

Act IV

The Company

Our instructors

Sébastien Duchesne
Sébastien Duchesne
Flying Trapeze

Lead flying trapeze instructor. Guides students from first flight to advanced level with clear pedagogy and a well-earned reputation for progress. His enthusiasm for flight is contagious.

Juan Luisangel Gongora
Juan Luisangel Gongora
Multi-Discipline Aerials

Versatile artist teaching seven disciplines at the Château — from aerial straps to fixed trapeze to silks. One of the most complete instructors in the company.

Arielle Gorodetskaya
Arielle Gorodetskaya
Aerial Silks

Aerial silks specialist. Teaches figure and aerial aesthetics with precision, combining technical rigor with artistic expression.

Soul Penny
Circus

Beyond the school, the Château is home to Soul Penny Circus — a contemporary circus company co-founded by Tim Holt, Erica Holt, and Fae Champagne — the same Directors who run the Château day to day. Recognized on the international stage, the company has presented its work at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, one of the world's largest performing arts festivals.

Contact us

Join the troupe.

Your first class is waiting. No experience required.

Book a class → Contact us