Author Archives: Circus Smirkus
A Walk in My Shoes
I’ve learned one thing in my time here as a Communications Intern at Circus Smirkus —every day is different. And busy. Clowns are trying out new gags, jugglers are polishing their latest routines, and aerialists are mastering flips two stories above the ground. Also, each day the people in Marketing and PR brainstorm new, creative ideas to spread the word of Smirkus. Since this year’s theme is based on journalism, I believe it is intriguing to reporters. On Friday, Smirkus got its fair share of media attention. In the morning, a reporter from the Caledonian Record in St. Johnsbury,…
A Smirkus Tech Byte
As I entered the Chapiteau, dimly lit with some work lights and LED fixtures, I looked around for our lighting technician, Desirae Brownlee, who told me to meet her there for a photo. I saw Josh Shack — the production manager — and Ben Scheff — technical director — hard at work positioning lights and using a clever pulley system to send lights and clamps to the cupola of the tent. That’s when I realized that there — harnessed thirty feet above the ring, adjusting and placing stage lights — hovered Desirae, appearing to defy gravity. These unsung heroes of…
The Circus Is Coming!
Years ago, the circus “advance” team would ride the rails in “advance cars” or “bill cars,” plastering towns along the way with hundreds of posters announcing that, in essence, “the circus is coming!” Here at Smirkus we routinely corral a group of loyal volunteers to do this job. Our “advance team” for our first shows in Greensboro, on July 3, includes two sets of Smirkus parents, our development assistant, our communications intern, our marketing director, assorted “friends of Smirkus,” and me. We ride the back roads of Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom, leaving no general store, public bulletin board, post office or…
Early Morning at the Circus Barn
At 5:30 AM I woke up to the sound of an arc welder. Our back lot manager Jesse needed stanchions for the midway and the sun was up. No sense wasting daylight. At 6:00 I was at my desk in “the nest,” the renovated farmhouse attic space that overlooks the entire Circus Smirkus lot site. From my window I watch a tractor cutting hay in the field around the Big Top. The driver is careful to avoid the tent stakes, but cuts it close harvesting his hay. Vermont farmers don’t like to waste anything. Downstairs I can smell pancakes and…
What long legs you have…
Hey everyone! I was thinking that even though I have only been at Smirkus for over a week, it feels that I have been here for much longer. The familial atmosphere has created a warm and welcoming environment for me and I feel that Smirkus is home. I just want to thank everyone here for being so inviting and accepting of my presence. Since Katrin Leblond’s arrival on Monday, there has been an incredible jolt of energy on the Smirkus campus. Though, Katrin left that evening, her partner in crime — Tour Wardrobe Supervisor Siobhan Martel — will travel with…
They’re BAAAAAACK!
We love it when our “graduates ” come back! Today, Greylin Nielsen, Jamie Nanni, Jacob Tischler and Taylor Wright-Sanson (not pictured) came for a visit, just hanging out and contribution their “elder statesperson” wisdom to the new troupe. “When you go out into the ‘real world,’” said Jacob, a junior at Carnegie-Mellon University, “It’s so nice to have a place like this to come back to. Being here is really a gift.” Greylin will be a sophomore at Smith College, Jamie starts her freshman year at Northeastern University, and Taylor will be a sophomore at Wheaton College in Massachusetts. Thanks…
CLOTHES MAKE THE CLOWN
. . . and the aerialist, and the juggler. Today’s excitement, if you haven’t guessed, was that Costume Designer Katrin LeBlond and Tour Wardrobe Supervisor Siobhan Martel drove down from Montreal with racks of colorful, way-cool costumes. We’ve promised the directors and the troupers not to give too much away, but the “reporter’s specs” modeled by Siobhan give you a flavor: We’re lucky that Siobhan tours with the troupe, repairing, washing and caring for the costumes and keeping us all in high spirits with her indefatigable energy and good humor. But we were sad to say goodbye to Katrin —…
And the Pitch
Greetings all! It’s hard to believe, but there are precisely 14 more days until “Frontpage Follies: Big Top Big News!” premiers! The troupers are hard at work perfecting their skills in preparation for a spectacular opening day. A visit to the Academy tent this morning found the hula-hoopers learning choreographed moves for their act. As usual, I was blown away by the amount of effort it takes to control the hula hoops and move in unison. And, of course, they make it look easy…. The big excitement came tonight at Council. Troy, the artistic director and Jesse, the creative director…
It’s World Juggling Day!
Hey everyone, Today was the troupers’ day off, but they still managed to celebrate World Juggling Day in style! Best, Alex Tour Communications Intern alex@smirkus.org
Rollin’ on the Bola
Hey everyone, Happy Friday to you! As I write this, I am observing Diabolos (Chinese yo-yos) spinning from the window. Diabolo is a type of juggling in which an hourglass-shaped device spins and twirls on a string with sticks. It’s another exciting day here in Greensboro. The troupers are hard at work and continue to make great strides in the progress of their show. Our concession items are trickling in as the debut of the production arrives. Today I spoke with Cindy and Kasey, concessionaires, who were busy organizing T-Shirts in preparation for the tour. I personally can’t wait to…