Abigail Munn - Circus Bella - Bananas

100:00:02,600 --> 00:00:09,450Podcast is Curtain Entertainment. 200:00:12,510 --> 00:00:13,680Hello everybody. 300:00:13,680 --> 00:00:17,530How you doing? You have reached Green Room on Air, and I am your host. 400:00:18,495 --> 00:00:19,935Ray Reti. 500:00:20,055 --> 00:00:27,405This is my little space in the corner of the various interwebs as our friend George w used to say. 600:00:27,465 --> 00:00:29,765I hear there's rumors on the internets. 700:00:29,765 --> 00:00:31,835How y'all doing out there? Hope you're having a great day. 800:00:31,835 --> 00:00:34,595It's a beautiful day here in Palo Twin California. 900:00:34,925 --> 00:00:40,145The sun is shining, the birds are chirping, the frogs are croaking, and I'm a happy camper. 1000:00:40,305 --> 00:00:41,175Yes indeed. 1100:00:41,175 --> 00:00:42,255Siri, Bob. 1200:00:42,465 --> 00:00:43,065Oh boy. 1300:00:43,425 --> 00:00:45,975You know, I'm supposed to hike half Dom again. 1400:00:46,095 --> 00:00:56,595Maybe some of you realize if I told you in the past that I did do this less than a year ago and I made it, I was the really fat old guy in the top. 1500:00:56,745 --> 00:00:58,726I was kind of a celebrity up there for a little while. 1600:00:59,055 --> 00:01:01,235Just because of my age, I think. 1700:01:01,385 --> 00:01:03,275So I had my little 15 minutes of fame. 1800:01:03,975 --> 00:01:08,655And I'm supposed to do it again on June 25th because I am addicted to h hiking half down now. 1900:01:08,660 --> 00:01:13,695And I'm supposed to do this with my dear old friend Chris from high school and college. 2000:01:13,845 --> 00:01:17,985And I think I'm gonna make it, but I'm having some back problems when I go out and hike. 2100:01:17,985 --> 00:01:21,405Now I get like this spasm on the right side of my back. 2200:01:21,435 --> 00:01:22,115Oh, I love getting old. 2300:01:22,245 --> 00:01:25,725Don't you love getting old? Who? Whoever's out there listening, you old. 2400:01:25,845 --> 00:01:26,655You old like me. 2500:01:27,030 --> 00:01:31,65061 or are you a young whipper snapper? Well, if you're a young whipper snapper, you'll see. 2600:01:31,710 --> 00:01:33,030You'll see. 2700:01:33,150 --> 00:01:33,690Yeah. 2800:01:33,780 --> 00:01:34,050I dunno. 2900:01:34,050 --> 00:01:35,330Getting old ain't easy. 3000:01:35,420 --> 00:01:39,830It infr amateurs and there's no guidebook and it happens pretty darn fast. 3100:01:39,950 --> 00:01:42,390One day you think you're kind of young and then the next day, whoa. 3200:01:43,020 --> 00:01:46,530I'm getting old o l d, old, not gold. 3300:01:46,680 --> 00:01:48,270I wish it was gold, but it's old. 3400:01:48,300 --> 00:01:49,170Yeah. 3500:01:49,440 --> 00:01:53,440I've been watching this television show on Netflix called beef. 3600:01:53,590 --> 00:01:56,230It's a very dark comedy, I guess I would say. 3700:01:56,230 --> 00:01:59,480It's a Korean TV show, although it's in the United States and. 3800:01:59,955 --> 00:02:00,975It's all in English. 3900:02:01,005 --> 00:02:05,475Well, almost all, but it features mostly Korean actors, which is kind of cool. 4000:02:05,535 --> 00:02:11,980It's the, the, the lead actor is the guy from Zonie show what do you call it, walking Dead, who played Glen. 4100:02:12,130 --> 00:02:18,980And also he was in a movie that either got nominated or won the Academy Award for best picture. 4200:02:19,665 --> 00:02:26,655Yeah, his name is Steve Young and yeah, you might remember him as Maggie's husband in the Walking Dead. 4300:02:26,985 --> 00:02:27,945Poor old Gwen. 4400:02:28,155 --> 00:02:30,705He got munched by them zombies. 4500:02:30,855 --> 00:02:31,815Yes, indeed. 4600:02:31,875 --> 00:02:34,655Well, most people end up getting munched by zombies on the Walking Dead. 4700:02:34,905 --> 00:02:35,865That's why it's called. 4800:02:36,395 --> 00:02:37,565Walking, dude. 4900:02:37,685 --> 00:02:37,985Let's see. 5000:02:37,985 --> 00:02:48,095What was that movie that the movie that he was in that got nominated for academy Award? Yeah, it was called Menari. 5100:02:48,155 --> 00:02:49,715I think it won one Academy Award. 5200:02:49,715 --> 00:02:51,966I don't remember what for, but yeah, he was, he's good. 5300:02:52,125 --> 00:03:00,485You know, I saw him, the first time I saw him was years ago in a movie about some penguins. 5400:03:00,960 --> 00:03:08,010That invaded someone's apartment and he was a pizza delivery guy and I think he had a scene, he had five words. 5500:03:08,010 --> 00:03:10,020It's called an under five in Hollywood. 5600:03:10,140 --> 00:03:11,700Yeah, he was the pizza delivery guy. 5700:03:11,700 --> 00:03:16,200I specifically remember that because the Walking Dead had already started and I was a huge fan of The Walking Dead. 5800:03:16,650 --> 00:03:16,980I know. 5900:03:16,985 --> 00:03:17,750Embarrassing. 6000:03:18,400 --> 00:03:20,860Oh, well, what can I say? I love zombies. 6100:03:20,960 --> 00:03:24,090And he was yeah, Pete's delivery guy. 6200:03:24,090 --> 00:03:32,790What movie would, let's ask chat, g p t, our old friend, what the name of the movie was with the Penguins that take over a guy's a. 6300:03:32,830 --> 00:03:33,340Apartment. 6400:03:33,460 --> 00:03:33,730Okay. 6500:03:33,730 --> 00:03:41,500What's the name of the movie that take over a guys apartment? I am addicted to chat G P T. 6600:03:41,500 --> 00:03:42,790This is scary. 6700:03:43,060 --> 00:03:44,440It's a comedy. 6800:03:44,500 --> 00:03:46,570You have to sometimes give it some extra. 6900:03:47,290 --> 00:03:48,130I don't have chat. 7000:03:48,135 --> 00:03:51,460G P t Fork if you've gotta pay for it, and I'm a cheap MFer. 7100:03:51,465 --> 00:03:51,590Let's see. 7200:03:51,880 --> 00:03:56,380The movie you're referring to is the Man Who Knew Too Little. 7300:03:56,470 --> 00:03:57,040Hmm. 7400:03:57,100 --> 00:03:58,180I don't know if that's right. 7500:03:58,330 --> 00:04:01,090I'm not sure if that's the man who knew too little. 7600:04:01,365 --> 00:04:05,265Is that right? Or is my imdb? I don't think that's right. 7700:04:05,445 --> 00:04:07,455I just don't think that's right. 7800:04:07,935 --> 00:04:09,255imdb.com. 7900:04:09,705 --> 00:04:10,065Okay. 8000:04:10,065 --> 00:04:10,575Let's see. 8100:04:10,575 --> 00:04:22,275The man who knew too little I, I think this is totally wrong, isn't it? The man who knew too little is this it? Wallace Richie is a mistaken for a spine. 8200:04:22,275 --> 00:04:22,575Must stop. 8300:04:23,185 --> 00:04:25,795Buts assassinate international leaders at a banquet. 8400:04:26,065 --> 00:04:27,625What? No. 8500:04:28,035 --> 00:04:28,255No. 8600:04:28,795 --> 00:04:28,825Oh. 8700:04:29,365 --> 00:04:31,645Well, let's see if, what's his name is in here. 8800:04:31,765 --> 00:04:33,435Steve? Steve. 8900:04:33,440 --> 00:04:34,485Search on Steve. 9000:04:34,665 --> 00:04:35,025Steve. 9100:04:35,145 --> 00:04:35,535Hmm. 9200:04:35,685 --> 00:04:37,215No, this is not right. 9300:04:37,435 --> 00:04:41,296See, CPIT is sometimes just way off. 9400:04:41,595 --> 00:04:47,745Oh, well who cares? You know, we gotta get to our guest and Oh. 9500:04:48,355 --> 00:04:49,795Special day today. 9600:04:50,125 --> 00:04:50,755Very. 9700:04:51,195 --> 00:04:53,025Special day indeed. 9800:04:53,025 --> 00:05:02,805Sirri Bob, ladies and gentlemen, hold on to your hats and prepare to be deed because today we have a very special guest with us. 9900:05:02,805 --> 00:05:07,245Her name is Abigail Man and she is the artistic director of Circus Bella. 10000:05:07,395 --> 00:05:13,425Abigail is a true circus superstar with a background in dance and aerial arts. 10100:05:13,715 --> 00:05:24,425She has loud audiences with her performances and renowned circus troops like the Pickle Family Circus and Zap or zpa, I'm not sure. 10200:05:24,455 --> 00:05:32,095Well, if it's a true Italian circus, zpa Italian Circus, zpa, Italian Family Circus, that's a, how you would say it. 10300:05:32,305 --> 00:05:34,785And the Pickle Family Service was a circus. 10400:05:35,555 --> 00:05:40,625The Pickle Family Circus was a huge deal when I was a young man in San Francisco. 10500:05:40,895 --> 00:05:48,695Abigail is kicking off Circus Bella's 14th annual summer season with their newest show, bananas. 10600:05:48,845 --> 00:05:59,310It's a one ring outdoor circus extravaganza featuring acrobats, aerialists, jugulars and clowns from the Bay Area and beyond. 10700:05:59,390 --> 00:06:08,150With live music by Rob Reich and the Circus Bella All-Star Band, this 60 minute spectacle is free for children of all ages. 10800:06:08,300 --> 00:06:13,130The show runs from June 8th to July 16th, 2023. 10900:06:13,250 --> 00:06:14,180That's this year. 11000:06:14,300 --> 00:06:15,870In case you're listening far out in the future. 11100:06:16,755 --> 00:06:24,255And the performances will take place at various Bay Area parks, including some out of town shows. 11200:06:24,375 --> 00:06:29,055So, without any further ado, I bring you Abigail Mun. 11300:06:32,145 --> 00:06:35,285I just saw you at a play in San Francisco recently, right? Yeah. 11400:06:35,625 --> 00:06:42,405I was, I was being Lawrence Hellman for the night, so I would Oh, that's, that's what it was, is Lawrence had. 11500:06:42,960 --> 00:06:52,170Was unable to make the opening of the play, and so I was there just to make sure it was my one only foray into being a publicist. 11600:06:52,850 --> 00:06:53,470Oh, I see. 11700:06:53,620 --> 00:06:53,910Okay. 11800:06:54,230 --> 00:06:55,830I was just, I was just helping. 11900:06:56,570 --> 00:06:56,990Oh, yeah. 12000:06:57,070 --> 00:06:58,410I was surprised to see you there. 12100:06:58,590 --> 00:06:58,800Yeah. 12200:06:59,640 --> 00:07:08,400But because it's all of, you know, Lawrence's contacts, I knew everybody from Circus Bella World, so that's why it was kind of fun to Yeah, it was fun. 12300:07:08,610 --> 00:07:08,880It was. 12400:07:08,880 --> 00:07:10,800I actually missed, I had in-laws in town. 12500:07:10,800 --> 00:07:11,580I missed the play. 12600:07:12,495 --> 00:07:13,245Oh, no. 12700:07:13,395 --> 00:07:17,505Yeah, well, I ran off, I, I did my d due diligence and then I ran out the door. 12800:07:17,865 --> 00:07:21,495Well, my wife loved the play, and I was lost the entire time. 12900:07:21,495 --> 00:07:27,885So it was a, it was very, I guess, I guess I would say sort of avantgarde. 13000:07:27,885 --> 00:07:30,835And my wife is French and she loves stuff like that. 13100:07:30,835 --> 00:07:33,435That is difficult to, to figure out. 13200:07:33,435 --> 00:07:37,665I mean, I, I, I, I almost felt like I needed to watch it again. 13300:07:38,325 --> 00:07:41,355Yeah, I think there, there was so much there and it went so quickly. 13400:07:41,355 --> 00:07:42,405I just, I, I just. 13500:07:43,575 --> 00:07:43,965I dunno. 13600:07:46,095 --> 00:07:47,625So it goes, yeah, yeah, yeah. 13700:07:47,625 --> 00:07:48,795But people seem to love it. 13800:07:48,795 --> 00:07:50,415Anyway, thanks for coming. 13900:07:50,505 --> 00:07:57,975And you have another show come up with your, your circus with circus Bell ath, what's it called? It's a, a show is called Bananas. 14000:07:58,335 --> 00:07:58,845Yeah. 14100:07:59,775 --> 00:08:00,705On na oz. 14200:08:00,795 --> 00:08:02,375It's a, it's not, not off on guard. 14300:08:03,315 --> 00:08:03,375No. 14400:08:03,375 --> 00:08:03,585Yeah. 14500:08:03,765 --> 00:08:04,545Tell me about it. 14600:08:04,745 --> 00:08:11,495So bananas, it's just going to be an explosion of silliness, I think. 14700:08:12,395 --> 00:08:22,145I think the idea of, you know, just kind of silliness and absurdity, it's still a circus, so we'll have all of our, you know, amazing feats of. 14800:08:22,895 --> 00:08:25,535Strength and balance and all the things. 14900:08:25,775 --> 00:08:29,075And we have our live band, the Circus Bella All-Star Band. 15000:08:29,075 --> 00:08:31,415So we have a live six piece band at all our shows. 15100:08:31,805 --> 00:08:31,865Yeah. 15200:08:32,045 --> 00:08:39,725And, and then I think the idea of bananas is just kind of, to me, the world feels like it's going bananas a little bit. 15300:08:39,725 --> 00:08:45,305So let's, let's kind of embrace this feeling that we are all having and, and. 15400:08:46,535 --> 00:08:48,005Make fun of it a little bit. 15500:08:48,005 --> 00:08:56,735So it's, we're working, actually right now, we're in clown rehearsals coming up with material that's specific for this show, which has been. 15600:08:58,065 --> 00:08:58,715Been fun. 15700:08:58,715 --> 00:08:58,875Neat. 15800:08:58,985 --> 00:09:04,865Yeah, so I think the website said it's sort of a, a play on a wondering circus or something like that. 15900:09:04,925 --> 00:09:11,015We follow the format all our shows, we are not even a play, we are a wondering circus. 16000:09:11,015 --> 00:09:11,016Okay. 16100:09:11,021 --> 00:09:13,195So we, we show up in the morning. 16200:09:13,715 --> 00:09:22,295If you, if you really wanted the full ex, if you wanted an all day Circus Bella event, you could show up five hours before the show and watch us unload the truck. 16300:09:22,620 --> 00:09:23,260Oh, that'd be fun. 16400:09:24,000 --> 00:09:24,620That'd be fun. 16500:09:24,930 --> 00:09:31,260You could have a cup of coffee while we're all working and, and then we, so we set up a, a ring. 16600:09:31,520 --> 00:09:45,720We, we were always performing the round, so we put the ring back down, we put the ring curb on, we set up the bandstand, we put up the set, then we practice a little bit and then, and then we do a show. 16700:09:46,200 --> 00:09:47,460And that's fun. 16800:09:47,460 --> 00:09:48,150And then we. 16900:09:49,265 --> 00:09:53,525Take off our costumes, put our work suits back on and put it back in the truck and leave. 17000:09:54,155 --> 00:09:59,045So, so everybody works in all areas of, of the production. 17100:09:59,050 --> 00:10:06,915Everybody works in all areas of the ca to be Yeah, a glamorous circus performer with Circus Bella, you also have to be willing to load an unload a truck. 17200:10:07,905 --> 00:10:08,195Yeah. 17300:10:09,155 --> 00:10:16,745So how has that shaped your perspective on the circus industry as a whole, having to do it all like that? I think circus is. 17400:10:18,065 --> 00:10:21,095In general, like unlike other. 17500:10:21,845 --> 00:10:22,835Kind of performances. 17600:10:22,835 --> 00:10:27,935I grew up in traditional circus, or I came, started my career in traditional circus. 17700:10:27,940 --> 00:10:28,335Mm-hmm. 17800:10:28,745 --> 00:10:36,425And unlike other performance modules, there is this kind of, everybody does a little bit of everything. 17900:10:36,425 --> 00:10:38,976So there is this community family feeling in that we all. 18000:10:39,965 --> 00:10:41,585Work together to make this show. 18100:10:41,585 --> 00:10:47,615And there's nobody that's, there's, nobody's not, that's not willing to roll up their sleeves and get to work. 18200:10:47,645 --> 00:10:54,455One of the kind of, there's a very old circus saying that's kind of the little tag is called with it and for it. 18300:10:54,815 --> 00:11:03,185So that comes from Ringley Brothers a long time ago, and it's basic like when something has to get done, you drop what you're doing and help out. 18400:11:03,935 --> 00:11:04,175Yeah. 18500:11:04,790 --> 00:11:05,090Great. 18600:11:05,330 --> 00:11:20,300So I think that's that and that, I think there is something, when you see Circus Bella, you see that we're all really working as a family and as a community and in some ways maybe that truck loading and unloading becomes kind of a company bonding, community building. 18700:11:20,320 --> 00:11:20,680Mm-hmm. 18800:11:21,110 --> 00:11:32,210You know, there is this, that's, I think that's sort of the magic of our shows as you watch is is that feeling of a really diverse group of people, ages. 18900:11:32,840 --> 00:11:34,340Genders race, everything. 19000:11:34,340 --> 00:11:44,480We check every box, but we're all working together towards this show, so, so was it hard for you to get used to that at, at first or, oh, no. 19100:11:44,480 --> 00:11:45,680I mean, I grew up in circus. 19200:11:45,680 --> 00:11:47,030This is, I didn't know anything different. 19300:11:47,330 --> 00:11:47,840Oh, okay. 19400:11:47,840 --> 00:11:48,080Great. 19500:11:48,650 --> 00:11:56,840Cause it's, it's very different than most theater where Yeah, everybody has their job and that's what you do and you don't, you definitely never encroach on anybody else's job. 19600:11:57,545 --> 00:12:01,295No, I think it's pretty, it's pretty standard for circus to be like this. 19700:12:01,295 --> 00:12:05,195So that wasn't that, it wasn't very surprising to me. 19800:12:05,195 --> 00:12:08,405And we, we cast people that are also willing. 19900:12:08,675 --> 00:12:14,245I don't think every circus performer today is willing to do all the things and we, but we, we, I. 20000:12:14,320 --> 00:12:18,220Cast people who believe in work or are interested in working this way. 20100:12:18,310 --> 00:12:19,180Yeah, yeah. 20200:12:19,270 --> 00:12:19,990As a team. 20300:12:19,995 --> 00:12:20,770A team, as a teamwork. 20400:12:20,860 --> 00:12:21,280Yeah. 20500:12:21,910 --> 00:12:25,420Well, I mean, I've seen your show a couple times and it's, it's really fun. 20600:12:25,690 --> 00:12:29,170I think the addition of the live band is, is really cool too. 20700:12:29,290 --> 00:12:31,390I, I love musical aspect of it. 20800:12:31,600 --> 00:12:31,890Yeah. 20900:12:32,290 --> 00:12:35,020It, and your performers are incredibly talented. 21000:12:35,680 --> 00:12:37,540I mean, you have, you get some amazing people. 21100:12:37,910 --> 00:12:40,430Really? Yeah, really exciting this year. 21200:12:40,430 --> 00:12:43,130You know, usually it's mostly local performers. 21300:12:43,130 --> 00:12:43,220Mm-hmm. 21400:12:43,460 --> 00:12:45,560And then we'll bring one or two people in from out of town. 21500:12:46,060 --> 00:12:46,480Mm-hmm. 21600:12:47,330 --> 00:12:53,200So this year we're bringing in to make my list, just to make sure didn't anybody outta, didn't get anyone. 21700:12:53,480 --> 00:13:02,560I'm spying right over here, but I, we have Cole Bennington and he comes from San Diego, California and he's gonna be working, he's from the San Diego Circus Center. 21800:13:03,395 --> 00:13:07,475And he is gonna be stacking a bunch of chairs and doing handstands on them. 21900:13:07,655 --> 00:13:08,405Oh my God. 22000:13:08,585 --> 00:13:09,635It's very scary. 22100:13:09,635 --> 00:13:10,475Scares the heck outta me. 22200:13:10,505 --> 00:13:10,805I know. 22300:13:10,805 --> 00:13:11,225It's great. 22400:13:11,725 --> 00:13:12,015Yeah. 22500:13:13,235 --> 00:13:14,645We have to scare you a little bit. 22600:13:14,645 --> 00:13:15,635That's part of our job. 22700:13:15,635 --> 00:13:18,815You guys like 50 feet up in the air on 20 chairs or something? Yeah. 22800:13:19,115 --> 00:13:19,385Yeah. 22900:13:19,385 --> 00:13:20,975That's doing handstands and Yeah. 23000:13:21,075 --> 00:13:22,686You know, you know. 23100:13:22,691 --> 00:13:23,315Yeah, yeah. 23200:13:23,315 --> 00:13:24,665I hear everyday kind of thing. 23300:13:24,725 --> 00:13:25,025Yeah. 23400:13:25,295 --> 00:13:29,225And then we have Logan Care, who's a tightrope walker. 23500:13:29,825 --> 00:13:30,385A tight wire. 23600:13:30,385 --> 00:13:33,445So we've never actually had, this is our first time having a tight wire act. 23700:13:33,775 --> 00:13:33,895Yeah. 23800:13:33,985 --> 00:13:35,725In the rains, the circus bellow ring. 23900:13:35,725 --> 00:13:38,005We've had slack rope, but not tight wire. 24000:13:38,005 --> 00:13:41,965So we're really excited to bring her here. 24100:13:41,970 --> 00:13:50,585And she has been a part of kind of, we have a sister circus in New York City called the Bindle Stiff Circus, and so she comes from that company, so that's kind of fun. 24200:13:51,775 --> 00:13:56,515Do you remember that that family in France that used to do tightrope walking like across. 24300:13:57,290 --> 00:13:58,670You know, Highrise buildings. 24400:13:58,680 --> 00:13:59,600Oh, oh, no. 24500:13:59,600 --> 00:14:00,200Amazing. 24600:14:00,410 --> 00:14:04,310I mean, we're, we're doing and they didn't, you know, and they live like normal lifespans. 24700:14:04,640 --> 00:14:05,480Yeah, yeah. 24800:14:05,485 --> 00:14:09,300Well there's, there's also the Lion Mels and Yeah, that's what I was thinking of. 24900:14:09,300 --> 00:14:10,380Maybe flying Mels. 25000:14:10,380 --> 00:14:10,580Yeah. 25100:14:10,640 --> 00:14:13,900So I mean, I've met a few of them and they're all very nice, normal people. 25200:14:14,390 --> 00:14:17,795The only thing that they do is that they like to, Normal. 25300:14:17,925 --> 00:14:18,215Okay. 25400:14:19,205 --> 00:14:30,485Just, just, just like average people, but they happen to, or how about those rock climbers who put the rope across like two like rock spires over a 3000 foot drop and walk across it? It's, it's incredible. 25500:14:30,565 --> 00:14:31,895Yeah, yeah, yeah. 25600:14:32,495 --> 00:14:34,626Well that won't be happening, but it will be tightrope walking. 25700:14:34,665 --> 00:14:35,766There will be tyro walking. 25800:14:35,975 --> 00:14:38,225We'll, I still slightly lower to the ground. 25900:14:38,225 --> 00:14:45,665We have to, you know, that's the one other thing about working in the parks is we're not allowed to put stakes in the ground, so things have to be a little, yeah. 26000:14:46,655 --> 00:14:49,355And you don't wanna horrify any children, you know? Right. 26100:14:49,355 --> 00:14:50,525We don't wanna horrify any children. 26200:14:50,525 --> 00:14:50,615Yeah. 26300:14:50,735 --> 00:14:51,005Yeah. 26400:14:51,005 --> 00:14:55,415So, and then, and so you don't have tigers and lions and stuff? No, no lions, no tigers, no animals. 26500:14:55,655 --> 00:15:02,165Occasionally at some locations we have a, our clowns during the pandemic trained a dog Finley. 26600:15:02,345 --> 00:15:04,935So Finley sometimes performs a pre-show performance. 26700:15:05,375 --> 00:15:06,365I think I saw that. 26800:15:06,370 --> 00:15:06,495Maybe. 26900:15:06,695 --> 00:15:10,445Yeah, you might, some, some performances will have an opening dog act. 27000:15:10,525 --> 00:15:10,815Yeah. 27100:15:10,820 --> 00:15:11,075Yeah. 27200:15:11,075 --> 00:15:11,645I think, yeah. 27300:15:11,645 --> 00:15:13,145Well, like you gotta love dog acts. 27400:15:13,175 --> 00:15:14,585I mean, dog acts are the best. 27500:15:14,645 --> 00:15:15,575I love Dog Act. 27600:15:15,940 --> 00:15:20,090So, so you used to perform with Pickle Family Surface Circus, right? I did. 27700:15:20,090 --> 00:15:22,130And they were a big deal in San Francisco. 27800:15:22,130 --> 00:15:34,040I dunno if they're still around or not, but they are no longer around, but they're, I think we carry on the tradition of that feeling of kind of public circus in the parks. 27900:15:34,040 --> 00:15:34,400Correct. 28000:15:34,970 --> 00:15:35,320Parks. 28100:15:35,510 --> 00:15:37,120Their shows were slightly, oh, I'm sorry. 28200:15:37,260 --> 00:15:40,460I'm gonna, I forgot to turn off my dings. 28300:15:42,470 --> 00:15:44,120Yes, I've learned, I I turned mine off. 28400:15:44,120 --> 00:15:45,350Just before we start, I Stupid. 28500:15:45,670 --> 00:15:46,970I'm sorry about that. 28600:15:47,060 --> 00:15:47,480That's all right. 28700:15:48,260 --> 00:15:49,130It happens a lot. 28800:15:49,130 --> 00:15:50,570It happens almost every time. 28900:15:50,570 --> 00:15:52,310Actually, I should warn people. 29000:15:52,310 --> 00:15:55,220I never, I always forget to Oh yeah. 29100:15:55,880 --> 00:15:57,111So the dings distracted me. 29200:15:57,150 --> 00:15:58,700Pickle Family Circus. 29300:15:58,700 --> 00:15:59,060So yeah. 29400:15:59,060 --> 00:16:04,340So I started with the Pickle Family Circus School when I was a kid, and then I performed. 29500:16:05,120 --> 00:16:11,420As part of, we were the pickle family, circus kids, and so we, I performed in their Glen Park show, I think 89. 29600:16:12,440 --> 00:16:20,430How did that happen? How did you get involved in circus as a child? How old were you? Well, I started when I, I started when I was eight or nine years old. 29700:16:20,990 --> 00:16:21,740My mom. 29800:16:22,745 --> 00:16:40,595We still joke about this as this was the key parental mistake that happened is my, my parents signed me up for a kids' circus class, ah, to Pickle Family Circus School up in Glen, up in on Potrero Hill, and I met, I mean, I still remember I walked into the building and. 29900:16:41,285 --> 00:16:54,235This is kind of funny, but I, I smelled the smell and I was like, and I looked at a picture of Buster Keaton on the wall and all the props and the gorilla suits, and I was like, this is, this is what I wanna do. 30000:16:54,415 --> 00:16:55,105This is it. 30100:16:55,165 --> 00:16:58,075This is what I'm, this is, this is, I love this. 30200:16:58,235 --> 00:16:59,975So, Neat. 30300:17:00,485 --> 00:17:06,065So I just, I'm always amazed at that when, when kids find out what they wanna do when they're eight years old and they actually do it. 30400:17:06,155 --> 00:17:06,455Yeah. 30500:17:06,455 --> 00:17:13,895I mean, I think if you had asked me when I was five, I would've wanted to be a ballet dancer, and then by nine I was kind of focused on trape artists. 30600:17:14,225 --> 00:17:14,765Oh, okay. 30700:17:14,995 --> 00:17:22,625And then, and then I had a, I had a parade to modern dance and cabaret dancing, and then kind of kept. 30800:17:23,285 --> 00:17:24,125Kept with the circus. 30900:17:24,125 --> 00:17:33,665So, I mean, I can't even imagine not having, I just, I'm just com you know, the thing about me is I, I, I am stubborn. 31000:17:34,185 --> 00:17:34,475Yeah. 31100:17:35,135 --> 00:17:36,485Kinda have a one track mind. 31200:17:36,485 --> 00:17:45,365So once I get something to my brain, it's, I have kind of, can't I obsess and so that's, Yeah. 31300:17:45,695 --> 00:17:49,685Well, well you were also involved in sort of a burlesque troupe as well called kiang. 31400:17:49,685 --> 00:17:53,105I don't, does that have any influence on the circus arts that you perform? I, I think so. 31500:17:53,105 --> 00:17:56,795We joke, we were in rehearsal and we were needing, I love choreography. 31600:17:56,795 --> 00:17:58,535I love Busby Berkeley. 31700:17:58,595 --> 00:17:58,835Yeah. 31800:17:59,075 --> 00:18:03,275I think there is, you know, we, we are, we perform at noon rather than midnight. 31900:18:04,055 --> 00:18:04,225Yeah, right. 32000:18:05,225 --> 00:18:06,395Some differences there. 32100:18:06,545 --> 00:18:09,575I get a lot earlier than I used to, but, but I think there are. 32200:18:10,005 --> 00:18:11,775I love, you know, my other inspiration. 32300:18:11,775 --> 00:18:17,295You know, I always think my, what are my inspirations other than actual circus itself is I always love to watch the Muppet show. 32400:18:17,295 --> 00:18:18,095The Muppet shows mm-hmm. 32500:18:18,175 --> 00:18:19,695Are just the best thing ever. 32600:18:19,695 --> 00:18:27,405And then MGM musicals and all of that kind of, and I think you see it in our, the out outrageousness of the colors of our costumes. 32700:18:27,410 --> 00:18:32,475And I try to, you know, there's that little bit of spectacle that I try to achieve, I think. 32800:18:33,455 --> 00:18:56,315I think there's something about going to the circus, or at least the circus that I wanna create in my particular mind, that you just can kind of escape reality for a little bit and see something, you know, we can all see something beautiful, or at least, I guess that's what I think is beautiful and see something amazing and see something funny and, you know, well, I, I love, I love your shows. 32900:18:56,320 --> 00:18:57,305I mean, it, it's. 33000:18:57,830 --> 00:18:59,540It's not like going to Ringling Brothers. 33100:18:59,540 --> 00:19:08,720Well, like in Ringlings you have the clowns and they're funny, but in your, in your show, like everybody's always performing and you know, they're always kind of acting, you know? Absolutely. 33200:19:08,720 --> 00:19:09,560It doesn't, yeah. 33300:19:09,620 --> 00:19:11,330And, and the costumes do. 33400:19:11,330 --> 00:19:13,880Who do you do the costumes or They're incredible. 33500:19:14,060 --> 00:19:22,760I work closely with Autumn Aam from Garden, unique Corsetry, and actually Autumn was a kitty. 33600:19:23,020 --> 00:19:23,440With me. 33700:19:23,440 --> 00:19:34,690So we were, we were in the burlesque scene together when we've been friends forever, and we've had a couple different, I used to make all the costumes myself, and they're, you know, slowly, I'm trying to let go. 33800:19:34,690 --> 00:19:39,700I can't, I'm trying not to have the sewing machine out the night before the show. 33900:19:40,210 --> 00:19:40,270Wow. 34000:19:40,740 --> 00:19:41,600This is the big goal. 34100:19:42,250 --> 00:19:47,470I'd still have sometimes, but, but now Autumn does a beautiful job designing all our costumes and. 34200:19:47,855 --> 00:19:48,785I'm working on that. 34300:19:48,785 --> 00:19:50,645And so she's, she's incredible. 34400:19:50,645 --> 00:20:02,555And, you know, shout out to Dark Garden, this incredible local business that that makes, you know, if, if you need a corset or some custom item, go to Dark Garden. 34500:20:02,555 --> 00:20:06,315They're really an incredible, I think they're a legacy business now in San Francisco, so. 34600:20:06,695 --> 00:20:06,876Oh yeah. 34700:20:06,881 --> 00:20:08,795I think you mentioned them last time we talked. 34800:20:09,920 --> 00:20:12,170Where are they over in? They're in, they're in Hayes. 34900:20:12,230 --> 00:20:12,980Hayes Valley. 35000:20:13,130 --> 00:20:13,460Yeah. 35100:20:13,460 --> 00:20:13,730Okay. 35200:20:13,730 --> 00:20:14,270Hayes Valley. 35300:20:14,270 --> 00:20:14,271Right. 35400:20:14,450 --> 00:20:14,570Interesting. 35500:20:14,630 --> 00:20:15,020Yeah. 35600:20:15,440 --> 00:20:16,250Hayes Valley's cool. 35700:20:16,250 --> 00:20:17,870There's a lot of cool shops over there. 35800:20:18,440 --> 00:20:25,220We have a great show this year in Hayes Valley, actually one of, one of our, we will be in, I cannot remember the date off the top of my head. 35900:20:25,225 --> 00:20:25,410Yeah. 36000:20:25,550 --> 00:20:28,450But mid-June will, or mid-July will be in Hayes Valley. 36100:20:28,680 --> 00:20:28,970Okay. 36200:20:29,480 --> 00:20:32,300As part of their carnival Carnival day. 36300:20:32,780 --> 00:20:35,970So, so, so the show, when is the first performance. 36400:20:36,785 --> 00:20:42,235Our first, we are gonna be doing an open rehearsal preview on June 8th. 36500:20:42,375 --> 00:20:42,795Mm-hmm. 36600:20:43,375 --> 00:20:45,545At a Demery park in West Oakland. 36700:20:45,935 --> 00:20:50,735And then from there we go down to Laguna Beach for the following weekend. 36800:20:50,735 --> 00:20:55,175And then I, I never like to say dates out loud on because I don't have the list with me. 36900:20:55,175 --> 00:20:55,775That's okay. 37000:20:55,925 --> 00:20:59,105But it's gonna run in June and July, basically June and July. 37100:20:59,110 --> 00:20:59,205Yeah. 37200:20:59,205 --> 00:20:59,485Yeah. 37300:20:59,485 --> 00:20:59,765Okay. 37400:21:00,185 --> 00:21:00,305Yeah. 37500:21:00,305 --> 00:21:02,315And I'll just put the link in the notes. 37600:21:02,615 --> 00:21:03,245That sounds great. 37700:21:03,250 --> 00:21:03,325Yeah. 37800:21:03,365 --> 00:21:03,845Yeah. 37900:21:03,905 --> 00:21:05,125I love that park in Oakland. 38000:21:05,435 --> 00:21:07,025It's really nice venue. 38100:21:07,365 --> 00:21:09,485D different park is a beautiful park. 38200:21:09,575 --> 00:21:09,995Yeah. 38300:21:09,995 --> 00:21:11,285Family park is a beautiful park. 38400:21:11,495 --> 00:21:13,175And there we've been. 38500:21:14,090 --> 00:21:16,070Partnering them to do our preview performance. 38600:21:16,070 --> 00:21:19,220They've hosted us for their, for since the beginning of Circus Bella. 38700:21:19,220 --> 00:21:20,600So it's great. 38800:21:20,600 --> 00:21:25,730We love going there and that, that park in the dog patch area was nice too. 38900:21:25,850 --> 00:21:27,170I think we're going there this year. 39000:21:27,260 --> 00:21:28,010Oh, okay. 39100:21:28,400 --> 00:21:30,020That's not, that's a, there's other places. 39200:21:30,020 --> 00:21:32,060There's so many other places I went there, so I like that. 39300:21:33,580 --> 00:21:33,870Yeah. 39400:21:34,130 --> 00:21:41,810So you've been increasingly involved in the advocacy work for circus arts and workers' compensation rates and things like that. 39500:21:42,215 --> 00:21:44,675All of the sexy stuff that goes behind the scenes. 39600:21:44,675 --> 00:21:44,955Yeah. 39700:21:45,365 --> 00:21:56,045So how's that been? Well, it's interesting, so we, I am on the bounding member and on the board of a organ new organization called the American Circus Alliance. 39800:21:56,960 --> 00:22:18,470And it's pretty exciting because basically now all the circus owners in, in the United States are actually in a room talking or in a zoom room talking to each other about kind of the problems that we all face running circuses and, and one of the things that we're working and we're making progress on is to be treated as our own. 39900:22:19,205 --> 00:22:20,615Art form in the United States. 40000:22:20,615 --> 00:22:28,205So, you know, you have opera and you have ballet, and you have theater, and there's like a, when I, I write a lot of grants. 40100:22:28,295 --> 00:22:30,575We just got our first NEA grant this year. 40200:22:30,575 --> 00:22:31,805It's a really big deal. 40300:22:32,195 --> 00:22:39,175But when I write an NE NEA grant, we always get into the other, like circuses always are put in the other category loop. 40400:22:39,180 --> 00:22:39,545Okay. 40500:22:40,055 --> 00:22:41,255We want our own box. 40600:22:41,435 --> 00:22:43,655So this is National Endowment for the Arts. 40700:22:43,775 --> 00:22:43,835Yeah. 40800:22:43,835 --> 00:22:46,775Which has been cut and cut and cut over the years. 40900:22:46,775 --> 00:22:48,906So getting anything from them is a, a big deal. 41000:22:48,911 --> 00:22:49,665It's a really big deal. 41100:22:49,665 --> 00:22:50,735Yeah, it's a really big deal. 41200:22:50,735 --> 00:22:55,805I'm really, I got a, a letter from Nancy Pelosi with a wet signature congratulating me. 41300:22:55,810 --> 00:22:57,460I was really, Wonder. 41400:22:57,560 --> 00:22:59,090Oh, frame that. 41500:22:59,450 --> 00:22:59,990Yeah, I know. 41600:22:59,990 --> 00:23:01,100I was so excited to get it. 41700:23:01,100 --> 00:23:01,880I was like, wow. 41800:23:03,890 --> 00:23:04,610Well, good for you. 41900:23:04,960 --> 00:23:05,660So, yeah. 42000:23:05,920 --> 00:23:14,410So yeah, we're working on that and we're, you know, working, this is the first time I think, yeah, we're just trying to create. 42100:23:15,560 --> 00:23:15,710Yeah. 42200:23:15,710 --> 00:23:25,310Recognition for circus is an art form is a valid, you know, and actually one of the things that we're finding is, is that, you know, there is a lot of money we, we generate, you know, a lot. 42300:23:25,310 --> 00:23:30,021There's some, em, economic, you know, CIR sole and all the shows in Vegas and yeah. 42400:23:30,230 --> 00:23:35,090You know, we add to the economy of the United States, so we're, we're worth having around. 42500:23:35,840 --> 00:23:36,470Right. 42600:23:37,070 --> 00:23:39,500God, Cirque Dulay is huge in Vegas. 42700:23:39,505 --> 00:23:39,700Huge. 42800:23:39,700 --> 00:23:43,100They, they usually have three or four different shows going on at one time. 42900:23:43,790 --> 00:23:44,990They employ a lot of people. 43000:23:44,995 --> 00:23:45,580Yeah, A lot of, yeah. 43100:23:45,770 --> 00:23:46,060Yeah. 43200:23:47,270 --> 00:23:59,851Have you, have you, have you ever thought of working for them? Well, I'm now over the hills, so it looks like, it looks like career at Cirque Dule might not last too long given what the stuff that they want you to do. 43300:24:00,330 --> 00:24:01,480I mean, well watch people. 43400:24:02,400 --> 00:24:24,390I know people that have had life, like I have a friend who's been working there now for 15 years, so I think you can, I have actually quite a few friends that once you, you know, they're, I think it's, they're a great company to work for because they move you, you know, you move into different roles as, and I think there's, as you advance, advance and age. 43500:24:25,050 --> 00:24:29,340So yeah, start out someplace and then move around. 43600:24:29,345 --> 00:24:31,740I think, you know, good people are good people. 43700:24:32,655 --> 00:24:34,935You know, even at Circus Bella, we've had a little bit of that. 43800:24:34,935 --> 00:24:40,905You know, a lot of us in the company, I started out as the, I mean, I was the founder, but I started out as the trapeze artist. 43900:24:41,085 --> 00:24:42,615I'm moving on along the line. 44000:24:42,615 --> 00:24:43,725I'm the ringmaster. 44100:24:43,875 --> 00:24:43,965Yeah. 44200:24:44,055 --> 00:24:48,915Our, our contortionist, our for Dora now does the aerial act. 44300:24:48,915 --> 00:24:52,755You know, Carlo who had a foot juggling act now is our production manager. 44400:24:52,755 --> 00:24:55,915So there is this kind of Yeah. 44500:24:56,325 --> 00:24:57,285Progression that happens. 44600:24:57,535 --> 00:24:59,385So, so how long can a person. 44700:25:00,210 --> 00:25:06,330Perform in the circus with some of these acts? I mean, it seems like it's just brutal on the body, I think. 44800:25:06,420 --> 00:25:10,080I think it depends on the act and it depends on the person. 44900:25:10,080 --> 00:25:10,081Yeah. 45000:25:10,140 --> 00:25:11,970And it depends on your training. 45100:25:12,330 --> 00:25:13,740Depends on a lot of things. 45200:25:13,890 --> 00:25:13,950Yeah. 45300:25:14,640 --> 00:25:15,091I mean, I think. 45400:25:17,295 --> 00:25:19,695Yeah, there's no real particular number. 45500:25:19,700 --> 00:25:19,945Yeah. 45600:25:20,625 --> 00:25:23,145You see kind of every and every time you're like, oh, well it's this. 45700:25:23,145 --> 00:25:23,835You age out at this. 45800:25:23,835 --> 00:25:25,665You see somebody who's breaking all the rules. 45900:25:26,145 --> 00:25:39,375And then also I think sometimes people just decide, you know, I think I maybe on the Trape could have gone for a few more years, but I was like, well, there's other things I'm interested in doing, so I'd rather do thi you know, I think there's this, it sort of is a personal journey for each. 46000:25:39,375 --> 00:25:46,785You mean breaking the rules of like personal safety or, or? Or physical, you know? Well, I think that deterioration of the body. 46100:25:46,855 --> 00:25:50,865Yeah, I think, but also I think it's like everyone is such a unique journey for each corner. 46200:25:51,555 --> 00:25:57,945So it's, it's, you know, you see, I mean there's a, a friend of mine who we loosely. 46300:25:59,295 --> 00:26:06,075Just chat over, we did a show together in Colorado and he's, I I, he must be in his sixties and he is still doing contortion. 46400:26:06,435 --> 00:26:06,615Yeah. 46500:26:06,615 --> 00:26:09,675So it just depends on the person, right? I mean, it's like any other sport. 46600:26:09,675 --> 00:26:10,225No, I know. 46700:26:10,225 --> 00:26:13,755He, I, I just ever, I see pictures of like, wow, you're still doing it. 46800:26:13,755 --> 00:26:15,375That's in, that's incredible. 46900:26:15,380 --> 00:26:20,835I mean, he's really bending, so, you know, you just, you know, every person has their own journey of Yeah. 47000:26:20,840 --> 00:26:34,410Everyone's physiology's different and mental capacity and desire, you know, so, I mean, I, I used to be heavily involved in competitive sports and I couldn't anymore cuz of arthritis and all this stuff. 47100:26:34,410 --> 00:26:36,330And I still know people who are doing the same thing. 47200:26:36,330 --> 00:26:38,340And so it just kind of depends on the person. 47300:26:38,345 --> 00:26:38,440Yeah. 47400:26:38,660 --> 00:26:40,110So, yeah. 47500:26:40,680 --> 00:26:45,160I'm just amazed though, at what I see, like when I see the contortionist, oh, Elise is an archist. 47600:26:46,110 --> 00:26:46,770She's so good. 47700:26:47,040 --> 00:26:48,330She's not doing that anymore. 47800:26:48,390 --> 00:26:48,630Oh no. 47900:26:48,630 --> 00:26:50,670She, the one that you've seen is doing, yeah. 48000:26:51,165 --> 00:26:51,705Oh good. 48100:26:51,885 --> 00:26:54,405The one, the woman who's our aerial, you'll see is our aerialist. 48200:26:54,405 --> 00:26:54,675Dora. 48300:26:54,675 --> 00:26:57,795Yeah, she's, she was on the hoop two years ago and she's coming back. 48400:26:57,800 --> 00:26:57,965Okay. 48500:26:58,725 --> 00:26:59,745She was our contortionist. 48600:26:59,925 --> 00:27:03,795If you went to the show five years, six years ago, yeah, I did. 48700:27:03,855 --> 00:27:04,485And then, and now. 48800:27:04,490 --> 00:27:06,955Now to be a contortionist, does that take. 48900:27:08,040 --> 00:27:20,590Natural ability and then practice? Or can you actually practice your way into being a contortionist? Who can do that stuff? I, or do you already have to have like loose joints? I think you have, there is, you have to have some natural ability. 49000:27:21,000 --> 00:27:21,450Okay. 49100:27:21,870 --> 00:27:33,840Just because, I mean, I think for me personally, I'm not, I mean, I'm more, I guess I'm more, I, my comparison is a flat contortionist, but I can stretch and stretch and stretch and stretch and it's just not gonna, it's, I'm not gonna get myself there. 49200:27:33,845 --> 00:27:34,920So there has to be some. 49300:27:35,355 --> 00:27:46,695Some national ability, lots of training, and I think every act kind of, it reflects I think, your personality a little bit. 49400:27:46,695 --> 00:27:50,155It's like what you, you know, I think the contortionist, you kind of have to have this. 49500:27:51,590 --> 00:27:51,880Abil. 49600:27:52,230 --> 00:28:04,170I mean, I guess all circus actually have to have a tolerance for discomfort, but, but the ability to really sit there in these, like the, the training is, is really intense and you have to have the mind to be able to handle it. 49700:28:04,290 --> 00:28:04,680Yeah. 49800:28:04,890 --> 00:28:12,810You know, I, I can only speak from my own personal experience, but for me, you know, I can think I have, I have the discipline to practice every day. 49900:28:12,810 --> 00:28:16,980I, and I still even do that in the way I stay in shape and everything like that. 50000:28:16,980 --> 00:28:17,490And I have the. 50100:28:17,940 --> 00:28:18,270Comfort. 50200:28:18,270 --> 00:28:21,840But I also like to move, like I like to swing. 50300:28:21,840 --> 00:28:23,730I like to like go. 50400:28:23,730 --> 00:28:25,320I don't like to sit still very much. 50500:28:25,320 --> 00:28:36,580So I think that's where trapeze was a better fit for what, and I wasn't, I'm not very flexible, so I could kind of hide my flexibility a little bit and move, or my lack of flexibility and move. 50600:28:36,670 --> 00:28:44,085And so that's, I could see where trap being a trapeze artist can become such an addictive, sort of obsessive thing. 50700:28:44,085 --> 00:28:48,435It's so, yeah, it's real as you get a little addicted to the height and the adrenaline. 50800:28:48,525 --> 00:28:49,215Yeah. 50900:28:49,405 --> 00:28:54,166I, I, I went to, what was it, club Med once and they had a little, a trapeze thing there, and I, and I did it. 51000:28:55,200 --> 00:28:56,700You know, basic stuff. 51100:28:56,730 --> 00:28:58,290Oh my God, that was incredible. 51200:28:58,290 --> 00:28:58,980It's so fun. 51300:28:59,160 --> 00:29:05,760It's so, and you can do stuff like super easy, basic stuff right away and just absolutely, absolutely blew my mind. 51400:29:05,760 --> 00:29:06,450It's like, oh, wow. 51500:29:06,450 --> 00:29:09,330If I had done this when I was younger, I think that I, I might have gotten into it. 51600:29:10,065 --> 00:29:11,295Yeah, it's, well, it's never too late. 51700:29:11,295 --> 00:29:12,405You can go to the Circus Center. 51800:29:13,365 --> 00:29:13,635Yeah. 51900:29:13,635 --> 00:29:16,935You can take classes at the Circus Center in San Francisco, huh? Yeah. 52000:29:16,935 --> 00:29:17,215Yeah. 52100:29:17,685 --> 00:29:18,975Who? I know some people there. 52200:29:19,125 --> 00:29:19,365Yeah. 52300:29:19,365 --> 00:29:19,845Cool. 52400:29:20,505 --> 00:29:32,475So do you have any advice that you could give people who might be interested in pursuing a career in circus? Is it, is it like a, a way you're gonna become super rich or I'm being, I'm kidding. 52500:29:32,745 --> 00:29:42,755Noelle, what advice could you give young people who wanna do circus performance? I mean, I have, my cynical advice is if there's anything else you wanna do, you should do that first because it's hard. 52600:29:43,485 --> 00:29:43,665Yeah. 52700:29:43,665 --> 00:29:51,765But on the other hand, What I actually think is pretty magical about the circus is a, you get to join this community of people. 52800:29:51,765 --> 00:29:53,175That's spectacular. 52900:29:53,325 --> 00:30:00,225And I also think it's an art form where there really, it celebrates the uniqueness in people. 53000:30:00,230 --> 00:30:00,375Mm-hmm. 53100:30:00,825 --> 00:30:06,105So that there really is a, if you wanna do it, you have to, you have to be willing to work really hard. 53200:30:06,135 --> 00:30:08,025You know, you have to train. 53300:30:08,450 --> 00:30:09,050Hard. 53400:30:09,290 --> 00:30:09,410Mm-hmm. 53500:30:10,100 --> 00:30:11,720One of my early coaches, Mr. 53600:30:11,720 --> 00:30:13,910Luie, would say training is bitterness. 53700:30:14,480 --> 00:30:17,000So you have to, you know, you have to train hard. 53800:30:17,000 --> 00:30:24,560But, but I think with that, there is a place, there's so many different paths you can take. 53900:30:24,750 --> 00:30:31,350And so there's a, there really is a place for everybody in the circus, which I think is pretty special. 54000:30:31,710 --> 00:30:33,120Provided you're willing to do the work. 54100:30:33,610 --> 00:30:34,060And you're nice. 54200:30:35,740 --> 00:30:44,350Well, the athleticism involved in a lot of these things and yeah, and the night, the friendliness and the sense of humor and the acting ability and the energy. 54300:30:44,350 --> 00:30:50,300Like peop, you have to bring 110% all the time because a circus is always, yeah. 54400:30:50,300 --> 00:30:58,015Elevated, you know? I think all shapes and sizes and talents are celebrated and there's really is a place for all of that, so, yeah. 54500:30:58,405 --> 00:30:58,825Yeah. 54600:30:59,365 --> 00:30:59,725Well that's great. 54700:30:59,725 --> 00:31:12,295I think that's, that's, that's my, so if you want, if you want to join the circus, pick a class, find, find your teacher, you know, what do you want? You know, take a bunch of classes, what do you wanna try a lot of things. 54800:31:12,295 --> 00:31:18,495And I think you do have to find what comes just a little bit easier than the other things, you know? Yeah. 54900:31:18,765 --> 00:31:19,055Yeah. 55000:31:19,870 --> 00:31:20,080Yeah. 55100:31:20,080 --> 00:31:29,960So it's like a lot of the arts or any athletic endeavor, if you wanna really do something at its at, its, you have to really, really wanna do it, you know? But you have to just really, you can't do it. 55200:31:30,180 --> 00:31:31,480You just kind of wanna do it. 55300:31:31,900 --> 00:31:34,120Yeah, yeah, yeah, for sure. 55400:31:34,690 --> 00:31:42,525So how do you see the, the future of circus arts evolving in the years to come? I think it's really hip right now. 55500:31:42,555 --> 00:31:49,845Everyone wants, you know, you go to, you go to these like the Circus Center and we're actually rehearsing at Kinetic Arts Center in the East Bay. 55600:31:49,995 --> 00:31:50,085Mm-hmm. 55700:31:50,330 --> 00:32:07,365And there's lots of people who are taking circus classes and taking aerial arts classes and, and you know, we hosted a clown workshop we with on Friday with this amazing out of town artist, Michelle Matlock, who's working our clowns with our clowns. 55800:32:07,365 --> 00:32:08,565And I've said, well, let's do a. 55900:32:08,965 --> 00:32:11,095Works out for the whole community and it was sold out. 56000:32:11,095 --> 00:32:17,545You know, I think we're at this amazing time where people really are interested in the circus arts and it's hip. 56100:32:17,545 --> 00:32:22,165And I think, you know, in my, when I was a kid, it was popular. 56200:32:22,195 --> 00:32:30,955All the little girls would take ballet classes and now all little girl, oh no, even, and everybody takes circus classes. 56300:32:31,135 --> 00:32:33,985So I, what do you think is accounting for that? I have no idea. 56400:32:36,285 --> 00:32:39,575Prob probably Cirque du sole, you know? Oh, okay. 56500:32:40,045 --> 00:32:55,525You know, because it's, once again, I think there was a time when circus wasn't as accessible and now, you know, there really is this, you know, maybe, maybe movies like The Greatest Showman, you know? And I think, but whatever. 56600:32:55,525 --> 00:32:59,755Or maybe that's be, it's popular because, but it's, PO Circus is popular right now. 56700:33:00,295 --> 00:33:01,465People like to go to the circuit. 56800:33:01,495 --> 00:33:04,825I mean, they always have, and I think it's one of these things that goes up and down. 56900:33:04,825 --> 00:33:15,085But we're, I think we're in a moment, you know, I sit on these Zoom calls and there's so many little regional companies and there's so much interesting work being done in the circus community right now. 57000:33:15,085 --> 00:33:18,025It's a really cool, cool time. 57100:33:18,415 --> 00:33:25,015Now I re, I remember when I was younger and in the seventies and eighties, I guess it had a, I think it had a boom around that time. 57200:33:25,015 --> 00:33:27,825Do you think this is similar? I think so, yeah. 57300:33:28,245 --> 00:33:29,065So great. 57400:33:29,890 --> 00:33:32,560So I, yeah, I think we're in this a great time for circus. 57500:33:32,650 --> 00:33:33,010Yeah. 57600:33:33,790 --> 00:33:36,340Well, and everybody loves the circus. 57700:33:36,340 --> 00:33:39,310I mean, who does love? Wanna love the circus? Oh my God. 57800:33:39,790 --> 00:33:40,570I mean, seriously. 57900:33:40,575 --> 00:33:42,070It's like just happiness. 58000:33:42,190 --> 00:33:42,670Yeah. 58100:33:43,540 --> 00:33:48,790I think also, I think this is, maybe that's why my plug for circus is it's this, this. 58200:33:49,945 --> 00:33:50,905Amazing. 58300:33:50,905 --> 00:33:51,805Unifying. 58400:33:51,835 --> 00:33:52,765It's a great unifier. 58500:33:52,765 --> 00:34:01,435You can't really, and I think we right now, I mean this is my personal artistic statement, is it's nice to find a few things we can all agree upon. 58600:34:02,095 --> 00:34:02,245Yeah. 58700:34:02,995 --> 00:34:10,255You know, let's just, you know, and I think circus is kind of one of them, you know, you know, our show's only 60 minutes. 58800:34:10,255 --> 00:34:11,935What, what could, you know, just Yeah, yeah. 58900:34:11,935 --> 00:34:14,095And laugh for an hour together. 59000:34:14,125 --> 00:34:14,365Yeah. 59100:34:14,365 --> 00:34:17,215It's, it's lacking in, in politics, I assume. 59200:34:17,845 --> 00:34:20,035Yeah, great. 59300:34:20,465 --> 00:34:21,895We, we stay far, far away. 59400:34:21,895 --> 00:34:23,965We just, yeah. 59500:34:24,265 --> 00:34:27,085Try to find a moment that we can come together and laugh. 59600:34:27,745 --> 00:34:28,255Yeah. 59700:34:29,095 --> 00:34:29,635So great. 59800:34:29,635 --> 00:34:30,175So great. 59900:34:30,355 --> 00:34:32,425Thank you so much for speaking with me today. 60000:34:33,430 --> 00:34:34,240Thanks for having me. 60100:34:34,330 --> 00:34:34,960You bet. 60200:34:37,120 --> 00:34:38,260Well, there you have it. 60300:34:39,130 --> 00:34:42,010Our guest, Abigail Man from Circus Bella. 60400:34:42,070 --> 00:34:51,670I've been to their circus a couple of times in the past and she's been on the Green Room before too, and I really, really enjoy the show. 60500:34:51,675 --> 00:34:52,230And it's free. 60600:34:53,110 --> 00:34:54,130It's an hour long. 60700:34:54,130 --> 00:34:55,960She has these incredible performers. 60800:34:56,020 --> 00:34:57,910The costumes are magnificent. 60900:34:57,910 --> 00:34:58,600The music. 61000:34:59,115 --> 00:34:59,865Is excellent. 61100:35:00,375 --> 00:35:08,955It's full of energy, full of love, full of life, and I guarantee a good time for you and yours. 61200:35:09,675 --> 00:35:13,305Thanks so much for listening today and visiting the Green Room. 61300:35:13,815 --> 00:35:20,115As always, if you enjoyed this podcast, please give me a rating on Apple Podcast. 61400:35:20,565 --> 00:35:23,865It really, really helps for me to get ratings. 61500:35:23,865 --> 00:35:27,105I can get more listeners and put more into the show. 61600:35:28,045 --> 00:35:33,295If you would like to contact me, just write an email to greenroom OnAir gmail.com 61700:35:33,295 --> 00:35:37,795and I will be happy to read your email and answer. 61800:35:38,665 --> 00:35:39,895Thanks so much for listening. 61900:35:41,650 --> 00:35:47,620And until next week, which may be from a remote area of Europe. 62000:35:49,450 --> 00:35:52,930Until next week, I will see you on the boards. 62100:35:53,560 --> 00:35:54,310Bye-bye everybody.