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Circus

Carlos Alexis Cruz, in conversation with Michael Luger on an episode of the Theatre History Podcast, says, “Understanding the power of the individual as an animal of sorts and how we accomplish things is at the heart of everything that is the contemporary circus.” Content in this section ranges from discussing these contemporary performances to historical and traditional circus acts.

The Latest

Bringing Trouble: An Account of a Travelling Bicycle Puppet Show
Essay
Bringing Trouble: An Account of a Travelling Bicycle Puppet Show
by Ian McFarlane, Laura Stinson
25 January 2022
The National Theater Project (NTP) Appalachia Regional Convening
Video
The National Theater Project (NTP) Appalachia Regional Convening
presented by New England Foundation for the Arts (NEFA) and Carpetbag Theatre
Sunday 1 December 2019
Knoxville, Tennessee
Contemporary Circus
Video
Contemporary Circus
at the Martin E. Segal Theatre Center
Monday 28 October 2019
New York City
Several people sitting in a field watching a puppet show.
Bringing Trouble: An Account of a Travelling Bicycle Puppet Show
Essay

Bringing Trouble: An Account of a Travelling Bicycle Puppet Show

25 January 2022

In 2021, Ian McFarlane and Laura Stinson of North Barn Theatre launched into a bicycle tour that brought a puppet circus to rural communities across Nova Scotia. They discuss the creation and performance of their show, which joyously embraced troublemaking as a path to activism.

an actor performing outdoors
The National Theater Project (NTP) Appalachia Regional Convening
New England Foundation for the Arts Logo
NEFA
The Carpetbag Theatre
Video

The National Theater Project (NTP) Appalachia Regional Convening

presented by New England Foundation for the Arts (NEFA) and Carpetbag Theatre

Sunday 1 December 2019
Knoxville, Tennessee

New England Foundation for the Arts (NEFA) and Carpetbag Theatre presented the National Theater Project (NTP) Appalachia Regional Convening livestreamed from Knoxville, Tenessee on the commons-based peer produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Sunday 1 December 2019.

circus performers on stage
Contemporary Circus
Segal_Centre_Logo
Segal
Center
Video

Contemporary Circus

at the Martin E. Segal Theatre Center

Monday 28 October 2019
New York City

The Martin E. Segal Theatre Center presented a talk on contemporary circus livestreaming on the global, commons-based peer-produced HowlRound TV network on Monday 28 October 2019 at 1 p.m. PDT (San Francisco, UTC-7) / 3 p.m. CDT (Chicago, UTC-5) / 4 p.m. EDT (New York, UTC-4).

Old print depicting a marriage
Tracing the Origins of the Freak Show with Dr. Matt DiCintio
Podcast

Tracing the Origins of the Freak Show with Dr. Matt DiCintio

Theatre History Podcast #69

22 October 2018

In this week's Theatre History Podcast, Matt DiCintio on the origins of the freak show and its lasting influence on our perceptions of disability, race, and physical difference. 

Clowning While Female
borderlands theatre logo
Boderlands
Theater
Video

Clowning While Female

A Conversation at the Brick Theater in New York City

Sunday 9 September 2018
Borderlands Theater, Tuscon, AZ, United States

Clowns Ex Machina (Kendall Cornell, Artistic Director) presented the panel Clowning While Female: A Conversation as part of the Brick Theater’s New York Clown Theatre on the global, commons-based peer produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Sunday 9 September at 12:00 p.m. PDT (San Francisco) / 2:00 p.m. CDT (Chicago) / 3:00 p.m. EDT (New York).

an ampitheatre
After the Big Top: Carlos Alexis Cruz on the Evolution of Modern Circus
Podcast

After the Big Top: Carlos Alexis Cruz on the Evolution of Modern Circus

Theatre History Podcast #63

27 June 2018

How has the circus changed from its earliest origins to today? CarlosAlexis Cruz joins us to explain how acrobatics and storytelling have come to replace the big top and the three-ring circus.

Coney Island’s Fantastical History
Essay

Coney Island’s Fantastical History

What Love Never Dies Leaves Out

1 April 2018

Kitty Drexel writes about the failure of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Love Never Dies to accurately represent the performers with disabilities that made New York City's Coney Island famous.

Theatre History Podcast #51
Podcast

Theatre History Podcast #51

Death-Defying Acts with Amy Meyer

5 December 2017

Amy Meyer joins us to talk about acrobatic accidents in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, as well as what they tell us about our appetite for risky entertainment.

Double Edge Theatre’s Latin American Cycle Builds Bridges Across Massachusetts
Essay

Double Edge Theatre’s Latin American Cycle Builds Bridges Across Massachusetts

20 October 2016

Josh Platt on Double Edge Theatre’s Latin American Spectacle in Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts, Cada Luna Azul / Once a Blue Moon in Ashfield, Massachusetts, and the Springfield Spectacle, in Springfield, Massachusetts.

Anywhere and Everywhere
Essay

Anywhere and Everywhere

Orientalism in Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus

3 August 2016

Matt DiCintio explores the orientalism in Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus.

Performance of The Tempest: An Aerial Tale
The VORTEX
Video

Performance of The Tempest: An Aerial Tale

Friday 13 May 2016
Austin, TX, United States

The VORTEX in Austin, Texas presented The Tempest: An Aerial Tale, a new adaptation of Shakespeare’s classic by Lorella Loftus, livestreamed on the global, commons-based peer-produced HowlRound TV network at HowlRound.TV on Friday 13 May at 6 p.m. PDT (Vancouver) / 8 p.m. CDT (Austin) / 9 p.m. EDT (New York). Use Twitter hashtag #howlround and direct comments @VORTEXonManor.

Circus Chickendog's The Mutt-Cracker (Sweet!)
The VORTEX
Video

Circus Chickendog's The Mutt-Cracker (Sweet!)

Sunday 21 December 2014
Austin, TX, United States

The VORTEX in Austin, Texas presented a performance of Circus Chickendog's The Mutt-Cracker (Sweet!)  livestreamed on the global, commons-based peer-produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Sunday 21 December at 4 p.m. PST (Vancouver) / 6 p.m. CST (Austin) / 7 p.m. EST (New York). 

Circus Chickendog's The Mutt-Cracker (Sweet!)
The VORTEX
Video

Circus Chickendog's The Mutt-Cracker (Sweet!)

Sunday 20 December 2015
Austin, TX, United States

The VORTEX in Austin, Texas presented Circus Chickendog's The Mutt-Cracker (SWEET!) livestreamed on the global, commons-based peer produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on at Sunday 20 December at 4 p.m. PST (Vancouver) / 6 p.m. CST (Austin) / 7 p.m. EST (New York). Use Twitter hashtag #howlround and direct comments @VORTEXonManor.

Circus Arts with Heart
Essay

Circus Arts with Heart

HerSelf Rises (And We Are Lifted)

27 October 2015

Steele Campbell on HerSelf Rising by Girls on Trapeze at Sideshow Fringe Festival in Nashville, Tennessee.

Aerial Dancing with Karen A. Fuhrman
Essay

Aerial Dancing with Karen A. Fuhrman

30 April 2015

The author explores theatre and aerial dancing through the work of Karen A. Fuhrman's company, Grounded Aerial. 

Playing with Fire
Essay

Playing with Fire

A Conversation on the Art of Fire Performance

1 October 2014

Circus artists Ember Flynne and Michael "Mooch" Mucciolo discuss their work as professional fire performers in Boston, and shed some light on what it takes to succeed in the business.

An Interview with 7 Fingers’ Gypsy Snider and Shana Carroll
Essay

An Interview with 7 Fingers’ Gypsy Snider and Shana Carroll

28 September 2014

P. Carl interviews 7 Fingers' Gypsy Snider and Shana Carrol.

Photo from Winter Pageant.
Winter Pageant at Redmoon
Essay

Winter Pageant at Redmoon

23 January 2014

Dani Snyder-Young writes about Winter Pageant, a collaborative spectacle piece created by the (now closed) Redmoom in Chicago.

Circus Chickendog's The Mutt-Cracker (Sweet!) at The VORTEX
The VORTEX
Video

Circus Chickendog's The Mutt-Cracker (Sweet!) at The VORTEX

Friday 3 January 2014
Austin, TX, United States

The VORTEX presented Circus Chickendog's The Mutt-Cracker (Sweet!) livestreamed on the global, commons-based peer-produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Friday 3 January 2014 at 4 p.m. PST (San Francisco)/ 6 p.m. CST (Austin)/ 7 p.m. EST (New York). Use Twitter hashtag #howlround & direct comments @VORTEXonManor.