Where We Started
Built on a Fringe stage
Soul Penny Circus began at the Denver Fringe Festival, where our very first production, A Sea Fable, won the 2021 Audience Choice Award for Best Ensemble Performance. That Fringe mentality never left us -- the belief that anyone with something to share has a place on the stage, and that a small company with a lot of heart can hold its own against much bigger productions.
The company's name comes from an old saying: "a penny soul never came to twopence" -- the idea that stinginess never made anyone richer. Soul Penny Circus was built on the opposite belief. We think generosity, shared skill, and community produce something far bigger than any one person could make alone. Everyone has a soul penny to give, and we thrive because our audiences, students, and collaborators keep giving theirs.
Who We Are
We're a collaborative concoction of aerial dance, clowning, and physical theatre -- a nonprofit ensemble based in Denver, CO, with a growing presence in Montréal, QC through our sister organization, Le Château de Cirque. Three of our founders, Erica Holt, Tim Holt, and Fae Champagne, co-founded that organization too, which is why our productions increasingly cross both cities.
We build our shows the way our name suggests: collectively, with whatever combination of aerial rigging, puppetry, dance, and clowning a story needs -- handmade, a little imperfect, and better for it.
Production History
Where we've been
Clocktower Conjuring
An immersive speakeasy and ghost tour experience with burlesque, aerial dance, and spectacle at The Clocktower Cabaret in Denver.
A Night at the Ren Faire!
An irreverent cabaret of aerial dance, burlesque, and clowning at The Clocktower Cabaret in Denver.
The Night That Time Forgot
A clown dreams his life guided by Will o' the Wisp, awakening as an old man—a circus reimagining of Rip Van Winkle.
The Galaxias
Two lifelong friends build a rocket ship to outrun time itself, journeying through worlds to discover that mortality is not an enemy—but a cherished companion to life.
Dreams of a Clown
An ensemble of dream characters unite to rescue the Moon Child from the maze of nightmares, proving that shared courage can overcome any darkness.
The Mourning Tree
Beneath the Mourning Tree, three soul-stealing witches meet their match in a girl with a clockwork heart, who trades her mechanical soul for her circus family's freedom—and earns her own humanity in return.
Desiderium Dream
A circus lies frozen in time by a magician's curse, until a lost girl helps him rediscover joy and redemption, breaking his spell and freeing everyone.
The Boy
Two clowns venture into the dream world to rescue the Moon Child from Nightmare, helping him conquer his deepest fears and find his way home.
A Sea Fable
Two clowns shipwrecked in a tempest befriend magical sea creatures who help them battle a sea witch and find their way back to shore.
Community Impact
Accessible by design
As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, Soul Penny Circus builds accessibility into how we make and share work, not as an afterthought. Our productions are donation-based, so ticket price is never the reason someone misses a show. Through our school workshop program, we bring circus, clowning, and theatre-making directly into classrooms across the Greater Denver area. We offer week-long residencies where students build and perform their own original piece, culminating in a real production for their own community.
Donation-Based Productions
Every full-length show is priced so cost is never the barrier between an audience and the work.
School Residencies
Week-long workshops guide students through production, tech, clowning, and acrobatics -- ending in a show they built themselves.
Support This Work
Help us keep it accessible
Donation-based shows and free school workshops only work because our community shows up for them. If this story is one you want to help continue, here's how.
Support Soul Penny Circus