Circus Transition

Some thirty years ago I won a grant from the Illinois Arts Council based on my previous performances as a mime clown. With the grant money I put together a show called "Maybe-the-Clown and his Back Pocket Review." The joke was that the "Back Pocket Review" consisted of a table, two chairs, a life size doll dancing partner, many many props and a sound system; all toted around in a largish black trunk for a half hour show which consisted of drama, humor, magic, dancing, mime, and audience participation. Definitely not able to fit in the clown's back pocket. Maybe, the Clown was a white face clown dressed in a oversized tuxedo, white ruffled shirt with red bow tie, bright red "afro" wig, top hat, and red sponge nose.

Since those some thirty years ago I have periodically had what are called "Work Oppressive Dreams" in which I am about to begin the 30-minute show and part of my costume was left behind, the makeup won't go on correctly, props are missing or malfunctioning, the batteries from the sound system have lost their charge, I've forgotten the routine, or worse the audience is uncooperative if not rebelious. I am sure there is a message one should get from having this type of dream, which I am sure you have had sometime as well, but I won't go into that here.

So the motivation for this post comes from last nights most unusual dream. I, in the role of Maybe-the-Clown, had joined a smaller family circus. It was a joyful place to be and I was beginning to get to know the other performers. I had experienced my first performance and while I was not at my best, everything came off well. I made my entry cues, the audience loved me, the magic worked, the dancing was fun. I was continuing to work on my timing and getting used to the daily on and off stage schedule which would allow my performance to run more smoothly. I would wake up smiling, go back to sleep, and pick up where the dream left off.

When I woke up in the morning I realized that some kind of transition had taken place. Never before in the last thirty or so years had I had a dream in which the clown had his act together, so to speak. I'll let you see if there is a message here.