Michael G. Smith, Artistic Director of Cirque du Soleil’s “Volta”; Sharing Creative Knowledge With the Next Generation

Although every Cirque du Soleil show requires the collaboration of hundreds of people, at the core of each performance is a single individual - the Artistic Director. The current Artistic Director for Volta - which runs through November 4 in Redmond before moving south to San Francisco and other California cities - is Michael G. Smith. Smith is a creative force who serves as unseen ringmaster as well as a “Papa” to many of the sixty artists on tour with Volta.

At 59, Mr. Smith makes a point of doing everything he can to share his insights and wisdom with younger cast and crew members. As he succinctly told me, “Knowledge not shared is knowledge lost,” and he makes every effort to pass on the legacy of his forty-plus years experience in the entertainment business to all those fortunate enough to come into contact with him.

I sat down with Smith for a chat on a brisk October afternoon and found myself completely entertained for the half hour he could spare before moving on to one of the numerous dialogues he has with the cast and crew of Volta. As he told me, he meets with every member of his team quarterly and every cast member at least once each year. These dialogues are not to so much a critique people’s work but to check up on how folks are doing while working in this unique traveling environment. As I listened to Smith passionately sharing his vision and stories of his past, I realized that he represents the heart and soul of the current version of Volta.

I say current version because Volta, like all Cirque du Soleil shows, is a continually evolving work in progress. Volta’s initial performance was in April 2017. Since that time, it has traveled throughout Canada while being changed and refined into the show currently making its American debut in Seattle.

It’s hard to believe, but the version of Volta that is captivating Seattle area residents is nothing like the show that premiered in 2017. In fact, Smith told me that almost every act in the show has changed from what was initially conceived and presented.

As Artistic Director, Smith is responsible for everything that happens on stage, including what he feels is the most important aspect of every performance - the audience’s experience. That’s why he often views the show from behind the audience rather than his regular seats, which are the best in the 2,500-seat big top.

Smith told me that when he watches a show, he devotes at least half of his attention not to what’s happening on stage but rather to the audience’s reaction to every element of the performance. Then, he and his production team edit and change the show in order to create an even better immersive experience for everyone in who attends Volta.

I can attest to the fact that, as Mr. Smith told me, no two Volta shows are the same. I attended two performances just one week apart and noticed differences between the two shows. This makes perfect sense when on looks at Volta and all Cirque du Soleil shows not as “copy and paste theater” (Mr. Smith’s words), but as providing a unique experience for each and every audience member.

Smith’s goal is to have each audience member emotionally touched by the show, and he works tirelessly to capture the involvement of every audience member. How he and his team do that is a whole other story.

He explained that two plus hours before every performance, he has a fifteen minute meeting with his production team to determine the content of the upcoming performance. This seems logical when one realizes that cast members can be injured or ill, problems, which can be remedied for performers who are not unique.

The woman who does acrobatics while hanging from her hair cannot be replaced, but the folks who move mats or dance in the chorus can be changed. And that’s the constantly transforming landscape that Mr. Smith is charged with coordinating in order to produce eight to ten Volta shows every week.

Mr. Smith was born in York, England but has lived in Paris for the past twenty-five years when he is not on the road with a show. And touring seems to be the life he has chosen because it brings him such joy to be on the road touching people’s lives with the Cirque shows.

Smith began working in live theater in November of 1977, so when he leaves Volta for his next Cirque assignment on November 25, 2018, he will be celebrating forty-one years in the business. His next job is again as Artistic Director, this time for the 25th Anniversary Edition of Cirque’s famous Alegria, which begins touring under the big top in April of 2019. No doubt, the cast and crew of that show will benefit greatly from Mr. Smith’s knowledge and expertise.

L. Steven Sieden is a writer, event producer and global futurist. His books include "Buckminster Fuller’s Universe" and "A Fuller View, Buckminster Fuller’s Vision of Hope and Abundance For All". He has been reviewing Seattle area theatre and live entertainment since 2012.