Keeping The Beat While Keeping Dry
“Five six seven eight… five six seven eight AND TURN four five six seven eight… and BREAK five six seven eight… MOVE. Five six seven eight…” Circus Smirkus Creative Director Jesse Dryden’s voice resounds in the high ceilings of the chapiteau (Big Top) and claps his hands to the beat while the entire troupe of 30 performers swirls across and around the ring in the opening movements of the “chari-vari” – the opening choreography which presents this year’s theme, time travel. (“Topsy Turvy Time Travel”) The rainy and cold weather from yesterday has not departed our valley and the rain…
ARRIVAL
To look at the town of Greensboro on a topical map or road atlas would prove unremarkable. In the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont, distance on Route 16 is measured between country stores and gas stations on a great black strip of pavement pointing north. As I drove, the temperature dropped and the mist wrapped thickly around the trees. The road names weren’t matching the Google Maps directions I had scribbled on a legal pad. I admitted I was lost and pulled off of VT 16 towards Greensboro to ask for directions. There is, after all, only one circus there. At…
Weather or not . . . the show DID go on
We ended our 2011 season yesterday with a bang: thunder, lightning and hail the size of . . . grapes? . . . marbles? . . . pummeling the Big Top for a short but impressive burst. But performers and audience alike weathered the mid-day and evening storms with aplomb, and the Circus Smirkus 2011 Big Top Tour took its final, joyful bow. We want to extend a huge thank you to the tens of thousands of people who came to our shows this summer, to the businesses and organizations that supported us and helped us spread the word about…
This Isn’t Goodbye…
As the Smirkus troupe and crew get ready for their TWO FINAL SHOWS today in Greensboro, I am on a plane headed home to return to the University of Iowa. Classes start tomorrow. I wish I could have stayed. I am so glad I have been able to document the daily happenings here because I am having a very difficult time being able to summarize my experience in a single post. I have seen fifteen towns in five states, experienced almost every weather condition imaginable, made lifelong friendships, and went on the adventure of a lifetime! It was only two…
A wonderful weekend in the Northeast Kingdom
This is THE weekend to be in Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom. Kingdom Food and Farm Days celebrates sustainable agriculture, with farm tours and tastings, while the LAST THREE SHOWS OF THE 2011 BIG TOP TOUR celebrate sustainable joy and laughter, with clowning, aerials, acrobatics, wire-walking, juggling, live music, dance and more! FINAL SMIRKUS SHOWS: WHERE: Under the Big Top, on the grounds of Smirkus HQ, 1 Circus Road, Greensboro WHEN: Today, Saturday, Aug 20th @ 7 pm and tomorrow, Sunday, August 21st @ 1 & 6 pm TIckets here and by calling 1-877-SMIRKUS (1-877-764-7587) ***NOTE: We are currently out of online tickets for the August 21st…
Homeward bound
It’s goodbye, Montpelier, hello Greensboro, as we head back to Smirkus HQ for our – we can’t believe it! – final shows! Three shows! Saturday, August 21 @ 7 pm Sunday, August 22 @ 1 & 6 pm Tix here or by calling 1-877-SMIRKUS (1-877-764-7587) Our four Montpelier shows sold out, so don’t take a chance! Buy in advance! We’d like to take a moment to thank the businesses and organizations in the NEK that have helped promote the show! Parker Pie Co., Pete’s Greens. Fairbanks Museum & Planetarium, the Northeast Kingdom Chamber of Commerce, and Moo92! Thanks for helping…
A Capital Crowd
Hey ladies and gentlemen, it’s coming to that time of the year when Smirkus returns to its home in the Northeast Kingdom and packs up for the season. We’ve traveled approximately 1,500 miles and soaked in as much of New England as we could. But now we’re back to perform to a home-town crowd once again. Montpelier, Vermont, welcomed us yesterday with beautiful weather and two sold-out shows. It is remarkable that our cast of troupers has turned what was an idea on paper two months ago into a work of art. The performers have tightened up their acts, refined…
The Big Top’s up in Montpelier!
It’s a perfect day for a circus! 4 shows under the Big Top on the grounds of Montpelier H.S. 2 & 7 pm, today (Wed, Aug.17) & tomorrow (Thur., Aug 18) Tix here and @ 1-877-SMIRKUS (1-877-764-7587) We are currently out of online tickets for both 7 pm shows! Tickets are still available for all our matinees. More tickets MAY be released at the ticket booth near show time, based on space available in the tent. If you miss us in Montpelier, catch our final shows in Greensboro, Aug 20 (7 pm) and Aug 21 (1 & 6 pm)! See…
The Many Hats We Wear
Anyone who has worked for Smirkus knows that at the end of everyone’s job description there is a clause: “and as needed.” This “as needed” statement extends from the tent crew workers to the musicians, to the communications intern, to the troupers. Working for Smirkus means “ALL HANDS ON DECK!” When the tent is going up, our backlot manager, Jesse Barbour, assists the raising of the canvas and the installation of the bleachers. After the tent is up and we are prepared for shows, many times you can see a tent crew member manning a spotlight during the show. Our…
Killington, VT
We’ve said a fond farewell to Maine, and have headed back to our beloved Green Mountain State, where we’re setting up the Big Top at Pico Mountain for 4 shows Sunday & Monday! The town of Killington, VT is bringing Circus Smirkus back to the area for the first time in many years. 2011 marks Killington’s 250th birthday, and the “town fathers” (and “town mothers”) thought Vermont’s own circus was a fitting way to invite families and children of all ages to celebrate. The Town of Killington Office of Economic Development &Tourism is dedicated to bringing fun and family-friendly entertainment to the region. With partners like…