For Fabrice Lemire, every day brings a new surprise.

Lemire is the artistic director of Cirque du Soleil’s “Varekai,” which will play March 27 to 30 at the Petersen Events Center in Oakland.

Now in its 12th year of touring, “Varekai” uses circus acts and street performers to populate a world of fantastic creatures in a loosely organized story about a young man who falls from the sky into a magical forest. The show’s title, “Varekai,” means “wherever” in the Romany language of the gypsies, and the production pays tribute to the nomadic soul of the Romany people and others who venture on journeys of discovery.

Lemire has spent the past two years traveling with “Varekai,” as the person responsible for ensuring that each and every performer and performance dazzles its audience as much as it did the first time it was presented.

His job includes ensuring that aerialists and jugglers continue to perform with precision and showmanship or working with a clown who wants to add something to a routine.

It’s also his job to find substitute performers or acts to fill in when performers go on vacation or when emergency gaps arise, such as when a dozen members of the troupe came down with gastrointestinal problems during a recent tour stop in Mexico.

“It’s a puzzle and an ongoing one,” Lemire says. “I have to protect the concept of the show while allowing it to breathe and evolve.”

Last April, Lemire began preparations for one of the show’s biggest evolutions: In December, after 11 years of touring the world under Cirque’s blue-and-yellow tent, “Varekai” shifted to performing in arenas.

Audiences will see a show that’s not much changed, Lemire says. “It’s the same set, though the arena may be different (from week to week). We (also) try to arrange the same layout backstage.”

But for performers, the lifestyle of an arena show is very different from that of the big-tent tours.

Tent shows stay in one city for several weeks or months. Arena shows, including “Varekai,” play only a few days before moving on to a new city.

Short stays in arenas allow Cirque du Soleil to bring their shows to audiences in smaller cities such as Pensacola, Fla., or Knoxville, Tenn.

But, Lemire says, “The arena lifestyle is different.” Cast members and other employees who travel with their families may prefer to leave or transfer to a Cirque show with more permanence, such as those in tents or in theaters in Las Vegas.

To fill the vacancies that occur for a variety of reasons, Cirque employees such Amy Brogan are always on the lookout for acrobats, clowns, musicians, gymnasts and specialty acts to see that the show continues to go on.

Brogan is an artistic talent scout based in Montreal, where Cirque du Soleil has its home.

“My job is to find the talent and talents that no one has ever seen before,” Brogan says.

To do so, some of Cirque’s talent scouts travel the globe, attending circuses, festivals and other entertainment events to recruit a wide variety of unique performers.

Others based at headquarters comb through YouTube videos and video and audio submissions to find promising talents who may be invited to audition in person.

It’s not a matter of finding the most skilled musicians, the most limber gymnasts and the most daring aerialists: “The hardest thing to come by is someone who pulls us into their world and makes us want to look at them,” Brogan says.

“A lot of it is about having talent, technique and spirit. But a lot of it comes down to personality,” Brogan says. “Can they keep up with the stamina of the tour — 10 shows a week for two months? Are they physically but also mentally right for the tour experience?”

It’s also important that they fit into the established group, particularly with a show such as “Varekai” where the cast has been together for a long time, Brogan says.

When those new acrobats, clowns, musicians and gymnasts join the show, it’s Lemire who helps them become members of the touring show’s family.

“That’s the beauty of a show like this,” Lemire says. “The only way it has survived for 12 years is because it evolved.”

Alice T. Carter is the theater critic for Trib Total Media. She can be reached at 412-320-7808 or acarter@tribweb.com.

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