Being an ascendent of the founder of Swiss Circus Monti, Guido Muntwyler, Mario Muntwyler has grown up within the circus. He is both a performer and an administrator, enjoys both roles, and is passionate about circus life. In our interview, he gives us insights into the workings and tour life of Circus Monti.

The founder of Circus Monti, Guido Muntwyler, and a small group of artists from within his family, started performing with other circuses in 1977. Thirteen years later, in 1985, Guido Muntwyler, aka Clown Monti, presented the first tour of his own company, Circus Monti. Over the years, this Swiss circus has grown successfully and has become one of the beloved national treasures everyone wants to come and experience when they are in town.

Here is Mario Muntwyler, giving us a glimpse into his family’s enterprise and universe…

Liam Klenk: Hello Mario, thanks for taking the time to speak with us today. Can you give our readers a quick overview on how you came to work with Circus Monti?

Mario Muntwyler; I grew up in Circus Monti and have been on stage since I was 6 years old. That’s now already a good 20 years. From 2012-2015, I attended business school. Right after, I took a 1-year sabbatical to perform with other companies. In 2017, I came home to our family business. Since then, I work predominately in the Circus Monti administration. However, my passion for the circus stage has never faltered. Thus, I keep performing and will also be performing in this year’s tour again.

LK: What is your current position and what does your job entail?

MM: I am responsible for the areas of finance, IT, as well as other administrative tasks regarding tent rental and events. Additionally, I am also involved in the creative programming of our shows.

LK: Do you have any tips for young industry professionals in Central Europe who would like to work for the Circus?

MM: It is difficult to give precise advice. I can only tell you what is important for us at Circus Monti specifically, when we look at applicants. When we are on the lookout for new artists, we always make sure their skillset is diverse and that they are open minded for trying something new. At the same time, their main skill set needs to be on a very high technical and creative level. Plus, they need outstanding dance skills as well as theatrical skills. I believe, nowadays it is important to continuously reinvent oneself whilst at the same time remembering that being on a high technical level is enormously important in our industry.

LK: How did Circus Monti weather through the last couple pandemic years and did it change anything for you operationally?

MM: Of course, the pandemic also gave us a lot to deal with. Thankfully, in Switzerland, there were a wide variety of support measures from the federal government and canton for the financial loss, especially all cultural disciplines. We are particularly grateful to the canton of Aargau, which has done a great deal to culture. This is an effort which can’t be taken for granted. And we are glad that thanks to this support we are still here and on healthy ground. Furthermore, I’m happy to say that together with the whole team, we managed to keep our motivation during these difficult times.It was always clear that Monti will survive the pandemic and come out of this crisis stronger than ever.

We were also able to take a lot of other positive things with us from the pandemic. For example, we set up an additional catering tent during the tour so that the spectators could keep their distance whilst enjoying their meals.

We now realize that this extra tent makes sense regardless of Covid. Thus, we will continue to offer more seating in the buffet area.

LK: What does a regular season and tour look like for Circus Monti? How many stops to you make? And how long do you stay in each place?

MM: A regular tour starts beginning of August and finishes end of November. We are currently scheduled for 10 locations in German-speaking Switzerland. And it is between one and four weeks per location.

LK: How big is your team, cast and crew? And does the ensemble change with every year, or do you have permanent acts as well?

MM: On tour, our team consists of around 55 people. About 20 of them are directly involved in the show (6 musicians and 14 artists). The remaining 35 people consist of our area managers (permanently employed), and our seasonal workers, who are only hired for the tour period. We also run a tent rental business with around 20 employees. This team supports us during the tour with set-up, dismantling and transport.

LK: What do you personally love the most about your profession?

MM: What I love most of all is the variety. In the morning, I’m in the office. In the afternoon and evening, I am on stage, rehearsing, training, or performing. In between, I’ll have phone call to an event customer, etc. Each day is different, which makes circus life extremely exciting and diverse.

LK: What do you wish could change for the better and how?

MM: My wish is that my generation and future generations will not digress too much into the digital world but will continue to enjoy and attend live events, especially circus shows. At this point in time, I am pleased to see we are often able to welcome very young audiences to Circus Monti.

LK: And I think, especially in these fast-moving, digital times, people are increasingly longing for live experiences such as circus, theatre, concerts, etc.

MM: I just hope it will stay this way in the years to come!

LK: Finally, could you share a special moment with us from your daily circus life?

MM: As you can probably imagine, there are lots of beautiful experiences or moments I could talk about. If I had to pick one moment only, it would be this one:

LK: In the evening after the show, we have a “staff table” in the buffet tent which is only reserved for our team. We have a drink together, we laugh, discuss, and often stay until way after midnight. These are moments when you really feel the sense of community.

MM: And every time I am at that table, it is a very special moment for me that I treasure beyond words. But there are many other moments that make circus life so incredibly special and unique. However, we could fill days talking about them all.

Official Website Circus Monti