Author Archives: Circus Smirkus
My First Summer at Smirkus
Editor’s Note: This post was written by Camp Photographer & Communications Assistant Elly Craig This is my very first year at Circus Smirkus, and while I’m here as the photographer and marketing assistant person, I still feel a bit like a camper—excited and full of anticipation to finally arrive at a camp that I dreamed about for much of my life. I first heard about Smirkus as a kid growing up in rural Wisconsin, and imagined a place where circus-loving kids could be wild, weird, and completely themselves. This summer, I finally get to experience it from behind the scenes—and it’s even more…
A Sneak Peek at the 2025 Big Top Tour: GAME ON!
WATCH THIS VIDEO!The 2025 Big Top Tour troupers are getting ready for the show! Watch the kids train and listen to music from the new soundtrack of GAME ON! by trouper alum Aaron Schondorf, our composer. Get your tickets at smirkus.org/about-big-top-tour/
The 2025 Big Top Tour! Off the Charts FUN!
WATCH THIS VIDEO!The 2025 Big Top Tour: GAME ON! will be on tour this summer from June 28-August 17 across states in New England. The troupers have arrived and in creation, preparing for an incredible show filled with aerials, contortion, acrobatics, juggling and much more! Get your tickets at smirkus.org/about-big-top-tour/
Smirkling Overnight: Firsts, Friendship, and Flying
Editor’s Note: This post was written by Camp Photographer & Communications Assistant Elly Craig Last Saturday we welcomed our Smirkling Overnight campers. The energy at drop off was a mix of excitement, nervousness, and wide-eyed curiosity as many campers were spending their first night away from home. Backpacks tumbled out of trunks, hugs were given, and parents waved goodbye with encouraging smiles that tried to hide their own nerves. That initial leap into the unknown quickly transformed into confidence and connection. Campers made fast friends, supported each other with compassion, asked for help when needed, and dove into every activity with bravery…
Smirkling Camp: The Magic Begins
Editor’s Note: This post was written by Camp Photographer & Communications Assistant Elly Craig There’s something about the first day back at Smirkus Camp—the way the gravel crunches underfoot, the distant sound of laughter coming from the Big Tops, and the electric buzz in the air that only means one thing: summer at Circus Smirkus has begun. This past weekend, our youngest campers arrived for Smirkling Camp, bundled up in fleece, rain jackets, and wide-eyed anticipation. The skies were gray and the drizzle steady, but no one seemed to mind. As one camper put it, grinning from ear to ear, “It’s fresh…
Meet the 2025 Big Top Tour Troupers!
Are you ready to meet the 2025 Big Top Tour troupers? Congratulations to these 30 young circus artists ages 12-18 who will perform across New England this summer! Tickets go on sale May 1! For more information, visit smirkus.org/about-big-top-tour/.
The Final Week at Advanced Camp
Editor’s Note: This post was written by Camp Photographer & Communications Assistant Will Ciardelli Things have been busy at Smirkus Camp over the last couple weeks! Advanced Camp session has entered its final week and as we move towards our showcase this coming Friday, we are now running acts in their entirety, and finalizing the creative elements of our upcoming show. This includes costumes, the order of the show and even puppets! The staff and campers built and painted puppets that are essential elements in the show they created. There is a large dragon which is manned by 8 people and there are two birds that…
Going Out on the Road with Road Show
Editor’s Note: This post was written by Camp Photographer & Communications Assistant Will Ciardelli We’re now just over a week into Advanced Camp which includes our Advanced Ensemble, Individual Acts, and Road Show sessions. Ensemble and Individual Acts just wrapped up their first week of class rotations, which gives the campers an idea of what they may want to incorporate into their camp-end showcases. They have now moved into show prep and act rehearsals. The Road Show campers are now in performance mode with shows being performed around Northern Vermont. Road Show campers performed their dress rehearsal for the other campers and staff on Friday which went…
Get to Know Some of Our Counselors
Editor’s Note: This post was written by Camp Photographer & Communications Assistant Will Ciardelli Last week we introduced some of the amazing coaches that we have here at Smirkus Camp, but there are many other people who make our days magical. Our counseling staff are the ones who wake the campers in the morning, put them to bed at night, remind them to wear closed-toed shoes and their aerial pants. But the counselors also spend much of their days following around the campers, watching them move through their rotations and assisting them in any way they can. Unlike most of our coaching staff, our…
Meet A Few Camp Coaches!
Editor’s Note: This post was written by Camp Photographer & Communications Assistant Will Ciardelli This summer at Smirkus Camp, we have an amazing coaching staff filled with experienced circus artists from around the world. Our Head Coach, Tyler Jacobson, regularly tours around the country with Cirque Dreams Holidaze and can also be seen alongside our Activities Coordinator, Mariah Fraker, performing with Cirque Us. Tyler is a true multidisciplinary master, performing contortion, hand balancing, aerial hoop, hula hoops, aerial silks, and diabolo, while also teaching the campers all of those same skills! As Head Coach, Tyler oversees the progress of the camp…