Dressing rooms, ring stock tents (padrooms), wardrobe and costume departments, doctor’s wagon, tailor’s wagon and performer’s rest areas were all located in the back yard of the railroad transported circuses. Ringling Barnum at its biggest had both.īack Yard: “Off Limits” to the general public. On these shows the performance was usually handled by the “Equestrian Director”, sometimes called the performance director. The announcer on the really big shows of “the Golden Age of the Circus” was just that and nothing else. On modern circuses this man was not a “ring master”.
Early shows used singing and dancing concerts but in later years wild west exhibitions were usually the after show sometimes featuring some well known cowboy movie actor.Īnnouncer: The person who introduces the acts and numbers to the audience during a circus performance. Everything pertaining to a show on its route before men working out of the show’s road office take over the details.Īfter Show: Concert or short extra pay performance in the big top after the regular performance is out and over. American Circus Corporation winter quartersĪll circus terms used for this glossary were taken from the book “Circus Lingo” by Joe McKennon.Īdvance: Ahead of the show.August 12-14th, 2021 – Circus Model Builder’s Display.Circus Calliope and Mechanical Music Festival.