Families streamed into the tent and seated themselves on bright yellow bleachers. As circus employees distributed popcorn and cotton candy, young children were invited to sit on the floor around the center ring, where they could participate in the performance.
"For young kids, when they sit up close and there's no distance between them and the performers, they're transported to another world," executive director Ed LeClair Tu '85 said. "That's what we're all about."
Andrea McCullough attended the circus Sunday at a friend's recommendation.
"I just want to see the looks on my kids' faces," she said.
Children were not the only ones excited about the performance. For adults in the audience like Nancy Lowry, who came with her grandson, the circus offered a chance to relive a childhood fantasy.
"I'm excited to see the kids perform," Lowry said. "As a kid I always thought that would've been the dream, to go to camp to be in the circus."
The season's theme is "Oz Incorporated," a twist on "The Wizard of Oz" that involves the story's well-known characters but is set in the future, at the Wizard's corporation. A grand curtain at the back of the ring serves as the building's elevator, opening and closing to transport performers on and off the stage.
In a humorous variation on the traditional plot, the Wicked Witch argues loudly on a cell phone, while Toto carries a camera to snap selfies with each new character he meets.
Creative director Jesse Dryden chose to add a twist to the classic tale to make it more interesting for the audience.
"It both keeps it fresh and allows you to instantly know the characters," LeClair said. "It's a way to let the audience be introduced into the show really quickly, but framing it as a company set in the future allows you to throw in some twists."
Comedic moments and plot twists were interspersed with theatrical and acrobatic exhibitions, including juggling, body contortion and trampoline exercises.
Sunday's show was Circus Smirkus' 59th performance this summer, in a season of 69 shows that visit 15 towns throughout New England. LeClair estimated that 4,500 people attended the Hanover performances.
The Circus is more than just a traveling show, as the company also hosts day and residential camps where interested youths can learn circus skills.
A typical day at camp consists of a morning rotation of aerial skills, clowning, acrobatics and juggling, followed by a lesson in a topic of the camper's choice.
About half of the Circus' performers come up through the camp system, while the other half are recruited from other circus programs. Smirkus recruits nationally as well as globally the Circus currently employs performers from Mexico and the United Kingdom, in addition to performers from the Midwest and the West Coast.
LeClair said the Circus promotes the skills, traditions and culture of the traveling circus. One of his goals is to teach young children how lessons from the circus translate into life skills.
"The circus has traditionally accepted people from all walks of life, and it has taught people how to work together," LeClair said. "If you're dedicated to an art form, if you have hard work and discipline, you can do things that become magical."
In addition to the summer camp program, Circus Smirkus also runs one to two-week programs at schools. Instructors work with teachers in various subjects, from geometry to language classes, to create curriculums that incorporate circus elements.
LeClair described the circus as "play elevated to an art form," and said children are especially entranced.
"When they watch people who are a little older than themselves performing, they see themselves being able to do those magical things," LeClair said. "They all want to run away and join a world where magic happens for a day."
