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Tuesday, April 23, 2024
Performer paralyzed during Bellagio ‘O’ show sues Cirque du Soleil
Shows | Entertainment: Kyle Mitrione dove head-first into a moving platform during the new “Island” act in the show at the Bellagio, fracturing his neck and spine and causing “complete quadriplegia,” according to the lawsuit.
This article sums up one of the fears I have about working with Cirque du Soleil. In a situation like this where the performers are depending on the accuracy of platforms moving based on music cues, and if the move is wrong could lead to the destruction of someone’s life. All of that is just absolutely terrifying to me, it hits a point where I am not willing to hold someone’s future in the palm of my hands like that. Plus this is a good example of commercial theatre putting product above the safety of their performers. Look at the outcome, two injured (one paralyzed for life), yet as of right now all Cirque has gotten is a $16k fine for the incidents. I hope the injured performers get a ton of money from this and Cirque is held responsible for rushing the implementation of the act. I also hope this lawsuit brings about change in how new acts are incorporated.
1 comment:
This article sums up one of the fears I have about working with Cirque du Soleil. In a situation like this where the performers are depending on the accuracy of platforms moving based on music cues, and if the move is wrong could lead to the destruction of someone’s life. All of that is just absolutely terrifying to me, it hits a point where I am not willing to hold someone’s future in the palm of my hands like that. Plus this is a good example of commercial theatre putting product above the safety of their performers. Look at the outcome, two injured (one paralyzed for life), yet as of right now all Cirque has gotten is a $16k fine for the incidents. I hope the injured performers get a ton of money from this and Cirque is held responsible for rushing the implementation of the act. I also hope this lawsuit brings about change in how new acts are incorporated.
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