Cirque de Soleil, the acclaimed, Canadian-based, theatrical circus, is creating a new show for Disney World in Florida. The production will become a permanent attraction at the amusement park and Disney is constructing a new building specifically for the circus, said Cirque de Soleil spokesperson Brigitte Belanger (Aug. 5).

Belanger said work has not begun on the new show, as yet untitled. The production will premiere in December.

The Disney World building will be completed in the next few weeks, according to Disney World spokesperson Jennie Hess. The amphitheatre, which resembles a tent, will be located in Downtown Disney, an area outside the park. Its exterior was designed by the Rockwell Group, and Sceno Plus of Montreal and Walt Disney Imagineering collaborated on the architecture. The building -- Cirque's first permanent, standing theatre -- will seat 1,671.

Cirque du Soleil will perform ten shows a week, Wed.-Sat. at 5:30 and 8:30 PM, and Sun. at 2:30 and 5:30 PM. Tickets are $56.50 for adults and older children and $44.20 for children aged 3-9. They are now on sale at (407) 939-7600 or through a travel agent.

Since forming in 1984, the Montreal troupe has explored unorthodox reinterpretations of classic circus entertainments. Cirque's ninth production, Quidam, ran at New York's Battery Park City from Apr. 16 to July 5. -- By Robert Simonson