So You Wanna? Outline

SYW Outline
I. The Circus Life
A. The negatives of living the circus life
1. Be expected to work weekends and weekdays.
2. Forced to work through illnesses, no matter how small the audience may be.
3. After each performance you are constantly packing up and moving to new cities.
B. The positives of living the circus life
1. You’ll get to travel the country (if not the world).
2. The reactions and awe of the audience will inspire you to carry on with your work.
II. Your Circus Talent
A. Highly specialized circus talents
1. Trapeze artist
2. Tightrope walker
3. Fire breather/eater
4. Bearded lady
B. Less specialized circus talents
1. Stilt walker
2. Clown
3. Unicycler
4. Juggler
5. Acrobat

C. If all else fails…
1. Ringmaster
2. Animal caretaker/trainer
3. Roustabout
III. Go To Circus School
A. Famous schools in the United States
1. San Francisco School of Circus Arts
2. St. Louis School of Circus Arts
3. The Ballet Academy of Warrenton (Acrobatics)
4. Clowning Around
5. Flying High Circus at Florida State University
6. The Celebration Barn Theater
IV. Get a Job
A. Circus Jobs
1. Circus companies are very accessible and are always recruiting
2. Circuses are often looking for people to fill in behind the scenes.
B. Jobs related to the circus
1. There are jobs related to the circus if no circus wants you.
a) Teacher
b) Performer at an amusement park
c) Animal caretaker/trainer