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太阳马戏团停演,杂技演员如何度日

太阳马戏团停演,杂技演员如何度日

Michal Lev-Ram 2020-05-08
没有人知道这次裁员将持续多久,也不知道暂时裁员是否会变成彻底失业。

3月14日,格雷格·彭尼斯演完成了他在太阳马戏团的最后一场演出——至少在可以预见的未来是最后一场。

次日,太阳马戏团,这家一度高速发展的现场演出娱乐巨头发布声明,将暂停拉斯维加斯的所有演出,包括Mystere、O和Michael Jackson ONE等,后者是彭尼斯过去五年一直参演的节目。(太阳马戏团此前已经宣布,由于新冠病毒疫情在全球的传播不断升级,将暂停巡回演出。)

从那天起,彭尼斯的生活就发生了翻天覆地的变化。彭尼斯出生在巴黎,2012年以蹦床杂技演员和舞蹈演员的身份加入了马戏团。这位36岁的体操运动员只是众多失业的前奥运选手之一。据报道,太阳马戏团是前奥运运动员的最大雇主,在停演拉斯维加斯和全球巡回演出的44个剧目后,太阳马戏团也暂时解雇了95%的员工。目前,没有人知道这次裁员将持续多久,也不知道暂时裁员是否会变成彻底失业。尽管拉斯维加斯市长卡洛琳•古德曼一直在推动酒店和赌场重新开业,当地却一直没有出台企业安全复工指南。而且,由于马戏团演出需要大批观众聚集观看,短期内能否有这么多观众到场也是个问题。

太阳马戏团和拉斯维加斯市都在努力走出困境,《财富》杂志新栏目“新冠疫情中的经济”采访了彭尼斯,想了解他在当前危机中如何自处。

为清晰起见,以下问答经过了精简并稍作编辑。

太阳马戏团杂技演员格雷格·彭尼斯,2018年。图片来源:Ginger Griep-Ruiz

《财富》:你是如何成为一名体操运动员的?为什么选择蹦床?

彭尼斯:我出生在巴黎,在那里长大。我们社区每年都会举办活动,向人们展示各种体育项目,也可以参与练习。那是我第一次见到蹦床。我从7岁左右开始练习,后来父母给我报名参加了比赛,因此我进入了法国国家队。后来我还参加了2008年和2012年奥运会,再之后就进入了人生的下一阶段。

你为什么会选择来太阳马戏团?

十五六岁的时候,我看了一盘老录像带,是太阳马戏团在奥兰多的演出La Nouba。那是我第一次看到蹦床被用作表演器材,觉得这简直是世界上最酷的事。太阳马戏团和国际体操联合会合作密切,当我准备进入人生下一阶段时,就联系了他们的选角部门,表达了自己想要加入的意愿。我把自己翻转、扭转和表演的视频发给他们。之后的程序就和普通工作面试差不多了,要做电话和视频面试。他们需要我在Mystère演出中顶替别人,所以我就直接去了拉斯维加斯。(通常情况下,新演员会在蒙特利尔的总部登台。)

你最终参演了Michael Jackson ON。你能描述一下过去每天和每周的日程安排吗?

我的主要工作是杂技演员,特长是蹦床。但我也在演出需要时做替补舞蹈演员,而且是其中一个主要角色的替补。我之前的演出日程是一周五天,每个晚上两场,这是最基本的。此外,我还要进行训练和排练,所以可能每周要在实际演出的基础上再加10小时。但每周都不一样,工作节奏很快,和我参加比赛时差不多。

你什么时候第一次意识到,当前这场危机可能对太阳马戏团造成不利影响的?

我有家人生活在法国,当我看到,继中国之后法国受到的严重冲击以及新冠疫情对欧洲的影响时,我就觉得疫情可能会在某个时刻蔓延到这里。尤其是像拉斯维加斯这样的旅游胜地,人们从世界各地飞来。因此,这一刻迟早会到来,只是时间问题。马戏团每周都有例会,我在会上得知赌场正在密切关注形势,每周都有最新的情况通报。然后,3月14日就成了最后一场演出。

你是怎么接受这种现状的?别人呢?

团里每个人对此的反应都不同。我是决定立刻调整心态,进入坚强应对模式。这就是现实。我们要尽量利用现有资源,而不是被病毒打败。

你有没有得到什么补偿?

停演几周前,马戏团管理层曾给过我们时间体会停业意味着什么。我最担心的还是是健康福利。他们说马戏团会继续负责大家的福利,直到六月。同时表示,裁员只是暂时的。但每个人也都做了些功课,研究失业后的选择。

你申请失业补助了吗?

申请了,我属于当地居民,很快就收到了失业补助。但我听说有些人需要接受电话面试。每个人情况都不太一样。

总的来说,你觉得目前的情况对你的经济状况产生了什么影响?

我手头上有一些积蓄,但也稍微调整了一下生活方式。公司保证福利会负责到6月,我相信六月以后会有新的安排。每周我会收到一两封电子邮件。我的伴侣也在太阳马戏团工作。

你现在怎么打发时间?

这是最难的部分。从前,我的生活节奏和日程都非常紧张。因此,疫情一开始我就制定了一个时间表,包括锻炼、跑步和内华达州允许的所有活动。锻炼、辅导学业(潘尼斯的伴侣有一个年幼的孩子)和在家跳舞,这些活动都推动着生活继续向前。这么做很有用,保住了生活的精气神。

拉斯维加斯封锁后,你去过拉斯维加斯大道吗?

我们最近开车去了一趟,就想看看现在是什么样子。我的法国朋友们总觉得维加斯像一座假城,现在里面连人都没有了,看起来就更假了。

你希望接下来能发生什么?

现在,我觉得拉斯维加斯需要复苏。首先是酒店和赌场要重新开张,太阳马戏团才能开始考虑复演。我知道马戏不是必须行业,虽然能提供很多帮助,但也不是必需的。我不觉得会有谁说要让演出业第一批复工。但等我们真正复工时,可以预见一定会有一些调整:或许改成一晚一场,或者每周的演出场次减少?很多事情都需要考虑。

你有考虑其他工作吗?还是说,你有信心能重回马戏团继续演出?

出于某种原因,我有信心能回去继续做我喜欢的事。我想我会重新在舞台上翻转、旋转、跳舞。虽然不知道以后还会不会有一个坐满观众的房间,还是会进行网络直播。但我认为,人们需要互动,而我们需要现场表演。一切只不过是时间和规则的问题。(财富中文网)

译者:Agatha

3月14日,格雷格·彭尼斯演完成了他在太阳马戏团的最后一场演出——至少在可以预见的未来是最后一场。

次日,太阳马戏团,这家一度高速发展的现场演出娱乐巨头发布声明,将暂停拉斯维加斯的所有演出,包括Mystere、O和Michael Jackson ONE等,后者是彭尼斯过去五年一直参演的节目。(太阳马戏团此前已经宣布,由于新冠病毒疫情在全球的传播不断升级,将暂停巡回演出。)

从那天起,彭尼斯的生活就发生了翻天覆地的变化。彭尼斯出生在巴黎,2012年以蹦床杂技演员和舞蹈演员的身份加入了马戏团。这位36岁的体操运动员只是众多失业的前奥运选手之一。据报道,太阳马戏团是前奥运运动员的最大雇主,在停演拉斯维加斯和全球巡回演出的44个剧目后,太阳马戏团也暂时解雇了95%的员工。目前,没有人知道这次裁员将持续多久,也不知道暂时裁员是否会变成彻底失业。尽管拉斯维加斯市长卡洛琳•古德曼一直在推动酒店和赌场重新开业,当地却一直没有出台企业安全复工指南。而且,由于马戏团演出需要大批观众聚集观看,短期内能否有这么多观众到场也是个问题。

太阳马戏团和拉斯维加斯市都在努力走出困境,《财富》杂志新栏目“新冠疫情中的经济”采访了彭尼斯,想了解他在当前危机中如何自处。

为清晰起见,以下问答经过了精简并稍作编辑。

《财富》:你是如何成为一名体操运动员的?为什么选择蹦床?

彭尼斯:我出生在巴黎,在那里长大。我们社区每年都会举办活动,向人们展示各种体育项目,也可以参与练习。那是我第一次见到蹦床。我从7岁左右开始练习,后来父母给我报名参加了比赛,因此我进入了法国国家队。后来我还参加了2008年和2012年奥运会,再之后就进入了人生的下一阶段。

你为什么会选择来太阳马戏团?

十五六岁的时候,我看了一盘老录像带,是太阳马戏团在奥兰多的演出La Nouba。那是我第一次看到蹦床被用作表演器材,觉得这简直是世界上最酷的事。太阳马戏团和国际体操联合会合作密切,当我准备进入人生下一阶段时,就联系了他们的选角部门,表达了自己想要加入的意愿。我把自己翻转、扭转和表演的视频发给他们。之后的程序就和普通工作面试差不多了,要做电话和视频面试。他们需要我在Mystère演出中顶替别人,所以我就直接去了拉斯维加斯。(通常情况下,新演员会在蒙特利尔的总部登台。)

你最终参演了Michael Jackson ON。你能描述一下过去每天和每周的日程安排吗?

我的主要工作是杂技演员,特长是蹦床。但我也在演出需要时做替补舞蹈演员,而且是其中一个主要角色的替补。我之前的演出日程是一周五天,每个晚上两场,这是最基本的。此外,我还要进行训练和排练,所以可能每周要在实际演出的基础上再加10小时。但每周都不一样,工作节奏很快,和我参加比赛时差不多。

你什么时候第一次意识到,当前这场危机可能对太阳马戏团造成不利影响的?

我有家人生活在法国,当我看到,继中国之后法国受到的严重冲击以及新冠疫情对欧洲的影响时,我就觉得疫情可能会在某个时刻蔓延到这里。尤其是像拉斯维加斯这样的旅游胜地,人们从世界各地飞来。因此,这一刻迟早会到来,只是时间问题。马戏团每周都有例会,我在会上得知赌场正在密切关注形势,每周都有最新的情况通报。然后,3月14日就成了最后一场演出。

你是怎么接受这种现状的?别人呢?

团里每个人对此的反应都不同。我是决定立刻调整心态,进入坚强应对模式。这就是现实。我们要尽量利用现有资源,而不是被病毒打败。

你有没有得到什么补偿?

停演几周前,马戏团管理层曾给过我们时间体会停业意味着什么。我最担心的还是是健康福利。他们说马戏团会继续负责大家的福利,直到六月。同时表示,裁员只是暂时的。但每个人也都做了些功课,研究失业后的选择。

你申请失业补助了吗?

申请了,我属于当地居民,很快就收到了失业补助。但我听说有些人需要接受电话面试。每个人情况都不太一样。

总的来说,你觉得目前的情况对你的经济状况产生了什么影响?

我手头上有一些积蓄,但也稍微调整了一下生活方式。公司保证福利会负责到6月,我相信六月以后会有新的安排。每周我会收到一两封电子邮件。我的伴侣也在太阳马戏团工作。

你现在怎么打发时间?

这是最难的部分。从前,我的生活节奏和日程都非常紧张。因此,疫情一开始我就制定了一个时间表,包括锻炼、跑步和内华达州允许的所有活动。锻炼、辅导学业(潘尼斯的伴侣有一个年幼的孩子)和在家跳舞,这些活动都推动着生活继续向前。这么做很有用,保住了生活的精气神。

拉斯维加斯封锁后,你去过拉斯维加斯大道吗?

我们最近开车去了一趟,就想看看现在是什么样子。我的法国朋友们总觉得维加斯像一座假城,现在里面连人都没有了,看起来就更假了。

你希望接下来能发生什么?

现在,我觉得拉斯维加斯需要复苏。首先是酒店和赌场要重新开张,太阳马戏团才能开始考虑复演。我知道马戏不是必须行业,虽然能提供很多帮助,但也不是必需的。我不觉得会有谁说要让演出业第一批复工。但等我们真正复工时,可以预见一定会有一些调整:或许改成一晚一场,或者每周的演出场次减少?很多事情都需要考虑。

你有考虑其他工作吗?还是说,你有信心能重回马戏团继续演出?

出于某种原因,我有信心能回去继续做我喜欢的事。我想我会重新在舞台上翻转、旋转、跳舞。虽然不知道以后还会不会有一个坐满观众的房间,还是会进行网络直播。但我认为,人们需要互动,而我们需要现场表演。一切只不过是时间和规则的问题。(财富中文网)

译者:Agatha

On March 14, Greg Pennes performed in his last Cirque du Soleil show—at least for the foreseeable future.

The following day, Cirque, the once fast-growing live entertainment powerhouse, issued a statement saying that it would temporarily suspend all Las Vegas–based shows including Mystère, O, and Michael Jackson ONE, the production Pennes had been a part of for the past five years. (Cirque had already announced that it would suspend its traveling shows owing to the escalating global spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.)

Since then, life has changed drastically for Paris-born Pennes, who joined Cirque as a trampoline acrobat and dancer in 2012. The 36-year-old gymnast is just one of many former Olympic athletes who is now out of a job. After shuttering its 44 Vegas-based and traveling shows, Cirque, reportedly the largest employer of ex-Olympians, temporarily let go of 95% of its staff. It’s not clear how long the layoffs will last, and whether some will end up being permanent. Even as Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman has pushed for hotels and casinos to reopen, no guidelines have been issued on how local businesses might do so safely. And it’s doubtful Cirque, with its reliance on large audiences, will be able to gather crowds under the big top anytime soon.

As Cirque—and the city of Las Vegas—scramble to figure out their future, Fortune caught up with Pennes to find out how he is navigating the current crisis for a new series, The Coronavirus Economy.

The following Q&A has been condensed and lightly edited for clarity.

Fortune: How did you become a gymnast, and why the trampoline?

Pennes: I was born and raised in Paris, and every year in my neighborhood there was an event showing different sports that you can practice. That’s where I first saw the trampoline. I started jumping at around age 7, and then my parents signed me up for competitions. This led me to the French National Team. I competed in the 2008 and 2012 Olympics, and then I was ready for my next chapter.

What led you to Cirque du Soleil?

I saw an old VHS tape of La Nouba, the show they did in Orlando, when I was around 15 or 16 years old. It was the first time I saw the trampoline being utilized as a performance apparatus, and I thought it was the coolest thing ever. Cirque works closely with the International Gymnastics Federation, and when I was ready to move on, I just contacted their casting department and told them so. I had to send a video reel of me doing flips and twists and acting. And then the process was similar to a regular job interview—I had to do calls and video interviews. They needed me to replace someone on the show Mystère, so I went straight to Las Vegas. [Normally, new performers are onboarded at Cirque’s headquarters in Montreal.]

Eventually, you became part of the cast of Michael Jackson ONE. Can you describe what your daily and weekly schedule used to look like?

I am mostly an acrobat, and the trampoline is my specialty. But I’m also a backup dancer for the show whenever they need me, and I back up for one of the main characters. The schedule is five days a week, two shows a night. That’s the bare minimum. And then we do trainings and rehearsals too, so maybe another 10 hours a week on top of the actual shows. But every week is different. The pace was pretty intense—as intense as when I was competing.

When did you first see signs that this current crisis could be bad for Cirque?

I still have family in France. We saw that they got hit pretty badly after China. I saw how it was hitting Europe and started to think that it will probably will come here at some point. Working in such a touristy place like Vegas, with people flying in from all over the world, I just figured it was a question of time. We always have weekly meetings, and they were telling us that the casinos were monitoring the situation. We had an update every week. And then, on March 14, it was our last show.

How did you take it? How did others take it?

Reactions were all over the place. Everyone is different. Right away, I decided to switch my mind and be in strong mode. This is the reality of what we’re living now. Let’s make the most of it instead of letting the virus win.

How have you been compensated?

The weeks before we closed they [Cirque management] gave us time to understand what would happen if the show would shut down. The biggest concern was about health benefits. They said Cirque was going to still take care of our benefits through June. They told us it would be a temporary layoff situation. Everybody did their own research about unemployment options.

Did you apply for unemployment?

Yes, I’m a resident, and I started receiving unemployment pretty quickly. My application went through quickly, but I have heard of others who had to go through phone calls. These are very individual situations.

Overall, how would you say that the current situation has impacted you financially?

We had some money on the side, but we adjusted our way of living a bit. We’re guaranteed [benefits] until June, and I’m sure we’ll hear from the company what will happen after June. We usually get an email or two a week. My partner was also employed by Cirque.

How are you filling your time now?

That’s the hardest part. Our rhythm and pace was pretty intense. Early on we set up a schedule—workouts and runs and any activities that are allowed in Nevada right now. Our days have been driven by workouts, schoolwork [Pennes’s partner has a young child], and dancing at home. That’s helped a lot. We keep the vibe going.

Have you been to the [Las Vegas] Strip since things shut down?

We took a drive recently, just to see what it looks like. You know, my friends back in France always thought Vegas is like a fake city. When you take the people out of it, it looks even more fake.

What do you hope will happen next?

Right now, I’m thinking Vegas needs to rise again. It would start first with hotels and casinos reopening before we [Cirque productions] can even think about coming back. I know that we aren’t essential. I think we can help a lot, but we’re not essential. I don’t expect anyone to say shows can open up first thing. Whenever this does happen, I foresee some adjustment of shows. Maybe one a night or less shows during the week? A ton of options are on the table.

Are you looking at other employment options? Or are you confident that you can go back to performing with Cirque?

For some reason I feel confident that I will go back to doing what I love. I think I will be back doing flips and twists and dancing onstage. I don’t know if there will be a room full of people or if it will be live-streamed. But I think people just need interaction, and we need live performance. It’s just a matter of time and regulation.

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