Ohio, Illinois, & My Personal Quest To Be In Every Act of the Show

Even though my last blog post was only a few weeks ago, I am realizing more and more how much happens here in circus world on a daily basis. I feel like I've done, seen, and experienced about a million crazy and fun things since I last posted, and it feels impossible to truly share what goes on here, because it is so beyond anything I could have dreamed or imagined! It also goes to show how truly a unique experience I'm getting by working around some of the most talented individuals in the world. In a nutshell, if you want the full experience, I guess you'll just have to come visit ;) I was in several cities in Ohio and am now spending the better part of November in the Rosemont/Chicago area. I'll give you the cliffs notes version of some of the highlights of the past few weeks, and of course, include some photos of my adventures.

• Attended the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, OH

• Went to my first House of Blues concert (the arts management in me mostly gushed over the lighting)

• Attended my first ever Circus Mass service performed by nuns & priests who travel to do services for people on the road
• Saw two awesome shows in Chicago: Kinky Boots (starring Billy Porter who I worked with this past summer at Lyric - hey again Billy!) and I Love Lucy Live on Stage (I grew up watching Lucy and I just about died being at the show -so incredibly heartwarming :))
• Experienced my first "Annual Haunted Clown Car." Every year, our clown alley spends weeks preparing a haunted experience for everyone on the train by converting an old school bus and their train car into a haunted house. They dress up and are part of the "interactive" experience as well haha You even have to wear 3D glasses because the inside of the car is painted with neon, 3D paint. It is quite the extravaganza and I screamed/laughed uncontrollably every time I went through. Happy Halloween on the circus.
• Took a trip from Ohio to the Michigan IKEA (made me miss my northern roots!!) and also took a trip to Baraboo, Wisconsin to see some Ringling history (more on that below and again, made me miss my northern roots - cheese curds for all!)
• I am currently attempting to somehow be in every act on our show ;) (what's life without a little risk?), so in the past couple weeks, I've gotten on the Globe of Steel motorcycle, ridden on of the horses in our Cossacks horse act, been juggled around (now I just need to learn how myself), fed some goats and horses (not exactly the same as teaching the goat to walk across a high beam, but you have to start somewhere) ... and I'm just beginning. You'll have to read my next blog post to see what all else I've planned on getting myself into here haha :)

 

• Last night, I also helped put on and attended my very first circus party. At the end of every year, the arena space is transformed, everyone dresses up, and comes out for a catered banquet, awards ceremony, and this year a No Talent, Talent Show (which - is the most interesting spectacle of *ahem* "non-talent" I've ever seen considering these circus performers can do just about EVERYTHING).

  

For those that don't know, Baraboo, WI is where the Ringlings are from, and definitely a huge part of our circus history. On Monday, I took a trip with our Train Master (who is in the process of trying to buy the original Al Ringling's home and convert it into a museum/B&B) and others to see the Al Ringling house, the Al Ringling Theatre, the Clown Hall of Fame, Circus World Museum (including an exclusive tour of the library there with artifacts, costumes, relics from the circus dating back to the 1800's), the old location where the train was stored in the winter, and the historic site where the first Ringling circus performance was held. It was quite the trip. I have so many pictures and videos from the day, it would be impossible to upload them all on here!

Circus World Museum 

Water For Elephants band wagon

There was a gorilla on the show back in the day ...

Circus World :)

Al Ringling House

This was Al's box at his theatre :)

Clown Hall of Fame

Well, I'm looking ahead and the only things that stand between me and a wonderful Christmas break at home in MN is a few more weeks in the Chicago area, a week in Indianapolis, and a short rehearsal stint in Tampa. The end of the year is coming so soon!

Until the next post ...

Encontrarme en St. Louis

If it wasn't official before, it is now. I'm re-learning and actually hoping to master Spanish while on tour. Besides being a hobby to take up, I'm finding that I speak a good deal of Spanglish and use a lot of charades to communicate with many of the performers who speak Spanish on a daily basis. Many performers who know English still choose to speak Spanish as well, so learning to speak Spanish is not only helpful, but a great way to get to know people here. So many individuals are willing to pass on their skills - and what better way to learn than from native speakers. My Spanish books arrived yesterday, and I've got a multitude of willing teachers at the arena every day :)

Since we arrived in St. Louis, I visited the iconic "Arch" and FINALLY made it to a Hard Rock Cafe. Hey bucket list.

Random stuff that makes me feel cool:

1. Besides getting my first "individual" insurance card in the mail the other day and the fact that I'm racking in quite the lot of company stuff (Ringling Bros clothes and jacket, random circus paraphernalia, a company computer etc), I'm feeling quite grown up. Now to convince them I need a company car …

2. I recently acquired a TV a DVD player in exchange for paying for someone's dinner. In the circus, apparently it is considered rude by many performers to accept money for gifts. You simply exchange for food or a favor etc. Winning.

3. Everyone believes in making the train more "homey." I've had offers from other performers/crew to come customize my tile flooring, to put carpeting in my car etc etc. Its actually kind of amazing to see what people have done to customize their train cars.

Lastly, cross your fingers. Until now, I have not had internet in my train car (and only have internet access while at work). I ordered what will hopefully be my ticket to unlimited train internet (Wifi device that I'm hoping is as good as some of the people here say it is).

Maybe next time, I'll be able to post from the comfort of my own train quarters. :)

Until then … and until Cleveland … Adios!

Group photo opp at the top

The gorgeous views of St. Louis

It's pretty high up ...

Views from the top

Downtown STL

This is the tiny spaceship like elevator you ride up to the top in.... kinda creepy.

Overlooks quite a bit

Denver: Home Away From Home

Sometimes I feel like people don't believe me when I say I work for the circus. Sometimes I don't believe it myself. To adequately convey life on the circus, I honestly feel like you need to come out and visit. Therefore I've inviting you all to do so. I'll give you the VIP treatment: backstage pass, free ticket to the show, tour of the train - you can even ride on the train with me if you dare :)

Ok, I was in Denver for 2 weeks!

Here's some Denver highlights:

In Denver, I got to see some of my first real PR Events. I went to several in-studio interviews ( pictures below) at local TV stations.

 


 I worked an early morning PR event at the arena solo (and of course took pictures accordingly - see below).

I even got to attend a national PR event put on by our corporate office while in Denver, called the Boss Clown Debate at Barnum Elementary School (a circus play on the political debates that were in Denver last week). The kids at the elementary school loved it, and I have to admit, I was a kid at heart again too. What a blast. My favorite part was that we brought our own "secret service" (aka our promoter who is always dressed to impress and eagerly willing to fill the suit and shades look).

I also took a "field trip" to a train museum in Golden, Colorado that was having a huge Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey exhibit. I have to admit that its weird seeing my home showcased behind glass, museum-style, but alas - living on a  train is kind of ridiculous. Lots of pictures below.

 

The BEST part about Denver was seeing old friends. It was great to see so many familiar faces at the shows! I also loved hitting up local restaurants and getting some home cooked meals. What a blessing! Thanks for all who made it our to see me. It was awesome!

Beyond that, I:
- mastered the Denver light rail
- discovered the hard and sketchy way that the Denver train yard is almost completely surrounded by fences. Remember how to get in and out or its gonna be a long night
- have realized what a luxury having a car and a dishwasher is. Take advantage people.


I've been getting to know some of the most fascinating and wonderful people on the world, having conversations I never thought I'd have (i.e. the words/ phrases "elephant bath time", "tiger practice", "dragon segways", "hair hanging act", "watch out for those motorcycles" etc are commonplace), and laughing an insane amount. Living on the circus is incredibly hard, but you can't take yourself too seriously. I mean … come on.

I could write a novel about all the crazy things I've seen and experienced in the mere 3 weeks I've been here, but I'll wrap up with some fun circus facts:


1. A "train run" is when the train is moving from city to city. It can take days to get to the next city. While on a train run, showers are locked to conserve water. Plan accordingly. ;)

2. The train is essentially its own moving community. We have everything from the "Pie Car' (basically a restaurant in the middle of the train), maintenance staff, and even themed areas/neighborhoods of the train. For example, the end of the train where most of our Shaolin troupe reside is affectionately known as Chinatown.

3. In most cities, we have an "Animal Walk In" and an "Animal Walk Out" where I literally help escort our elephants and horses down the main roads of downtown to get them from the train to the arena and vice versa. The term "roadblock" gets a whole new meaning when the circus is in town.


Ok, well spoiler alert: I'm already in St. Louis, MO and have crossed a couple things off the bucket list … but thats the next post. :)

First Stop: Salt Lake City

On Thursday, Sept 20th I arrived in Salt Lake City to start my position of Events Coordinator with the Blue Unit of Ringling Bros & Barnum and Bailey (RBBB)!

Since then, I've nearly been run over by motorcycles, elephants, horses, and a variety of other crazy things. I've sat and chatted with performers while standing a foot away from tiger cages (thank God people give you lots of heads up when you are new and have no idea where to stand backstage). I've been a creeper and stood backstage during several shows with a picture cast list of all performers and staff, trying to figure out who's who and have straight up stopped people and made them point out their picture. I've met more people that I can count, and realized I'm going to need to brush up on the Spanish I abandoned in 12th grade if I want to keep up here. I've had the opportunity to attend several PR events and have even gone to a catfish and steak BBQ at the train tracks with new friends after a long weekend of shows.

I've also begun moving into my train car (more pictures to come). Buses take employees back and forth between the arena and the train throughout the day, so I've seen a couple miles worth of freeway in SLC and of course, the strip mall thats right across the street from the arena.  :)

Life is insanely crazy here and it almost feels unreal. But I am loving every second of it. I have an awesome job. 

I also get to hang out with the Production Manager's puppies everyday. Bonus. They live in the production office with us.

A few fun facts I've overheard and found interesting since starting:

• There are over 18 languages spoken on this tour (so I've been told). Everyone can understand at least 1 of 4 languages, however (English, Spanish, Russian, or Chinese).
• Most of the time, the train is hooked up to running water while we are parked at the train tracks; however, in some cities (like this one), we are not ... so 11,000 gallons of water are trucked to tracks every morning.
• There are approx. 300 people on this tour. Half of those people wear crazy make-up, headpieces, and costumes that make them unrecognizable when in plain clothes; needless to say, learning names and remembering their main spoken language is no easy feat.
• There was a new baby elephant (Piper) born last month to Ringling Bros. She's hanging out in Florida right now, but I secretly hope she joins our tour when she's ready :) I got the cutest little stuffed elephant as a memento of her birth from the SLC Promotor. :)

We leave for Denver tonight after our closing show, so it will be my first train run. I'm pretty stoked. Once we arrive in Denver, I'll have the opportunity to go to my first Animal Walk (where all the animals walk from the train to their home at the arena). That should also be pretty cool.

Wifi and cell service can be limited and spotty, so updates to this blog will be when time and service permits :) If you ever feel like sending mail to someone in the circus, here is my forwarding address:

Emily Ritter 

RBBB - Blue Unit

PO Box 1869

Palmetto, Fl 34220

Packages must be sent to:

Feld Entertainment Inc

Emily Ritter

RBBB -Blue Unit

1313 17th Street E.

Palmetto, FL 34221

Until next time :)

The Interviews, The Offer, The Adventure of a Lifetime

We all want to hear our dream job call us out of the blue for an interview... and it just so happened that mine did - as I was out of breath and in the middle of some dance aerobics :)

Not more than a week of moving back home to begin my search for post-grad employment, I got a phone call from Feld Entertainment, home of Disney on Ice, Arena Cross, and the famous Ringling Bros. & Barnum and Bailey Circus, amongst others. A new position was being opened - an Event Coordinator position in charge of coordinating and supervising all publicity related events for the tour - and I was being considered for it. I was ecstatic! After speaking with someone from Feld Operations for awhile, I was passed along to Phase 2 of the interview process, and another phone interview with the Production Manager (aka my potential boss). After a successful and thoroughly enjoyable phone conversation with her merely 2 days later, I found out I was being flown to San Diego to visit the circus live. Not only was it my first trip to both the circus and California that I can remember, it was the first interview I've been flown out for. Boy, was that 24 hour trip a whirlwind.

On August 23rd, I flew out to the Blue Unit in San Diego, California. I met with animal trainers, talked with clowns and performers from all over the world, attended numerous PR events/interviews, met some elephants, tigers, and lions, toured a real live circus train, had In-N-Out Burger for the very first time, and saw an absolutely stunning circus performance. And on August 24th, I flew back home. Spectacular trip.

And now, a mere 3 weeks after that initial interview, I have been hired on to be Ringling Bros' newest staff member on the Blue Unit. I will live on the circus train, travel the United States, and live out my dream of working on tour within the entertainment industry.


 
September 19th, 2012 marks the beginning of my touring journey as I fly out to the unit's latest location of Salt Lake City, Utah. For the foreseeable future, I'll be running away with the circus, which I'm fairly certain has been every kid's dream at some point :)

I will attempt to document my crazy life here. Bon Voyage!

http://www.feldentertainment.com/

http://www.ringling.com/SectionLandingPage.aspx?id=45450