Imagine for a moment, if you will, that you are back in high school. Wait, it gets worse! Your class takes a field trip to the local morgue. When you look up on a shelf, you notice a human brain in a display jar. Then you lean in a bit closer to read the jar’s [...]
As difficult as it is to imagine a time before bustling midways filled with fried foods and mechanical rides were available to delight audiences of all ages, that time did exist. In fact, the carnival (in its modern incarnation) is not as old as you may think. This form of entertainment traces its origins to [...]
Hot off the press: Ringling scores victory over accusations of elephant abuse. On Wednesday, December 31, 2009, a federal judge ruled in favor of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. The case is American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals v. Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus. This case went [...]
For one blissful weekend, performers, fans and academics unite to celebrate their love of the bizarre and extraordinary in an event that is known as The Annual Sideshow Gathering. This curious convocation proudly claims to be the “the world’s only sideshow convention” and is fondly referred to as the place “where the freaks meet.” The [...]
This banner marketed a Girl-To-Gorilla illusion, a show in which a young lady would seem to morph into a gorilla as you watched. This popular and mystifying illusion was invented in the 1800′s, originally consisting of a statue in the form of a ballerina; she would appear to come to life, leap from her pedestal, [...]
LA-based photographer Mila Reynaud has a knack for catching the dramatic moment. She specializes in portrait, concert, still and band photography. She also has a penchant for romantic, circus aesthetics. Today we celebrate some of her work: Check out her website to see more.
Carisa Hendrix is virtually a sideshow unto herself. This Canadian-based performer travels eight months out of the year, and boasts an impressive array of stunts and skills including: prop manipulation (hoop, poi, staves, contact juggling) glass walking angle grinder block head glass eating bed of nails human pin cushion razor blade swallowing and fire eating, [...]
Below is a fantastic animation short by Kris Kobes: Freakshow from Kris Kobes on Vimeo.
Johnny Meah, banner painter, historian, and circus performer. Meah grew up a short distance from Coney Island, and as a child, he worked alongside his father at carnivals and circuses creating caricatures and line portraits for sale. At about the age of nine, Meah stood beneath a banner painting and was so dazzled it that [...]
Tonight, the new Off-Broadway thriller PLAY DEAD will premier at the Players Theatre in NYC. Mister Teller (of Penn and Teller) co-wrote this play, and he is also directing it. Coney Island’s own Todd Robbins is the other co-writer, and he is also staring in the production. The run is “open-ended” but tickets are at [...]