Leclerc is obviously a big-picture man, but for people constantly away from home the devil can be in the detail. The kitchen, which seats 100, has four full-time chefs entrusted with the unenviable task of serving more than 300 meals a day six days a week to people from 19 countries. Variety, it is for them the hardest part. For a number of years now, Cirque members have not lived on-site, instead staying at a nearby hotel or apartments. The rationale, says Leclerc, is that people can re-create a feeling of home.
Some people take around decorations, like screens, to build an air of home.
It seems to suit most people, although drummer Fred Charest remembers fondly the past two years when the cast and crew of Alegria were based at the US casino town of Biloxi. By daylight the area surrounding the village resembles an animal carcase. Cables trail randomly and pipes veer at odd angles. Bobcats constantly hum as they move around the supplies necessary to keep the machine going. The village is slow to come to life on any of the four days without a matinee performance.