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 incredibly well. They kicked off their tour at the Craftsbury Farmers Market which was hosting their very own Blueberry Festival. Surrounded by members of the local community, Road Show performed their show to a crowd of happy and smiling faces. It was truly a perfect location to debut their newly created show! The Road Show campers also performed at Glover Day at the Union House Nursing Home, where they were adored by all in attendance.
In addition to our schedule of public performances, Road Show also has several private shows on their packed schedule. Generally, they are performing at least two shows a days during these last two weeks of camp. The Road Show campers travel with director Fritz Grobe and counselor Spencer Hovel, traveling as far as one or two hours from Smirkus Camp and returning in time for dinner and good night’s sleep at Smirkus Camp.
The Road Show is titled “Under Construction” and is centered around the theme of construction, where the campers find many ways to play into the theme with the construction of human built pyramids, acrobatics based around (as some would say) misusing construction equipment such as hazard tape, and the overall goal of finishing a very tricky project. There are many skills presented in the show such as diabolo, hand balancing, aerial shapes and tricks on a pole held up by two of the performers and many others.
The Road Show campers assisted in the creation process of drafting ideas and sketches of what they envisioned their poster to look like, and what elements they felt would best represent the show. Some of these ideas included cranes and road signs – specifically a “Road Show Ahead” sign which was eventually implemented into the final design. This show has it’s own score and music composed by the amazing Aaron Schondorf who was a previous Circus Smirkus Big Top Tour trouper. He now attends New York University (NYU) where he studies Screen Scoring.
Road Show still has over 10 remaining performances at 8 different locations! So check the schedule to see when you can come see the show!