Author : Susan Weber
Publisher : Yale University Press
Page : 0 pages
File Size : 46,34 MB
Release : 2012
Category : Circus
ISBN : 9780300185393
A showcase of the "golden age" of the circus in America
Author : Katherine H. Adams
Publisher : McFarland
Page : 225 pages
File Size : 37,12 MB
Release : 2012-11-01
Category : Performing Arts
ISBN : 0786472286
During the years 1880 to 1940, the glory days of the American circus, a third to a half of the cast members were women--a large group of very visible American workers whose story needs telling. This book, using sources such as diaries, autobiographies, newspaper accounts, films, posters, and route books, first considers the popular media's presentation of these performers as unnatural and scandalous--as well as romantic and thrilling. Next are the stories told by circus women, which contradict and complicate other versions of their lives. Across America in those years an array of acts featured women, such as tableaux, freak shows, girlie shows, tiger acts, and aerial performances, all involving special skills and all detailed here. The book offers a unique and fascinating view of not just the circus but of what it meant to be an American woman at work.
Author : Ernest J. Albrecht
Publisher :
Page : 258 pages
File Size : 50,71 MB
Release : 1995
Category : Performing Arts
ISBN : 9780813013640
In the 1970s a group of men and women with few ties to the circus emerged from the counterculture revolution and took to the streets, where they discovered how to entertain an audience. At a time when the Big Top was beset by shabby excess, escalating costs, and competition from movies and TV, the young performers dedicated themselves to skill and intimacy, beginning the movement Ernest Albrecht describes as the "new American circus", a reinvention of the circus as an authentic form of art. The first - and most radical - aspect of this movement was its revival of the traditions of the great one-ring shows of Europe and Russia. Focusing on artistry, not spectacle, the new American circus incorporated such allied arts as music and dance and embraced a notion of ensemble that was compatible with the communal ethic of the seventies. Working from interviews and other primary sources, Albrecht traces this history to the present (including current controversies over animal performers and efforts to secure subsidies), sketching the leading players in the new circus and profiling the shows they founded.
Author : Les Standiford
Publisher : PublicAffairs
Page : 310 pages
File Size : 12,2 MB
Release : 2021-06-15
Category : History
ISBN : 1541762266
“Les Standiford takes us under the big top and behind the curtain in this richly researched and thoroughly engaging narrative that captures all of the entrepreneurial intrigue and spirit of the American circus.” —Gilbert King, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Devil in the Grove Millions have sat under the “big top,” watching as trapeze artists glide and clowns entertain, but few know the captivating stories behind the men whose creativity, ingenuity, and determination created one of our country’s most beloved pastimes. In Battle for the Big Top, New York Times–bestselling author Les Standiford brings to life a remarkable era when three circus kings—James Bailey, P. T. Barnum, and John Ringling—all vied for control of the vastly profitable and influential American Circus. Ultimately, the rivalry of these three men resulted in the creation of an institution that would surpass all intentions and, for 147 years, hold a nation spellbound. Filled with details of their ever-evolving showmanship, business acumen, and personal magnetism, this Ragtime-like narrative will delight and enchant circus-lovers and anyone fascinated by the American experience.
Author : Tom Ogden
Publisher :
Page : 402 pages
File Size : 12,67 MB
Release : 1993-01-01
Category : Performing Arts
ISBN : 9780816026111
Identifies circus performers, famous acts, and animal stars, explains circus terms, and provides summaries of movies, television shows, and musicals featuring the circus
Author : Kristin L. Spangenberg
Publisher :
Page : 264 pages
File Size : 24,1 MB
Release : 2011
Category : Antiques & Collectibles
ISBN : 9780931537387
"The Amazing American Circus Poster: The Strobridge Lithographing Company is published to accompany the exhibition "The Amazing American Circus Poster: The Strobridge Lithographing Company," held at the Cincinnati Art Museum from February 26 to July 10, 2011, and The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art from September 17, 2011, to January 29, 2012."
Author : S.L. Kotar
Publisher : McFarland
Page : 364 pages
File Size : 37,45 MB
Release : 2011-10-10
Category : Performing Arts
ISBN : 0786487003
To both young and old, the circus remains an icon of American entertainment, a wholesome pastime untouched by the passing years. But the modern circus, with its three rings, ringmaster, animals, and acrobats, is the product of nearly three hundred years of evolution. This intriguing work chronicles the history of the American circus from its roots in England through its importation to America to the end of the nineteenth century. It introduces the early pioneers of the circus, addresses business concerns such as management and training, and discusses the development of the show itself, including the incorporation of menageries, the need for animal training and care, the addition of circus music, the use of the tent, and the unique attractions of side shows and "freaks." Personal stories of those who made their lives under the "big top" are woven throughout the narrative, adding an intimate perspective to one of America's most enduring entertainments.
Author : Don B. Wilmeth
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
Page : 448 pages
File Size : 42,14 MB
Release : 1996-06-13
Category : Drama
ISBN : 9780521564441
"This new and updated Guide, with over 2,700 cross-referenced entries, covers all aspects of the American theatre from its earliest history to the present. Entries include people, venues and companies scattered through the U.S., plays and musicals, and theatrical phenomena. Additionally, there are some 100 topical entries covering theatre in major U.S. cities and such disparate subjects as Asian American theatre, Chicano theatre, censorship, Filipino American theatre, one-person performances, performance art, and puppetry. Highly illustrated, the Guide is supplemented with a historical survey as introduction, a bibliography of major sources published since the first edition, and a biographical index covering over 3,200 individuals mentioned in the text."--BOOK JACKET.
Author : Elizabeth Hanson
Publisher : Princeton University Press
Page : 268 pages
File Size : 44,35 MB
Release : 2002
Category : Nature
ISBN : 9780691059921
"Examines the meaning of nature in the city by looking at the ways zoos have assembled and displayed their animal collections."--Cover.
Author : Jo Pitkin
Publisher : Arcadia Publishing
Page : 145 pages
File Size : 48,15 MB
Release : 2012-09-01
Category : History
ISBN : 1625840810
Americas circusa spectacle of flying trapeze artists, colorful clowns and trained animal acts under the big topgrew out of the traveling menagerie phenomenon in Somers, New York, in the 1800s. To commemorate this proud local heritage, award-winning poet and Somers native Jo Pitkin presents a collection of poems inspired by the people, events and fantastic ephemera of the glory days of the Somers showmen. Complementing her dazzling lines are essays by regional historians that explain Somerss unique role as the Cradle of the American Circus. Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, children of all ages, step up, step up! The show is about to begin.
