Opening Night

Today is the BIG DAY!

LEAVING THE RING Performs

Today, December 15, 2009 @ 7:30 PM
AND
Wednesday, December 16, 2009 @ 7:30 PM

Performances take place at The Alchemist Theater

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Quotes of the Day 12/12

"Art is the only way to run away without leaving home."

- Twyla Tharp


"No great artist ever sees things as they really are. If he did, he would cease to be an artist."

- Oscar Wilde

Quote of the Day 12/11

"I remain just one thing, and one thing only -- and that is a clown. It places me on a far higher plane than any politician."

- Charlie Chaplin

Clown 'Leaving the Ring' at Alchemist Theatre

By Russ Bickerstaff

The modern circus has been around for about 250 years, and its prehistory dates back to ancient Rome. But in today’s age of interactive mass media, the idea of going to see a mixture of live performances and exhibitions beneath a tent feels antiquated. The art form lives on in contemporary mutations like Cirque du Soleil, but the traditional circus appears to be on its way out—and has for quite some time. Be that as it may, there’s still something moving about the circus ring that’s every bit as primal as other forms of theater.

Performer Matthew Belopavlovich casts light on the waning shadows of the traditional circus next week as he performs Leaving the Ring, a theatrical narrative he’s constructed around the story of “a clown’s last bow on Earth.” In his one-man performance, Belopavlovich walks onstage in a red bowler hat and clown nose. He unpacks his suitcase, apparently oblivious to where he is. Then he notices the audience. As long they’re sitting there, he may as well perform…

Belopavlovich proceeds to weave a performance out of comedy, poetry, juggling and stage magic. It’s a family show, but it captures something beyond light entertainment.

“The idea of ‘leaving the ring’ is symbolic of the clown performing for the last time on this Earth and passing away,” Belopavlovich says.

Given the right execution, this could be a very interesting journey flowing from all the trappings of a traditional circus clown’s shtick. Modern culture often associates clowns with children’s parties, so crafting a profound message from this fare should prove to be an interesting challenge. The show looks like a passionate side project for Belopavlovich.

Belopavlovich’s Leaving the Ring runs for two nights only, Dec. 15-16, at the Alchemist Theatre. A portion of the ticket sales will be donated to Clowns Without Borders, an organization that brings laughter to places of conflict and crisis all over the world.

Quote of the Day 12/07

"Good humor is one of the best articles of dress one can wear in society."

- William Makepeace Thackeray

Dolly Jacobs and I

Dolly Jacobs is an American aerialist. She is the daughter of famed circus clown , Lou Jacobs. She began her circus career in 1975 and has been working ever since. She is also the co-founder of Circus Sarasota. Born in Sarasota, Florida, winter home of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey until 1958, Dolly, like many other circus children in the area, began training at Sailor's Circus, the Sarasota High School's youth circus. After graduating from Sarasota High, she followed in her mother's footsteps and joined the Ringling show's battalion of showgirls, which allowed her to be near her father. She debuted her Roman Rings act in the 1976 edition of The Greatest Show On Earth. n 1984, Dolly left Ringling and joined the Big Apple Circus, with which she performed until 1985, and again in 1987 and 1988. Dolly Jacobs was inducted in 1997 into the Circus Ring of Fame in Sarasota in 1998. (Circopedia and Wikipedia)

New Script Developments

Writing a new show is a challenge to any playwright. It is a process that usually continues right up until opening night. After several runs of the production in a studio and some insight from my clown in crime, Steve...The Storyline Has CHANGED...just a bit. The story needed some more flair and the clown character felt like he needed to be younger to match the current material. Enjoy the modified production summary!

After causing an accident backstage, the clown is forced to leave the current circus he is touring with and find a life in the "real world." On a rainy night the clown enters a theater to dry off and rest. As payment for his intrusion, the clown takes the audience on a journey through his life in the circus by telling stories, sharing poetry, and performing glimpses of his famous routine.

Quote of the Day 12/06

"Come inside, the show's about to start!"

- Emerson, Lake and Palmer

Quotes of the Day 12/05

"From the start it has been the theatre's business to entertain people ... it needs no other passport than fun."

- Bertolt Brecht

"There are lots of young vital playwrights who are experimenting, and these are the plays that people who are interested in the theatre should see. They should go off Broadway. They should go to the cafe theatres and see the experiments that are being made."

- Edward Albee

Plans for New Years?

Check out this awesome circus experience coming up on New Years Eve!
http://www.deadmanscarnival.com/

Prop and Costume Inspiration

Above are some images that inspired the costume pieces, props, and scenic elements used in Leaving The Ring.

Quote of the Day 12/04

"No person has the right to rain on your dreams."

- Marian Wright Edelman

The Music

Here are some musical inspirations featured in LEAVING THE RING...

"Blue Skies" - Count Basie
"The World Goes 'Round" - Kander and Ebb
"Put On A Happy Face" - Charles Strouse

Rehearsal Update 12/01

Happy December! The next scheduled rehearsal is December 2, 2009. The goal of the rehearsal is to run the scripted section of the piece and add/work the silent introduction scene. The first complete run of the piece will be taking place on December 9, 2009 at The Alchemist space. Keep checking back for more rehearsal updates, quotes of the day, links, and polls!

Quote of the Day 12/01

"We bring you the circus, pied piper whose magic tunes greet children of all ages, from six to 60, into a tinsel and spun-candy world of reckless beauty and mounting laughter and whirling thrills; of rhythm, excitement and grace; of blaring and daring and dance; of high-stepping horses and high-flying stars. But behind all this, the circus is a massive machine whose very life depends on discipline and motion and speed. A mechanized army on wheels, that rolls over any obstacle in its path, that meets calamity again and again, but always comes up smiling. A place where disaster and tragedy stalk the big top, haunt the backyard, and ride the circus train. Where death is constantly watching for one frayed rope, one weak link, or one trace of fear. A fierce, primitive fighting force that smashes relentlessly forward against impossible odds. That is the circus."

- Narrator (The Greatest Show On Earth)