Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec and Highbridge Principal Strategies partner with Cirque du Soleil to invest in Zarkana and Iris productions

Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec and Constellation Growth Capital, a division of Highbridge Principal Strategies, have partnered with Cirque du Soleil to produce the two latest Cirque du Soleil shows, Zarkana, currently at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, and IRIS, which opened yesterday exclusively at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles.

The $104 million vehicle formed by the three partners is investing in high quality entertainment with international appeal.  Since its opening on June 9th, Zarkana has already been acclaimed by close to 100,000 spectators and has been hailed by Time Magazine as “the show of the summer in the Showplace of the Nation”.  IRIS is the much anticipated new and first permanent production by Cirque du Soleil in Los Angeles that opened last night for an exclusive engagement at the Kodak Theatre.

“We are pleased that such financial partners have chosen to invest with us in our creative endeavors.  It demonstrates that they share our goal of offering high quality entertainment with international appeal and reach that touches spectators in the unique Cirque du Soleil way,” said Daniel Lamarre, President and CEO of Cirque du Soleil.

“This is a sound investment in an internationally renowned company, whose high-quality shows have made it a benchmark in the artistic world, said Normand Provost, Executive Vice-President, Private Equity, and Chief Operations Officer at the Caisse. This investment in Cirque productions allows us to generate financial returns while supporting the growth of a successful Quebec-based company abroad.”

“Constellation Growth Capital is proud to make an investment together with Cirque du Soleil and the Caisse to bring Cirque du Soleil’s extraordinary global brand of entertainment to Radio City Music Hall in New York City and the Kodak Theater in Los Angeles,” said Tom Wasserman, Managing Director of Constellation Growth Capital. “This investment accomplishes our mission of finding attractive and unique opportunities in the media, communications and technology industries, and we believe that these original productions will encourage tourism and foster economic development in both New York and L.A.”

ABOUT THE CAISSE DE DÉPÔT ET PLACEMENT DU QUÉBEC

The Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec is a financial institution that manages funds primarily for public and private pension and insurance plans. As of December 31, 2010, it held $151.7 billion in net assets. As one of Canada’s leading institutional fund managers, the Caisse invests in major financial markets, private equity and real estate. For more information: www.cdpq.com.

ABOUT HIGHBRIDGE PRINCIPAL STRATEGIES AND CONSTELLATION GROWTH CAPITAL

Highbridge Principal Strategies ("HPS") was launched in 2007 as the principal investing business of Highbridge Capital Management, LLC, a global alternative asset management firm founded in 1992.  HPS is now a multi-billion dollar business that manages debt and equity opportunities with longer-term holding periods, including loan, mezzanine, private equity and other investments.  Constellation Growth Capital, a division of HPS, has been committed since inception to investing in the convergence of media, communications and technology and has managed total investment assets of over $650 million. 

ABOUT CIRQUE DU SOLEIL

Cirque du Soleil is primarily a creative content provider for a wide variety of unique projects. In addition to shows, the company, which has its International Headquarters in Montreal, extends its creative talent to other spheres of activity. While maintaining stringent standards of artistic quality and originality, Cirque du Soleil brings to innovative projects the same energy and spirit that characterize each of its shows.

Cirque du Soleil is a Quebec-based organization providing high-quality artistic entertainment. Since its beginnings in 1984, more than 100 million spectators in over 300 cities on six continents have been thrilled by Cirque du Soleil.

For more information about Cirque du Soleil, visit www.cirquedusoleil.com.
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