The shock was deep after the snow had crushed the circus tent: in the middle of the week, Jessica Frank and her family of artists came back to Unterföhring, where they actually wanted to give performances in their children’s circus Roberto. Now they had to secure the broken cross beam and lift everything with a mobile crane in order to possibly retrieve utensils from the tent. But the outer shell tore further and further and now it is questionable whether the Italian manufacturer can still repair the tent designed by Jessica Frank’s father.
Is there no good news at all for the eleven-member circus family from the Dachau region? Yes: Roberto can play! For the “Christmas Circus”, the highlight of every year, the artists can move into the circus tent on Hanns-Seidel-Platz in Neuperlach, where a winter market of the socio-cultural project “Neuperland” is currently taking place. “I’m speechless,” said Jessica Frank during the first tour of the alternative venue, “we are so grateful that we can stay here.”
How did that happen? Before the last snow had fallen, a private rescue avalanche started. She was initiated by Doro Auer. The Munich native is herself a circus director and has been running the city’s most important artists’ school for 20 years: the Leopoldini Circus at the Waldorf School in Schwabing. She and the Franks have been supporting each other for a long time, for example at the annual Leopoldini performances in Westpark. The big circus family just sticks together. And so Doro Auer sent a cry for help to the Leopoldini parents. This not only brought in a lot of donations, but also a call from circus dad Michi Kern. He runs Munich cultural venues like Sugar Mountain or Utopia, and actually has two circus tents.
Kern is now giving the red and yellow one in Neuperlach to the Roberto circus free of charge. “We are happy that we can take them in, it complements our program wonderfully and is great for the children in Neuperlach and everyone else.” It starts on December 22nd and until the end of February, the Roberto Circus plays four two-hour performances (without animals) every Thursday to Sunday. On the last weekend of Advent you have to push the Christmas market stalls aside, after which the circus shares the space with readings and other cultural events in Neuperland. “A stroke of luck, everything meshes together like gears,” says Doro Auer.
Repairing the collapsed tent roof is expected to cost 70,000 euros
Jessica Frank is “cheerful.” Even if it looks bad for the torn tent that her late father designed. A repair could cost 70,000 euros or more. It is the main tent of the Roberto Children’s Circus. He owns others, an even larger one has just been rented to the “Fairy Tale Bazaar” in the Olympic Park. But the two-master fit better into the few gaps in the city districts and has the ideal dimensions for children’s courses in daycare centers and schools.
For Jessica Frank, the most important thing is: “Now we can play and don’t have to wait for donations.” However, the family of eleven with two severely disabled brothers can still use financial support. Michi Kern provides the donation account of the non-profit “Community Kitchen” for this purpose.