At least once a semester I decide that I am going to drop out of school and run away with the circus. At times, it just seems more plausible than finishing my paper by the time it’s due the following morning. Unfortunately, my contacts in the circus are slim, to say the least. So I was extremely excited to spend an evening with the Macaroni Traveling Circus last weekend.
Based out of Oddfellows Playhouse, the troupe includes seven local high school students, plus a crew of directors, stage managers, and costume designers. Together they have control of every aspect of the show, from choreography to set design, and of course, performance. Dic Wheeler, the Ringleader, is a friendly man with dark wild hair and a welcoming smile. He invited me to observe their practice and promised to let me participate in some of the clowning around. I learned to juggle in sixth grade, so I thought I’d fit right in and that maybe, just maybe, I would make my big break.
Walking into Oddfellows Playhouse before rehearsal is like walking into a surreal land where clashing neon colors and wayward unicycles are the norm. The contortionist was loosening up by standing on her hands with her back bent so that she was lightly tapping her feet on her head. More beanbags than I could count flew around a juggler’s head, and I had to look up to say ‘hi’ to the nine-foot teenager who casually stilted past me. Another performer whipped out three juggling knives and brought them backstage. I settled into a chair off to the side to watch the performance. The assistant director, perhaps noticing my transfixed stare, assured me I’d be safe. Thinking about those knives, though, I moved back a few inches.
This year’s show is the Circus of Darkness and Light. It follows the story of two innocent clowns that get caught up with a bunch of devilish characters in a humorous adventure, featuring unicycle chases, fire sticks, and wild acrobatic escape attempts. As Eve, the contortionist, explained, most of the troupe members got into circusing by attending circus camp when they were younger. She herself can juggle and walk on the golden ball, a large ball that she walks and does tricks on. Everyone spends time honing their various skills. Eren the clown practiced juggling rings in between sets, Jesse the unicyclist was perfecting a front flip for his acrobatic routine, and Xaq, who plays a variety of roles in the show, was working on juggling nine balls simultaneously (only three shy of the world record).
The last two troupe members I met were Robin and Charlotte, two friendly teenagers who helped me attempt my first new circus trick: stilt walking. Robin has something few people can lay claim to: A family pedigree in circusing. Robin came from a long line of circus performers; her grandfather is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the world’s oldest clown.
“Don’t worry, we’re going to use the beginner’s stilts,” Charlotte assured me. “They’re only twenty-four inches. The tallest ones I’ve ever been on at fifty-four inches.”
Twenty-four inches didn’t sound that bad, but once I was on them and looking down at the two girls I had been eye-to-eye with only a moment earlier, I realized how high two feet can be.
“High knees!” Charlotte shouted at me, “You have to keep moving to keep your balance”
This seemed counter-intuitive, but moving my feet (and clinging to Robin’ outstretched arms) did the trick. After a few seconds of high knees, I felt more comfortable standing and even perfected my trademark move: The Sideways Crab Walk (going forward and back was already taken, and besides, I wasn’t much good at it anyway).
“See? Not so bad,” said Robin. “And it gets easier. Soon you’ll be able to do tricks up there.”
She told me about the stilti-cycle she developed. As the name suggests, it’s a unicycle you use while on stilts. The only reason that Robin wasn’t in the Guinness Book of Records with her grandfather for her invention was that they are no longer accepting applications for new records.
I was still clinging to Robin for support, devoting all of my concentration to not falling flat on my face. The thought of unicycling from up there seemed incomprehensible. I decided that, at least for now, I should probably leave the clowning around to the professionals.
The Macaroni Traveling Circus will have its first performance of the season tonight and tomorrow, 7:30 at Oddfellows Playhouse. Student admission $3
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