PORTLAND — “Birdhouse Factory”, a magical place designed to entertain the entire family, will spring to life in Merrill Auditorium on Thursday, Oct. 29, when acrobats, trapeze artists, dancers and clowns of Cirque Mechanics take the stage.

Cirque Mechanics is an authentic cirque nouveau troupe drawn from the ranks of the legendary Cirque du Soleil, Pickle Family Circus and Moscow Circus. It will perform at 7 p.m., courtesy of Portland Ovations.

“Birdhouse Factory” is a place where factory workers are acrobats and the machines are circus props, where a contortionist performs on a turntable powered by unicyclists, trampolinists defy gravity and a high-flying trapeze artist soars overhead.
The story-circus presents a laugh-filled, often poignant tale of love, hope, flight and the quest to build a better birdhouse. It is geared to audiences of all ages.

Inspired by the industrial murals of Diego Rivera, the outrageous illustrations of cartoonist Rube Goldberg and the gentle political slapstick of Charlie Chaplin, Cirque Mechanics and “Birdhouse Factory” combine the athleticism and physical prowess of the traditional circus arts with a thoughtful story.

The circus spectacle is part of Portland Ovations’ Traverser la Frontiere series of performances, education and community outreach events that celebrate the richness and diversity of artists from Canada.

There will also be a free, preperformance lecture, “Music, Mime, and Mechanics,” presented in Merrill’s rehearsal hall. Fritz Grobe, a Maine native, former director of Celebration Theater and Cirque Mechanics alumnus, will offer an insider’s view of the process of bringing a cirque nouveau performance from concept to life.

Tickets are $50, $45 and $38 and are available through PortTix, the box office at Merrill Auditorium; by calling 842.0800; and online at www.portlandovations.org.