Performing A Circus

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!

Rehearsing a Circus

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.

Today we take a first step. Wish us luck.

Pre-production

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. 

Just need to get through pre-production first.

Music In The Circus

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.

But the circus couldn't happen without them.