May the Circus Survive Forever

And the Crowd Goes...

"If you ask a kid to draw a circus, they draw a tent." -Pam Miller, Big Apple Circus

I came across this quote the other day and it was exactly the piece of grounding wisdom that I needed to hear. Maybe I’ve just always been spoiled, but in every show I’ve ever performed in, my act was always one of the most well received and often an audience favourite. Here, I feel like my act receives the least applause of any of the acts…

I try not to pay attention. I try to tell myself not to compare. And I know that it’s sometimes hard to really hear during your act or right after because you’re focus is elsewhere. But I hear the applause for the others, and I know mine is not the same. I assist in one act and I swear, I can feel the wall of sound at the end the applause is so loud.

I’ve had friends here tell me “it’s not the same”. My act is more poetic and therefore has a different reception. The first half of the show is much slower and the energy lower (the circus received an e-mail saying the first half was kind of boring with the exception of the last two acts, one of which is mine). And by the time my act rolls around people are anxious for intermission. And of course, when they come back, they’re full of sugar so… yeah.

Sigh…

I know it shouldn’t matter but there are days where I wonder if maybe I’ve gotten old and my material stale. I can’t help but wonder what I’m doing wrong. But at the same time, I feel like I’m able to connect with the audience, and individual members of the audience especially, more so than I have ever been able to do before.

Which brings me back to the above quotation.

It’s not an individual act that makes a circus. Sure, people will have their favourite numbers, and I’m sure every act is at least one person’s favourite. But it’s the circus experience as a whole that fills us with a sense of magic. The sudden appearance of a big top on the horizon, the smell of sawdust and popcorn, and the many and varied feats of those who step into the ring.

So the next time I go out there and wonder where my whistles and woos are, I will try to remember Ms. Miller’s words. And if that doesn’t work, I’ll just pretend that everyone is so incredibly amazed by what they’ve just seen that they’ve lost all ability speak, let alone cheer.

Baby steps… baby steps…

Words of Wisdom

Truth

The Trick

May All Your Days Be Circus Days

"When I created the phrase in 1968, my simple wish was for the special joy of Circus Day to enrich every day of your life. That wish still holds for all you terrific Children of All Ages." - Jack Ryan

I Guess That Means I'm Great!

Like Washing a Pig

To Be a Great Clown

The following clip is an excerpt from the film Always Leave Them Laughing. The film is about a young comic who plays second-rate nightclubs and chintzy resorts while struggling to break into the big time. In the following scene Eddie Eagen (Bert Lahr) tells Kip Cooper (Milton Berle) what makes a great clown.

I am by no means an expert on clown, but what Eddie says is bang on. It's not just the jokes. The good stuff starts at 1m39s.

Go Into the Arts

A Call For Christmas

Christmas is just around the corner and as a Canadian, it doesn't feel like Christmas to me unless everything is covered in a blanket of white.

Well, my friend S has the right idea and has decided to play a game of chicken with the circus gods in order to get Christmas done right.

Circus artists of the world, let us all unite with this as our battle cry!

"No snow, no show."

And if you don't want any snow where you are, feel free to send it my way and everybody wins.

Merry Christmas!

Words of Wisdom

The night of a particularly bad show, I found myself repeating the words a slackrope walker friend of mine once shared with me. Those words had been passed on to her by a glamorous Parisian cabaret star.

I am now going to share these words with you, but for the full benefit, be sure to say it in a Parisian accent with the kind of ennui that only the French can muster…

Ready?

“Sometimes, is shit.”

And Then You Become Great

The Gap

I came upon this quote today quite by accident. It's a good thing I did, though, as these are words I very much needed to hear. I won't explain why just yet, but you can bet that all will be revealed sometime in the future. In the meantime, I hope you can take as much away from this as I have. All emphasis is my own.

"Nobody tells this to people who are beginners, I wish someone told me. All of us who do creative work, we get into it because we have good taste. But there is this gap. For the first couple years you make stuff, it’s just not that good. It’s trying to be good, it has potential, but it’s not. But your taste, the thing that got you into the game, is still killer. And your taste is why your work disappoints you. A lot of people never get past this phase, they quit. Most people I know who do interesting, creative work went through years of this. We know our work doesn’t have this special thing that we want it to have. We all go through this. And if you are just starting out or you are still in this phase, you gotta know its normal and the most important thing you can do is do a lot of work. Put yourself on a deadline so that every week you will finish one story. It is only by going through a volume of work that you will close that gap, and your work will be as good as your ambitions. And I took longer to figure out how to do this than anyone I’ve ever met. It’s gonna take awhile. It’s normal to take awhile. You’ve just gotta fight your way through."   - Ira Glass

Words of Wisdom From Captain Frodo

Lessons from the Way of the Showman - 21

"Failure is inevitable if you're doing something complicated.

If you try something and get it the first time - complicate it and do it whilst doing something else and you might have the beginning of an act."

Don't know who Captain Frodo is? You're seriously missing out.

What He Said III

Still in Berlin, my wise and talented friend has this new gem on circus life to share:

"My job consists of makeup, splits, and smiles. And cheating death."

Yeah. And that.

What He Said II

A few months ago I shared with you some insights from a friend of mine who was performing in Australia.

Well, now he's performing in Berlin and has this to say:

"Bad audiences are like assholes. End of analogy."

And that, ladies and gentleman, is called hitting the nail on the head.

What He Said

The following is the current Facebook status of a friend of mine performing in Australia:

"Ladies and gentlemen, tonight, my ass wrapped around the trapeze bar. In circus, impossible is only a word."

Which, of course, makes me think of this.

That being said... Amen, brother.

Reminder

"When you dance, your purpose is not to get to a certain place on the floor. It's to enjoy each step along the way." - Wayne Dyer