Big Apple Circus is planning a February bankruptcy auction for the right to acquire its copyrights, trademarks and other intellectual property and circus equipment, the Wall Street Journal reported today. The procedure for the auction, described in court papers submitted on Friday by the circus’s lawyers, will need to be approved by a bankruptcy judge. Though the future of the Big Apple Circus remains uncertain, an auction may be the initial step toward resurrecting the show for 2017 and beyond. Circus Executive Director Will Maitland Weiss said yesterday that he’s optimistic the circus will carry on under a new owner, adding that several parties have expressed interest in purchasing the circus’s assets. Founded in 1977, the one-ring show became a New York cultural tradition, with holiday-season performances in Damrosch Park behind Lincoln Center and later on tour. But for the better part of a year, the future has been in doubt after financial problems forced management to cancel this year’s performance slate. The circus filed for bankruptcy in November.
