Author Archives: Circus Smirkus
A Car-load of Talent!
Editor’s Note: This post was written by Camp Photographer & Communications Assistant Will Ciardelli As we go into our second week of the All Levels 2-week session, we look back at the last week at Clown Alley. As per usual the campers have been training hard in their rotation groups and choice time, learning a variety of different skills and polishing up some already practiced tricks and bits. But in this session we put our campers up to the test – a Lip Synch Battle against their counselor groups and we were not disappointed! Everybody rehearsed their songs and even added some snazzy choreography to compete for…
The Show is Almost Here!
The 2023 Big Top Tour opens July 1! Watch this video for a sneak peek: Catch a glimpse of our rehearsals, hear a bit of our music! The troupers, the creative team and all the staff are preparing the 2023 Big Top Tour: A Midsummer Night’s Circus for you! Come see the show this summer. The tour travels all over New England from July 1 – August 19. The schedule and tickets are available at smirkus.org/about-big-top-tour/
Energy, Passion and Extracurriculars
Editor’s Note: This post was written by summer Tour Communications Associate June Mello Creation Week 2 was one bursting with activity. Not only have the acts been getting more and more polished each day, we’ve also moved on to the stage of production where run-throughs happen each day. Scene transitions and character work have now become just as important as refining tricks and practicing skills. The costumes and concessions departments have also both arrived since my last update, making the start of the tour feel even closer. They did first fittings for costumes this week, and next week I’ll be working with some…
Finding Gold and Magic at Smirkus Camp
Editor’s Note: This post was written by Camp Photographer & Communications Assistant Will Ciardelli What a fun past week it’s been here up at Smirkus Camp! The All Levels One Week camp has just wrapped up after a packed schedule of circus training, dinner dress-ups, and lots and lots of fun activities. When the campers arrived last Sunday we began with fun icebreaker and get-to-know-you games, which helped introduce campers, coaches and counselors to each other. Soon after, campers were divided into their rotation/counselor groups where the campers and then came together to choose a group name and secret handshake! The days began…
Smirkling Camp Saturday
Editor’s Note: This post was written by Camp Photographer & Communications Assistant Will Ciardelli Wow! What a day we all had, and what a successful beginning to our summer sessions with the Smirkling Day Camp. The camp staff provided an incredibly warm and inclusive welcome to all 70 of our little Smirklings despite the wet and rainy weather conditions. After parents said their goodbyes to their soon-to-be circus stars, we broke into groups led by our enthusiastic counselors leading into some fun icebreakers to get everybody comfortable and acquainted. Our coaches then led a group warm up to get everybody ready to do…
Big Top Tour Sneak Peek!
The 2023 Big Top Tour show is in rehearsals. Watch this video for a sneak peek! The tents are up and the barn is buzzing with activity. The troupers, the creative team and all the staff are preparing the 2023 Big Top Tour: A Midsummer Night’s Circus for you! Come see the show this summer. The tour travels all over New England from July 1 – August 19. The schedule and tickets are available at smirkus.org/about-big-top-tour/
A Welcoming Start
Editor’s Note: This post was written by summer Tour Communications Associate June Mello I’ve known about Smirkus for a long time. When I was younger, my mom used to bring my brother and me to see shows when the tour was close to home. I remember being awestruck by (as well as a tad jealous of) the troupers on tour, how skilled they were, and how much fun they seemed to be having. Now that I’ve finally come here to experience it myself as the Tour Communications Associate, and after meeting the troupers face to face, I have to say that my…
Trouper Arrival Day!
The 2023 Troupers Have Arrived! Arrival day was filled with joy and excitement as troupers arrived at Circus Smirkus Headquarters in Greensboro, VT. These 30 young circus artists now begin their 3 weeks of training in preparation for the 2023 Big Top Tour: A Midsummer Night’s Circus. Come see the show this summer. The tour travels all over New England from July 1 – August 19. The schedule and tickets are available at smirkus.org/about-big-top-tour/
The Making of the 2023 Poster
You may have seen the beautiful poster art for the 2023 Big Top Tour: A Midsummer Night’s Circus. What you may not know is that it was illustrated by our own Joy Powers, an alum who has worn many Smirkus hats! It was then digitally finalized by another long-time Smirkus artist, Jason Eckenroth. Joy first became interested in circus and clowning after seeing a Circus Smirkus show at age 13. After attending Smirkus Camp, she auditioned for the Circus Smirkus Big Top Tour, in which she performed in the summers of 2006 and 2007. She is featured in and narrates Signe…
Introducing the 2023 Troupers
Watch this video to meet our 2023 Big Top Tour troupers! Congratulations to the 30 young circus artists, ages ranging from age 11-18, who will go on the road this summer performing over 60 shows all over New England in our beautiful Big Top circus tent! There are 20 returning troupers and 10 new troupers from the following United States (CA, CO, CT, MA, MD, NH, NJ, NY, OR, PA, RI and WI) and Canada. Stay tuned for our tour schedule and ticket information this spring. Tickets go on sale May 1, 2023. Special thanks to Andy Bell for creating this beautiful video!