It's nearly Thanksgiving, and that means The Big Apple Circus is in town!
Having attended as an audience member for the past decade, I now have the distinct pleasure of watching this year's show with a sense of relief and accomplishment. As all directors know, the moment a show opens it belongs to the performers, and so if there was anything you didn't get done during rehearsals, well, it's too late now.
I can say with confidence that I got everything done.
From model....
...to the ring
From the moment I walked into the rehearsal tent in Walden, I knew that this particular show had the potential to be something special. The set was mostly in place and it made a statement from day one: this show had better live up to the design. I spent most of my time in rehearsal trying to get out of the way of the talents and energies we'd assembled. The collective spirit was so positive, the desire to excel so strong, that my job was to let the show determine what was needed, and not screw it up with ego or attachment.
We were fortunate to have preview audiences before we moved to Lincoln Center, and we all started to feel there was a show in place. The years of preparation, the placement of acts, the attention to theme and throughline, and the very specific choices made in performers and design elements began to pay off. The audiences were responsive and the artists began to feel confident in the show as a whole.
The company
The move to Lincoln Center was seamless; even after many days off, the company jumped right in, not missing a beat. Our reviewers came and went, leaving kind words and praise in their wake. The company adjusted to their rigorous performance schedule, and the show has been sailing smoothly ever since.
And now? Well, I continue to attend the show whenever possible, often bringing my two year old son who likes to shout "More! More!" at the end. My work is done, my purpose there has played itself out. So I do my best to be an audience member. I get some popcorn, find my seat, and gasp and laugh through the show with everyone else.
Thanks to all who made this remarkable show possible. And for those who haven't seen it yet, you are in for a treat!
As I write, a company of artists and technicians are preparing for the dress rehearsal of this year's Big Apple Circus production The Grand Tour.
This process has been both an immense challenge and a dream come true. The challenge of coordinating acts, transitions, animals, design, live music, and ring crew - in three weeks - was enormous. The specific needs of circus performers, including their daily training and safety requirements, added to the complexity of our daily planning and work.
Choreographer Antoinette DiPietropolo reviews the opening with the company
The dream come true started with the team we've assembled for the production. I've written here about the main collaborators, all artists I've known and worked with for many years. Their brilliance and adaptability were exactly as I'd imagined. But we really hit the jackpot with the performers: an open, generous, and massively talented group with a common goal of creating the best show possible. I could not have asked for a stronger foundation on which to build this show.
The days here have been enormously long. 16 hours was the norm. In past years, the circus has traveled to Dulles, Virginia, during which time the show was honed and perfected for the run at Lincoln Center. This year, the show will begin at Lincoln Center, meaning the honing and perfection process is happening now. There was not a moment to waste.
Joel and Brent admiring the set.
The miracle of any show - going from the rehearsal hall into the venue, fighting its way through the technical rehearsals, and somehow coming together into a presentable product - is a kind of magic trick that never ceases to amaze me. What looks like an enormous mess suddenly gels into a smooth and beautiful work of art. The collective will pushes through every obstacle, and somehow, preposterously, the show emerges.
Over the last several months, meetings have been held, emails have flown back and forth, budgets have been examined, and dropboxes have been filled up. Standard fare for a theatrical production, and in this way the circus is no different.
The pre-production period includes everything from choosing and hiring acts to creating design sketches and models to composing music to revising the script to rounding out the full production team. This process has been ongoing for the past couple of years, and is rapidly coming to an end.
Model of the set
As we get closer to rehearsals, my brain feels like it is stretching and expanding in a way I haven't experienced in the theatre. As we put together a master schedule, the complexity of putting together a circus becomes clear, with many questions to answer: When will the tent be up and running? How much time do the performers need to warm up before their acts? When will the ring crew be available for transition rehearsals? Can lighting only happen at night due to sunlight bleeding through the tent? When do we have the band? When do we schedule the animal training in the ring?
Integrating all of the elements - acts, animals, set, lighting, costumes, props, music, sound, crew - is a huge part of my job. While it's true that the acts arrive fully developed, it's also true that the Big Apple Circus imposes costumes, music, and an overall theme onto these acts, something that requires a great deal of forethought and finesse to achieve. A full company opening and closing number have to be staged, and all transitions worked out for safety and speed.
And that's just the beginning.
Much of pre-production has taken place at "Winter Quarters" in Walden, NY - a tiny town about 90 minutes north of NYC. Winter Quarters is a term referring to the location where a circus regroups and prepares for the following season, usually during winter months. Because the Big Apple Circus tours during the winter and rehearses in late August/September, they could actually refer to Walden as "Summer Quarters." But the idea remains the same.
The big top in its Winter Quarters home, Walden, NY
One thing I look forward to in Walden is living - if temporarily - the true circus life. I'll be in a trailer, eating my meals with the cast and crew, enjoying campfires and late-night get-togethers, and living and breathing circus 24/7.
Chaplin was once asked how important the music was in his films, and he replied it was "about half" of the experience.
With that in mind, imagine a trapeze act flying high in the air, the artists executing impossibly difficult tricks, your mouth open in amazement as they seemingly defy death, all for your amusement.
Now imagine them doing this in silence.
I think Chaplin's theory applies directly to the circus - music helps establish the mood, pace, emotion, anticipation, and excitement for every moment.
In a circus, this irreplaceable element is overseen by a Musical Director. In the case of The Big Apple Circus, that position is held by Rob Slowik, who will be celebrating his 15th year in the 2015-16 season.
Musical Director Rob Slowik
I've had the great pleasure of getting to know Rob over the last few months. We've been meeting to talk music for the show in both broad and specific terms. Rob is exactly what I would want from a Musical Director: enthusiastic, hugely talented, and equipped with an encyclopedic knowledge of music from the past century.
Rob immediately embraced the direction we're pursuing, imagining arrangements and instrumentation, as well as composers who would be ideal for the job.
Rob has also been a great guide into how music functions in a circus. Because the tent is such a specific environment, he had me sit in on one of this year's performances, from the bandstand. He wanted me to hear the difference in sound from the bandstand to the seats, as well as to see how he directs the band in the moment - in particular how he adjusts to the circus artists as they perform each trick, with timing that can change from show to show.
A view before the show from the Big Apple Circus bandstand
This was fascinating, as Rob led the band seamlessly from vamps to accents to climactic moments in the music, accompanying the artists perfectly. He knew exactly when to shift gears, feeling the artists and the audience in the moment, almost subliminally cueing applause and cheering for each act. It was masterful.
A circus audience may not take great notice of the band. They may even forget that there are live musicians until the Ringmaster introduces them asks for some well-deserved applause.
There are certain aspects of a circus to which I pay close attention. Theme, quality of acts, pacing, energy, and of course, humor. That said, as an artist who works in a highly visual form - physical theatre - I pay a great amount of attention to what a circus looks like.
A rich visual landscape has always been a primary interest of mine. Physical theatre demands it, even with simple means and small budgets. Without the benefit of language, a production's story, characters, emotions, and humor must be conveyed visually. And a potent design is vital to the production's ability to connect with the audience.
I consider the design elements as important as the performances and the material - and vital that these elements all co-exist and complement each other. I think of the circus in exactly the same way.
Maruti Evans' design for Parallel Exit's ROOM 17B - photo by Jim Moore
Once again, I'm counting my blessings, as I've got what I consider to be the best design team in New York City: set and lighting designer Maruti Evans, and costume designer Oana Botez. Maruti has worked with Parallel Exit over the past few years, most notably on the Drama Desk-nominated ROOM 17B, for which he built us an ingenious and absurd office of floor-to-ceiling file drawers.
Oana is a colleague of Maruti's who has collaborated with him on a number of projects. Their combined design for a 2013 production of Master and Margarita, for example,is breathtaking. And I can't wait for you to see their work on Parallel Exit's new show EVERYBODY GETS CAKE! opening this month.
As we begin throwing concepts around for our season at the circus, Maruti and Oana are asking the kinds of questions I hoped they would: what's the essence of the story we're aiming to tell, who are these characters and how do they exist in the world we're creating, and how do we realize the show in visual terms?
Oana and I at the dress rehearsal of The Big Apple Circus' Metapmorphosis - photo by Paul Gutheil
I think the circus is going to be a great playground for these two artists - a place where they can push ideas to a high level, and have some fun along the way. The circus is a flight of fancy - a place to dream and wonder - and I expect their contributions will lift us above the clouds.
It may come as a surprise to some circus fans, but a choreographer is a huge part of the creative team.
While you won't typically see a kick line of chorus girls in the ring, there are many places in a circus where a choreographer can make all the difference, from the opening and closing group scenes to transitions and smaller moments throughout the show.
I will have the great privilege of working with a close friend and immensely talented choreographer, Antoinette DiPietropolo.
Antoinette DiPietropolo
Antoinette is the choreographer for this year's Big Apple Circus production of Metamorphosis. She'll be doing the same job for our production next season. And I'm the luckiest first-time circus director ever, thanks to her having been through the process this year.
Like most of the team we've brought together, Antoinette has also worked with Parallel Exit, as co-creator and choreographer of our dance comedy POWERHOUSE in 2005.
Antoinette is going to be a second set of eyes and ears on everything we do. And thank God. She's smart, talented, and has personally tried just about every physical stunt the artists will be doing in the show.
Along with staging the big ensemble scenes throughout the show, Antoinette will also be working with me to ensure every act is played for maximum impact, focusing on energy, music, and most importantly, working in the round. Even seasoned circus artists can be tempted to play their material out front, neglecting those audience members seated next to the bandstand.
I'm excited to see how Antoinette tackles the boundless creativity of the full team. Just the other day, the man behind our concept - Joel Jeske - threw this video at us for inspiration. Without giving too much away, the formations made by the dancers at the end of the clip are surprisingly appropriate:
All of the essential ingredients of a great circus - timing, energy, momentum, thrills, connection to the audience - are going to be foremost in our minds as we jump into this production.
I'm thrilled that Antoinette will be standing next to me as it happens.
As someone who is not an historian, but rather an observer, here's what I've learned from my research over the past year.
Like every art form, the circus has practitioners who profess a wide range of philosophies, beliefs, and approaches. Those that hold onto tradition, those consciously aiming to break tradition, and everyone in between.
To find out what's happening with circus in 2014, a great place to start is Circus Now, a website devoted to bringing the circus community together in one central place. Their National Director is Duncan Wall, whose book The Ordinary Acrobatwas the first thing I picked up when I was offered the job of Guest Director for The Big Apple Circus. It's an excellent resource and an entertaining read.
From there, I wanted to learn more about the possibilities of the art form - from the biggest names to the tiniest companies. I've seen the juggernauts in North America - Ringling Bros., Cirque Du Soleil - as well as many international circus artists, thanks to the great programming of The New Victory Theater, BAM, and The Skirball Center here in NYC. But what was I missing?
Start with an act we would all recognize: juggling. A performer with some clubs, balls, perhaps a diablo. This one juggles 7 balls, this one does 9. That's juggling, right?
Take a look at this video, from juggler Jay Gilligan. It's a TED Talk, so you'll have to invest some time. But you won't think of juggling the same way ever again.
Are there other artists challenging the perceived limitations of circus? Yes. Pick up Duncan's book and you'll learn about a lot of them.
Here's one of my favorites: Taras Pozdnyakov, founder of Raw Art. Taras has coined the term "post-circus" and he pushes his artists to think beyond their "tricks" in order to create exceptional art.
The city of Montreal seems to be exploding with new and exciting circus artists. From The 7 Doigts de le Main, to Cirque Eloize, to THROW2CATCH, the number of forward-thinking artists there is amazing.
You can also look at the Cirque de Demain Festival in Paris, which highlights circus artists from around the world, all under the age of 25. To get a taste, here's our friend and Parallel Exit performer Spencer Novich performing at their 2012 Festival:
Now that's all well and good, but are there circuses that are preserving, rather than challenging the art form? Absolutely. And many doing it exceptionally well. Some of my favorites are Circus Roncalli in Germany, Cirque D'Hiver Bouglione in France, and The Zoppe Family Circus right here in the USA.
And where does The Big Apple Circus fit into all of this? I think they lean towards the traditional, while including some of the most exciting new artists in the field. No secrets revealed here, but I'll tell you this - one of those exciting new artists will be part of our 2015-16 tour, and I can't wait.
