Knoxville — Cirque Du Soleil's traveling show, CORTEO, is at the Thompson-Boling Arena Thursday through Sunday.
The performers arrived in Knoxville last Sunday and spent the week transforming the basketball arena into an unusual circus stage that gives audience members the thrill of what the performers see because each half of the audience faces the other.
Max Batista, the publicist for CORTEO, says the stage is unique to this particular show, and they have to use a machine they've dubbed the "crossover" machine to transport performers quickly from one end to the other using a pulley system set up under the stage.
Batista says unlike other Cirque Du Soleil shows, the storyline of CORTEO is easy to follow. It's about a clown who dreams of his own funeral taking place in a carnival.
Tickets start at $49. Show times are:
Thursday at 7:30 p.m.
Friday at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday at 3:30 p.m.
Saturday at 7:30 p.m.
Sunday at 1 p.m.
Sunday at 5 p.m.
Thompson-Boling Arena will be enforcing its clear bag policy for all of the shows.