A Day in the Life: The Smirkus Band
The Smirkus Band consisting of Josh, Kathryn, and Bill
Imagine. You have what seems to be the pinkest, softest cotton candy in the world in one hand, and a cool, refreshing iced tea in the other. You enter the Big Top to see little ones playing with fairy wands, or dinosaur bubble blasters. As you glance around the ring, looking for which seat available is the right one for you, a warm breeze brushes against your legs. You smile in delight. As you take your seat in the perfect spot, you hear the band tuning their instruments, and they begin to play a little tune.
Cue the Smirkus Band. With music composed by the Composer & Music Director, Peter Bufano, the Smirkus Band consisting of Bandleader Kathryn Krull (keyboards), Josh McEwen (drums & percussion), and Bill Leary (saxophone, flute, and clarinet), prepares for each show by warming up, just like the Troupers do. Although they do sound check hours before showtime, the band tunes their instruments once more and they go over any last minute changes before showtime.
Bandleader Kathryn preparing for showtime.
Josh was referred to Circus Smirkus by a stage manager at the time. Bill got his start with Smirkus 10 years ago, in a last-minute swap of musicians. “Peter called me to fill in for a week, so in 2007 I played in Montpelier and Greensboro.” Likewise, Kathryn was referred to Circus Smirkus by Peter. “I was with Ringling and Big Apple Circus, and then Peter let me know about Smirkus, asked if I was interested and I was like, ‘Yeah! I know exactly what that is!'” She says this because, as a kid, Kathryn saw the movie of Circus Smirkus, Circus Dreams, and loved it. “I actually wanted to be a Trouper!”
Kathryn went to school for music and theater, and says there are many differences between playing in a theater and playing for the circus. Bill agreed, saying a main difference of playing for a circus versus playing for a musician is that there are more ebbs and flows in circus. “When you play with an artist it is pretty set. They may skip a song, but they aren’t going to say ‘Oh, no! They missed a trick, go to the last X!'”
It was the consensus of the Smirkus Band that the hardest part about playing in the band for a circus is the fact that, as Bill puts it, “You’ve got to be on your toes!” Josh added to this notion saying, “Things are always changing! Even in the very last possible minute something could change, so again, you have to be on your toes. Stay relaxed, and go with the flow.” Kathryn added, “The music is just as, if not more, indicative of the emotion and the hype of the act or a trick. It purposefully raises your heart rate, or makes you feel a certain way.”
Bill and Josh practicing before showtime.
Josh has a particularly crucial job, because he is the one playing the cymbal. Every time a Trouper lands a trick, the audience knows it was successful partly due to the auditory cue of the cymbal that Josh provides. Every show is different. Sometimes Troupers add another flip to a sequence, in which case Josh would add another crash of the cymbal to. Or perhaps a Trouper did not land a trick, Josh would not highlight that fact by adding the cymbal sound to that mistake. He has to watch the show very carefully, as to time his instrument accordingly.
In an example of having to be on your toes, in one show there was a technical issue. Because of this, the acts had to be switched up. During the show, Kathryn got a call on the phone from the Production Manager, Josh Shack, telling the band that they will need to skip a piece of music. “It is a lot of chess play, and you do it as smoothly as possible. The audience, the best thing is, they don’t know.”
Circus Smirkus is a unique environment, even for the musicians. Josh commented, saying, “It is not your average 9/5 career path.” But also added that the tour is too short, and he wished it would last longer. Bill agreed. “I am glad to be back. I have always wanted to do the tour, in 2007 I caught the very end, so it is kind of cool to come full circle with Smirkus.”
To join the Smirkus Band and the rest of the crew, get your tickets to the 2017 30th Anniversary Big Top Tour here!