NEW: Circus catering to people with disabilities brings one-day show to Capital One Hall

Capital One Hall features a 1,600-seat auditorium, along with a smaller black box theater (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

It will no longer be a worldwide debut, but Omnium Circus is still planning to put on a show for Tysons.

After abruptly canceling a months-long run at Tysons III last year, the emerging circus that caters to performers and audiences with disabilities has now booked a one-day show at Capital One Hall on Feb. 26.

The performance venue told Tysons Reporter that tickets will go on sale at 10 a.m. tomorrow (Friday) on its website.

“We want more than anything to bring joy, wonder and representation to all audiences with first-rate family entertainment,” Ominum founder and executive director Lisa Lewis said in a statement. “Audiences can expect an incredible production of death-defying, awe-inspiring, madcap-circus adventures performed by the multi-talented, multi-abled company of Omnium Circus!”

The show will run in English and American Sign Language, featuring audio description and other capabilities to make the environment welcoming for diverse audiences.

Lewis launched the circus with a December 2020 livestream and a nonprofit called CircuSense. The circus planned to run in Tysons from Nov. 18 to Jan. 9, but it canceled plans even as a tent was being set up, citing COVID-19, ticket sales, and other concerns.

In response, Gallaudet University in D.C. welcomed the circus to its theater, allowing the circus to rehearse, provide a free show in November, and film performers for a virtual production that will be available to schools later this month.

“The process opened our eyes to the potential of working in a performing arts venue,” Lewis said.

Capital One Hall opened to the public at 7750 Capital One Tower Road on Oct. 1 and has since hosted a variety of music, comedy, and entertainment acts.

People who bought tickets for Omnium’s original show can get refunds or transfer their tickets to the new event.

With luck, the rescheduled show could miss the current COVID-19 surge fueled by the omicron variant. A peak in daily cases in Fairfax County has more than doubled this winter from a previous peak seen in January 2021. Nationwide, a record in daily cases skyrocketed over three times as high as it was around a year ago.

Capital One Hall requires attendees over the age of 12 to provide proof of full vaccination, and regardless of age or vaccination status, all patrons must wear masks inside the venue, except when actively eating or drinking.

The capacity of the 1,600-seat auditorium is close to what Omnium Circus could have had with Big Top tent.

“Knowing that all of the logistics involved in a long tented run were just still too risky, this is a wonderful opportunity,” Lewis said, describing the upcoming event as “the beginning of a wonderful new adventure!”

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