Arturo Castilla - Revision history

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‎Suggested reading

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‎From Los Hermanos Cape To Feijóo Y Castilla

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‎Circo Americano

Djando: /* From Los Hermanos Cape To Feijóo Y Castilla */

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‎From Los Hermanos Cape To Feijóo Y Castilla

Djando: /* From Los Hermanos Cape To Feijóo Y Castilla */

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‎From Los Hermanos Cape To Feijóo Y Castilla

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‎From Los Hermanos Cape To Feijóo Y Castilla

Djando: /* From Los Hermanos Cape To Feijóo Y Castilla */

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‎From Los Hermanos Cape To Feijóo Y Castilla

Djando at 20:43, 12 February 2021

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Djando: /* From Los Hermanos Cape To Feijóo Y Castilla */

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‎From Los Hermanos Cape To Feijóo Y Castilla

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‎From Los Hermanos Cape To Feijóo Y Castilla

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 * Carlos Bacigalupe, ''Arturo Castilla, que soñaba circos'' (Bilbao, Muelle de Uribitarte Editores, 2007) &mdash; ISBN 8493477494
 * Raúl Egyuizábal, ''Historias del Circo Price y otros circos de Madrid'' (Madrid, Ediciones La Libreria, 2007) &mdash; ISBN 978-84-96470-95-8
 ==Image Gallery==

← Older revision		Revision as of 19:54, 8 February 2024
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	Together, as the Hermanos Cape, they went on to perform for various Spanish circuses. (Clowns have always been very popular in Spain—a country that has produced over several generations a remarkable number of outstanding clown stars.) In 1940, Arturo and the Hermanos Cape were working at [[Circo Feijóo]], a medium-size traveling circus created in 1885, which had been known for decades as a "clown heaven," and whose ring had been graced by such illustrious funny men as [[Rico & Alex]], the [[Albano Brothers]], [[Pompoff Thedy Family\|Pompoff y Thedy]], the [[The Andreu-Rivels\|Andreu-Rivels]], and even, in the nineteenth century, [[Tony Grice]]—the clown who tutored the legendary auguste [[Chocolat]]. The Hermanos Cape spent six seasons with Circo Feijóo, during which Arturo Castilla became good friends with Manuel Feijóo-Salas, the owner's son.		Together, as the Hermanos Cape, they went on to perform for various Spanish circuses. (Clowns have always been very popular in Spain—a country that has produced over several generations a remarkable number of outstanding clown stars.) In 1940, Arturo and the Hermanos Cape were working at [[Circo Feijóo]], a medium-size traveling circus created in 1885, which had been known for decades as a "clown heaven," and whose ring had been graced by such illustrious funny men as [[Rico & Alex]], the [[Albano Brothers]], [[Pompoff Thedy Family\|Pompoff y Thedy]], the [[The Andreu-Rivels\|Andreu-Rivels]], and even, in the nineteenth century, [[Tony Grice]]—the clown who tutored the legendary auguste [[Chocolat]]. The Hermanos Cape spent six seasons with Circo Feijóo, during which Arturo Castilla became good friends with Manuel Feijóo-Salas, the owner's son.
−

	Arturo and Manuel eventually married two sisters, Pilar and Mercedes Sánchez Rexach, the daughters of Don [[Mariano Sánchez Rexach]] (1885-1937), one of the most prominent circus producers in Madrid between the two World Wars. In 1919, Sánchez Rexach had built a permanent wooden structure on the Plaza del Carmen, the ''Circo Americano''—whose name was inspired by the recent European fame of [[Barnum & Bailey]] Circus and the [[Buffalo Bill’s Wild West]], both of which, however, never visited Madrid: The Spanish-American war over Cuba had occurred in 1898, and since the American entertainment behemoths visited Europe at the turn of the twentieth century, they certainly didn’t wish to tempt fate in Spain. Circo Americano was demolished in 1930, when Sánchez Rechax took over the management of [[Leonard Parish]]’s more prestigious (and more profitable) Circo de Parish building, on the Plaza del Rey in Madrid, to which he gave back its original name, ''Circo Price''.		Arturo and Manuel eventually married two sisters, Pilar and Mercedes Sánchez Rexach, the daughters of Don [[Mariano Sánchez Rexach]] (1885-1937), one of the most prominent circus producers in Madrid between the two World Wars. In 1919, Sánchez Rexach had built a permanent wooden structure on the Plaza del Carmen, the ''Circo Americano''—whose name was inspired by the recent European fame of [[Barnum & Bailey]] Circus and the [[Buffalo Bill’s Wild West]], both of which, however, never visited Madrid: The Spanish-American war over Cuba had occurred in 1898, and since the American entertainment behemoths visited Europe at the turn of the twentieth century, they certainly didn’t wish to tempt fate in Spain. Circo Americano was demolished in 1930, when Sánchez Rechax took over the management of [[Leonard Parish]]’s more prestigious (and more profitable) Circo de Parish building, on the Plaza del Rey in Madrid, to which he gave back its original name, ''Circo Price''.

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 ===Circo Americano===
-[[File:Circo_American_Poster_c.1960.jpg|thumb|right|350px|Circo Americano Poster (c.1960)]]In the 1950s, Circo Americano’s big top, trailers and overall decoration began to adopt a stars-and-stripes, red-white-and-blue theme that will remain its trademark look. Circo Americano pioneered an innovative way, at the time, to present a traveling circus show: Feijóo and Castilla were not only showing great circus acts, they introduced the Spanish circus world to the concept of theatrical productions, inspired by the popular Spanish tradition of the traveling ''companias de revista'' (revue companies)&mdash;some of which performing under canvas&mdash;and the lavish staging of the ''zarzuela'', a Spanish form of operetta of which Castilla was a big fan.
+In the 1950s, Circo Americano’s big top, trailers and overall decoration began to adopt a stars-and-stripes, red-white-and-blue theme that will remain its trademark look. Circo Americano pioneered an innovative way, at the time, to present a traveling circus show: Feijóo and Castilla were not only showing great circus acts, they introduced the Spanish circus world to the concept of theatrical productions, inspired by the popular Spanish tradition of the traveling ''companias de revista'' (revue companies)&mdash;some of which performing under canvas&mdash;and the lavish staging of the ''zarzuela'', a Spanish form of operetta of which Castilla was a big fan.
-Circo Americano was one of the first circuses in Europe (beside the Soviet circus) to create specific costumes and musical arrangements for both production numbers and contracted acts. The brass band of Emilio Estevéz, fifteen member-strong, joined the circus and gave music concerts in resplendent hussar uniforms in each town. The operetta fan and former art student Arturo Castilla gave a special attention to scenery, costumes, personnel uniforms, and musical direction. The meticulous staging of his productions was built around a system of changing curtains and backdrops, and a revolving stage platform.
+[[File:Circo_American_Poster_c.1960.jpg|thumb|right|350px|Circo Americano Poster (c.1960)]]Circo Americano was one of the first circuses in Europe (beside the Soviet circus) to create specific costumes and musical arrangements for both production numbers and contracted acts. The brass band of Emilio Estevéz, fifteen member-strong, joined the circus and gave music concerts in resplendent hussar uniforms in each town. The operetta fan and former art student Arturo Castilla gave a special attention to scenery, costumes, personnel uniforms, and musical direction. The meticulous staging of his productions was built around a system of changing curtains and backdrops, and a revolving stage platform.
 New productions were created year after year:  a pantomime named ''Pompei'' in 1952 incorporated several circus acts between production numbers and water effects; ''Cossacks of the Tsar'' was staged in a similar vein; ''1001 Nights'' was built around the famous illusionist Chefalo; ''The New World'' was a space-age fantasy; there were also ''Kongo''; ''The Wonders of the World''; and another Wild-West spectacular, ''Rodeo U.S.A.'', which featured the trick-roper [[Lance King]], [[David Rosaire]] and his comedy horse, and the troupe of Cossack riders, [[The Bratuchins]].

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 ===From Los Hermanos Cape To Feijóo Y Castilla===
-Arturo Castilla Rodriguez was born in Bilbao, Spain, on October 22, 1916. His father, Raimundo, was a journalist. Arturo was thirteen years old, in 1929, when Raimundo took him to see the colossal German circus [[Circus Krone|Krone]], which was visiting Bilbao. This visit triggered Arturo’s fascination with the circus world. Arturo Castilla eventually studied fine arts at the Escuela de Artes y Oficios de Atxuri, in Bilbao, and joined at the same time an amateur circus club. Circus eventually took precedence over painting, and Arturo formed a clown act with three old friends of his: Carlos Izquierdo, Pedro Talavera, and Esteban Galdós.
+Arturo Castilla Rodriguez was born in Bilbao, Spain, on October 22, 1916. His father, Raimundo, was a journalist. Arturo was thirteen years old, in 1929, when Raimundo took him to see the colossal German circus [[Circus Krone|Krone]], which was visiting Bilbao. This visit triggered Arturo’s fascination with the circus world. Arturo Castilla eventually studied fine arts at the Escuela de Artes y Oficios de Atxuri, in Bilbao, and joined at the same time an amateur circus club. Circus eventually took precedence over painting, and Arturo formed a clown act with three old friends of his: Carlos Izquierdo, Pedro Talavera, and Esteban Galdós.[[File:Los_Hermanos_Cape.jpg|thumb|left|400px|Castilla (left) with Los Hermanos Cape]]
 Arturo and Manuel eventually married two sisters, Pilar and Mercedes Sánchez Rexach, the daughters of Don [[Mariano Sánchez Rexach]] (1885-1937), one of the most prominent circus producers in Madrid between the two World Wars. In 1919, Sánchez Rexach had built a permanent wooden structure on the Plaza del Carmen, the ''Circo Americano''&mdash;whose name was inspired by the recent European fame of [[Barnum & Bailey]] Circus and the [[Buffalo Bill’s Wild West]], both of which, however, never visited Madrid: The Spanish-American war over Cuba had occurred in 1898, and since the American entertainment behemoths visited Europe at the turn of the twentieth century, they certainly didn’t wish to tempt fate in Spain. Circo Americano was demolished in 1930, when Sánchez Rechax took over the management of [[Leonard Parish]]’s more prestigious (and more profitable) Circo de Parish building, on the Plaza del Rey in Madrid, to which he gave back its original name, ''Circo Price''.

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 ===From Los Hermanos Cape To Feijóo Y Castilla===
-Arturo Castilla Rodriguez was born in Bilbao, Spain, on October 22, 1916. His father, Raimundo, was a journalist. Arturo was thirteen years old, in 1929, when Raimundo took him to see the colossal German circus [[Circus Krone|Krone]], which was visiting Bilbao. This visit triggered Arturo’s fascination with the circus world. Arturo Castilla eventually studied fine arts at the Escuela de Artes y Oficios de Atxuri, in Bilbao, and joined at the same time an amateur circus club. Circus eventually took precedence over painting, and Arturo formed a clown act with three old friends of his: Carlos Izquierdo, Pedro Talavera, and Esteban Galdós. Together, as the Hermanos Cape, they went on to perform for various Spanish circuses. (Clowns have always been very popular in Spain&mdash;a country that has produced over several generations a remarkable number of outstanding clown stars.)
+Arturo Castilla Rodriguez was born in Bilbao, Spain, on October 22, 1916. His father, Raimundo, was a journalist. Arturo was thirteen years old, in 1929, when Raimundo took him to see the colossal German circus [[Circus Krone|Krone]], which was visiting Bilbao. This visit triggered Arturo’s fascination with the circus world. Arturo Castilla eventually studied fine arts at the Escuela de Artes y Oficios de Atxuri, in Bilbao, and joined at the same time an amateur circus club. Circus eventually took precedence over painting, and Arturo formed a clown act with three old friends of his: Carlos Izquierdo, Pedro Talavera, and Esteban Galdós.
 In 1940, Arturo and the Hermanos Cape were working at [[Circo Feijóo]], a medium-size traveling circus created in 1885, which had been known for decades as a "clown heaven," and whose ring had been graced by such illustrious funny men as [[Rico & Alex]], the [[Albano Brothers]], [[Pompoff Thedy Family|Pompoff y Thedy]], the [[The Andreu-Rivels|Andreu-Rivels]], and even, in the nineteenth century, [[Tony Grice]]&mdash;the clown who tutored the legendary auguste [[Chocolat]]. The Hermanos Cape spent six seasons with Circo Feijóo, during which Arturo Castilla became good friends with Manuel Feijóo-Salas, the owner's son.
 [[File:Los_Hermanos_Cape.jpg|thumb|left|400px|Castilla (left) with Los Hermanos Cape]]

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	==Circus Director and Impresario==		==Circus Director and Impresario==

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 [[File:Los_Hermanos_Cape.jpg|thumb|left|400px|Castilla (left) with Los Hermanos Cape]]Arturo Castilla Rodriguez was born in Bilbao, Spain, on October 22, 1916. His father, Raimundo, was a journalist. Arturo was thirteen years old, in 1929, when Raimundo took him to see the colossal German circus [[Circus Krone|Krone]], which was visiting Bilbao. This visit triggered Arturo’s fascination with the circus world. Arturo Castilla eventually studied fine arts at the Escuela de Artes y Oficios de Atxuri, in Bilbao, and joined at the same time an amateur circus club. Circus eventually took precedence over painting, and Arturo formed a clown act with three old friends of his: Carlos Izquierdo, Pedro Talavera, and Esteban Galdós. Together, as the Hermanos Cape, they went on to perform for various Spanish circuses. (Clowns have always been very popular in Spain&mdash;a country that has produced over several generations a remarkable number of outstanding clown stars.)
-In 1940, Arturo and the Hermanos Cape were working at [[Circo Feijóo]], a medium-size traveling circus created in 1885, which had been known for decades as a "clown heaven," and whose ring had been graced by such illustrious funny men as [[Rico & Alex]], the [[Albano Brothers]], [[Pompoff Thedy Family|Pompoff y Thedy]], the [[The Andreu-Rivels|Andreu-Rivels]], and even, in the nineteenth century, [[Tony Grice]]&mdash;the clown who tutored the legendary auguste [[Chocolat]]. The Hermanos Cape spent six seasons with Circo Feijóo, during which Arturo Castilla became good friends with Manuel Feijóo-Salas, the son of the owner.
+In 1940, Arturo and the Hermanos Cape were working at [[Circo Feijóo]], a medium-size traveling circus created in 1885, which had been known for decades as a "clown heaven," and whose ring had been graced by such illustrious funny men as [[Rico & Alex]], the [[Albano Brothers]], [[Pompoff Thedy Family|Pompoff y Thedy]], the [[The Andreu-Rivels|Andreu-Rivels]], and even, in the nineteenth century, [[Tony Grice]]&mdash;the clown who tutored the legendary auguste [[Chocolat]]. The Hermanos Cape spent six seasons with Circo Feijóo, during which Arturo Castilla became good friends with Manuel Feijóo-Salas, the owner's son.
 Arturo and Manuel eventually married two sisters, Pilar and Mercedes Sánchez Rexach, the daughters of Don [[Mariano Sánchez Rexach]] (1885-1937), one of the most prominent circus producers in Madrid between the two World Wars. In 1919, Sánchez Rexach had built a permanent wooden structure on the Plaza del Carmen, the ''Circo Americano''&mdash;whose name was inspired by the recent European fame of [[Barnum & Bailey]] Circus and the [[Buffalo Bill’s Wild West]], both of which, however, never visited Madrid: The Spanish-American war over Cuba had occurred in 1898, and since the American entertainment behemoths visited Europe at the turn of the twentieth century, they certainly didn’t wish to tempt fate in Spain. Circo Americano was demolished in 1930, when Sánchez Rechax took over the management of [[Leonard Parish]]’s more prestigious (and more profitable) Circo de Parish building, on the Plaza del Rey in Madrid, to which he gave back its original name, ''Circo Price''.