Tag Archives
The Ordinary is Extraordinary- Friday, August 2nd
After a run of six shows in three days (phew!) in Waltham, Massachusetts, it was time for our group of 26 troupers and one trouper-in-training and 40 staff to head up to Kennebunkport, Maine. Soon enough we pulled in to the Rockin’ Horse Stables in Kennebunkport. As we sat down to lunch under the familiar blue and white tent at our green picnic tables, I saw some horses running in the field behind us! A few hours later, a successful set-up was celebrated with a trip to Ben and Jerry’s… not a bad way to end the day! As…
Somewhere Over the Big Top…- Monday, July 29th
The run of shows at each site begins with the Troupers arriving early to unload the prop truck and begin setting up. In addition to getting everything ready in the backstage tent, they also lay out the mats, carpet, and ring curb for the ring itself under the Big Top. This is usually finished around lunch time and it’s always exciting to see the ring in place for the first time. After our shows in Richmond it was off to Sandwich, Massachusetts, on Cape Cod. We were visited there by Lilye Chapman who is a long-time Smirkus fan and…
Branching Out to Get the Show on the Road- Sunday, July 28th
In order to make each performance of Oz Incorporated happen, all 27 Troupers have a variety of tasks to perform. Many of them are in multiple acts in the show, from clowning to juggling to rope to trampoline, so it’s important to be well-versed in the circus arts. Backstage and between shows is used as a time for rehearsals, where the Troupers will perfect a sequence on the rope or a juggling pattern or a funny clown gag. There are scheduled rehearsals between shows, and there’s constantly people practicing on the wire and aerial rig set up backstage. …
This is In-Tents!- Thursday, July 25th
On Monday of last week, we arrived in Brattleboro, Vermont for a run of four shows in two days. We had plenty of visitors on-site — from former Troupers to press to well-known circus professionals. Late on Tuesday afternoon, just as we were finishing dinner between shows, a semi-truck pulled up to the site… our new backstage and midway tents had arrived! The tents came all the way from Italy (did you know that Italy is the best place to go to get a circus tent?), and the truck driver picked them up at the port in Boston before driving…
It Takes a Lot of Character: Tuesday, July 16th
There are many things that set Circus Smirkus apart and that make it what it is; one of them is the idea that Smirkus is a story circus. Each winter, Artistic Director Troy Wunderle and Creative Director Jesse Dryden work together to come up with a theme for the summer’s Big Top Tour. This year’s theme of “Oz Incorporated” is a twist on the classic Wizard of Oz story that everyone knows and loves. Every act in the show fits into the storyline, and every performer in the show is a character in the plot. It’s really cool to see…
Young and Old, We All Laugh Together: Monday, July 15th
The jump from Saratoga Springs, New York to Essex Junction, Vermont was a long one, but after an early start to the day the Troupers and staff made it to the Champlain Valley Exposition without a hitch. The Champlain Valley Expo – “CVE” – is an event facility just a few miles from Downtown Burlington, and the biggest site we’ve had so far. While the Champlain Valley Fair will be happening right there later this summer, for now most of the fair ground aside from the Smirkus lot was quiet. Just past the “pie car” (the mobile kitchen where the…
Wishes and Dreams Come True- Wednesday, July 10th
After a long jump on the 4th of July, we arrived in Saratoga Springs, New York for five shows. The first show on Friday, July 5th, wasn’t until 7pm, giving us all time to explore the area during the day. We were located on the Saratoga Race Course, a historic site – this year, they’re celebrating 150 years! There is something enchanting about the Circus Smirkus environment. Both behind-the-scenes and during the show, there’s a certain kind of magic in the air that’s a result of the combination of the 26 talented Troupers, and one Trouper-in-Training, and all of the…
Full-Circle and a Jump: Friday, July 5th
With two sold-out shows, I’d say Smirkus’s first day in St. Johnsbury was a success! Although it was still raining (as seems to happen quite often!), after the second show I headed with many of the tour staff to Milk House, a nearby ice cream place, for maple creamees (for those not from Vermont, a maple creamee is maple-flavored soft-serve ice cream) were just what we needed after a long day of two shows. Getting to visit a local business was a cool experience; none of us are locals, and checking out these places that are unique to the town…
It’s Show Time!- Monday, July 1st
It’s a few minutes before six – almost dinner time – and I’m sitting on a forest green picnic table, watching tent crew set up the Big Top and listening to the many dogs on tour running around and barking. I’m on a baseball field in St. Johnsbury, Vermont, and the weather is so pleasant; warm enough to wear shorts but not too hot. I don’t think this is the life I would have pictured for myself upon graduating from college. But something I’ve realized is that perhaps the appeal of the circus is that it isn’t a life that…
Laughter is Magic- Monday, July 1st
On Thursday, there was a staff meeting at lunch, where the entire tour staff gathered in the studio over grilled cheese and tomato soup. It was the first time that we actually got to meet and be in one room with every person that’s going to be working on tour. Because the jobs are so varied- from Tent Crew, who set up the Big Top itself, to the Counselors, who make sure the Troupers are taken care of- we’re not always spending a lot of time together during the day aside from mealtimes. Yet as varied as these jobs are,…