Ivor David Balding
Co-Founder, Producer
and Artistic Director

Ivor David Balding began his career as stage manager for Actress Eva La Gallienne. After working for Joe Papp at the New York Shakespeare Festival, he founded the New Theatre in New York. During his tenure there, he produced 21 plays, including “The Knack,” “The Ginger Man,” “Scuba Duba,’ “Steambath,” “The Man in the Glass Booth” and “Lenny.” His productions were nominated for two Tony Awards and won five Obie Awards. While working for CBS Sports in Europe, Balding conceived and co-produced the Circus World Championships. Held in London this circus Olympics was broadcast worldwide on the BBC, followed by network specials for both CBS and NBS. Balding then managed Jimmy Chipperfield’s Circus World, one of the continent’s most famous circuses. While the consulting producer of the Big Apple Circus, he chose a new venue for the company in Lincoln Center Plaza, which has become an annual holiday attraction. Balding was the Circus Consultant to Paramount Pictures for the feature film, “Big Top Pee Wee” and Artistic Consultant for the Los Angeles Circus Festival in 1990. He also collaborated with director/choreographer Martha Clarke on “Endangered Species,” presented at the Brooklyn Academy of Music’s Next Wave Festival. In 1991 and 1992, Balding served as the first artistic director for First Night, St. Louis’ family arts festival celebrating New Year’s Eve. In 1985, he co-founded Circus Flora, and has since been the producer/artistic director of this highly acclaimed traditional, one-ring circus. More than 22 different productions of Circus Flora have toured the U.S. at venues including the Glimmerglass Opera House; six years at the Spoleto Festival in Charleston, S.C.; Lincoln Center’s Ta’ziyeh and in Washington, DC, Circus Flora erected the first Big Top Tent ever at The Kennedy Center. In January 2008, Balding received the award “Excellence in the Arts” from the Arts & Education Council of St. Louis for his lifetime dedication to the arts.