The Ringmaster Full Movie

[Jacqualine Henington]

Aringmaster or ringmistress, or sometimes a ringleader, is a significant performer in many circuses. Most often seen in traditional circuses, the ringmaster is a master of ceremonies that introduces the circus acts to the audience. In smaller circuses, the ringmaster is often the owner and artistic director of the circus.

A ringmaster introduces the various acts in a circus show and guides the audience through the experience, directing their attention to the various areas of the circus arena and helping to link the acts together while equipment is brought into and removed from the circus ring. A ringmaster may interact with some acts, especially the clown acts, to make the various acts part of a seamless circus performance. Ringmasters have become an integral part of the many circus shows and sometimes will be involved in elements of some of the acts performances.

It is traditionally the ringmaster's job to use hyperbole whenever possible while introducing the acts to enhance the expectations of the audience. Declarations of the "biggest", "most dangerous", "amazing", "spectacular" and similar expressions are common.

The traditional ringmaster costume consists of a bright tailcoat, often red with gold trim and with a waistcoat and a black top hat; occasionally with a bow tie, cravat, or stock tie. The outfit is designed to look as an 18th-century gentleman's riding habit, and often includes a whip, a relic of when the ringmaster directed the performance, not as an announcer and host, but as director of the many equestrian acts. It is generally accepted that this costume was first adopted by George Claude Lockhart on the orders of Bertram Mills in 1928, when Lockhart worked as ringmaster for his circus at Olympia, London.[1] A female circus leader is known as a ringmistress, and often wears a black skirt or leggings with knee-high black boots, and either the same style topcoat and tails as a ringmaster or a red blouse.[2]

In non-English speaking countries, the ring master is known by different titles. In France, he is called "Monsieur Loyal" after the Anselme-Pierre Loyal (1753-1826), one of the first renowned circus personalities.

The main function of a ringmaster was to direct the attention of the audience. In the days before modern lighting equipment and amplification, most acts performed mute, accompanied only by the circus' in house brass band. It was the ringmaster's loud voice that was necessary to cut through the noise, get the audiences attention and announce the next act.[3]

When I picture the Ringmaster of a Circus, I see a tall man with dark features dressed in a black suit with tails and a top hat, who walks slowly into the middle of the arena at the beginning of the show, turns to face the audience and raises his hands dramatically up over his head in a 'ta-da' motion.

And then.....I'm not sure. I guess in my imagination he kind of stands off to the side for the rest of the show? I'm not sure, that part is not clear from what I know through the extremely reliable forms of TV and movies that I'm going off of here.

All this is why I was really excited to talk to David Shipman, the real-life Ringmaster for The Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey Circus. Shipman and the rest of the Circus are up in our neck of the woods for the next couple weeks performing Super Circus Heroes show (tonight through Sept. 21 in Everett, and Sept. 25-28 in Kent).

First of all, how in the world did you end up as a Ringmaster? Has this always been your dream?

One of my very earliest memories must have been when I was about two and a half - and it was of the circus. Granted, it was very fragments - lights, colors and movements...but I definitely remember it. There was something magical and incredible about that experience that never left me. Growing up I was really involved in musical theatre, and I fell in love with performing. I did it throughout elementary, middle and high school, and even into college.

At that time I was living in Orlando, and when I graduated college I felt like it was time to grow up, get a 9 to 5 job, and be a real adult. So I did that, for a couple years. And then one day I woke up and was like, this is not what I'm meant to do. I felt the need to challenge myself, and try something new - at least be able to say I tried.

I left my job in July, and by mere coincidence say a post on Facebook about auditions for RinglingBros. I had missed them by about a week and a half, but decided - what the heck - I'm going to send in my information anyways. I got a call an hour later to do a private audition with the CEO's of the company. Next thing I knew, they were asking me to run away with the circus. Actually.

How many shows do you think you've done since then?

I'm about to start my third year with Ringling Bros, and I'd say I've done about 600 shows. The coolest thing was that the third stop on my very first show was my hometown, Pensacola, where I got to perform in the very same arena I have that first memory of from when I was a kid.

So let's set the record straight. What exactly does a Ringmaster do?

It's funny, I think that people have this idea of what a ringmaster is supposed to be: loud, over-the-top, with a bombastic personality. And it used to be that way! It used to basically just be an announcer. But the reason Ringling Bros. is the greatest show on Earth is because it keeps up with the times, and the ringmaster has now become a huge part of the show. I sing, dance, talk with kids, and interact with the audience at all times. There's just a lot more to the role now as a whole. Basically my job is to keep everyone on the edge of their seat from the time they sit down to the time they get up and leave. I want to make sure that the people who come to the show carry their memories with them for the rest of their lives, just like I do mine.

Six hundred shows is a lot of shows. Do you ever get tired or bored of it?

I'm so so glad you asked that question, because I don't usually get a chance to tell people this. When I was a kid, I was a platinum blonde kid with a bowl cut. So every show, in the first couple minutes I try and find a little boy with platinum blonde hair and a bowl cut. And there is always, without fail, one there. Every time. For the rest of the show I direct and channel all my energy towards that one kid, to give him the experience I had as a little kid. That's what keeps me going every single night.

What is your favorite part of the Super Circus Heroes show you're doing right now?

My favorite part of the show is the message it conveys, it's unlike anything Ringling has ever done. The show is all about how everyone has a hero within themselves, you just need to find the strength and courage to find them. It's a message that everyone can relate to, whether you are 5 or 95. It's really powerful to be up close and personal with acts of real life bravery, courage and agility - no CGI, no special effects. I think people coming away from it thinking that as long as they keep their mind focused and keep trying; they're capable of anything.

Another amazing part of the show is actually not even part of the actual show. An hour before the show starts, we invite anyone with a ticket to come early and meet the performers, interact with the animals, see the sets - we call it our Circus Heroes Training Camp.

And finally the question we always have to ask - what is your favorite coffee drink?

I love the Starbucks' Peppermint Mocha Frappuccino (but I also like black coffee).

Tickets to Super Circus Heroes are on sale now for $14-$70. The showtime and dates again are:

Sept. 18 through Sept. 22

7 p.m.

XFINITY Arena at Everett

Sept. 25 through Sept. 28

7 p.m.

ShoWare Center, Kent

In describing the day-to-day logistics of managing a full life, people use lots of analogies. Oddly enough, many of these seem to be circus-oriented: juggling act. Balancing act (which may imply walking a tightrope). Or even just a circus itself.

In many cases, these analogies are trying to get at an idea of chaos or precariousness, but in thinking about it recently, I realized I liked the idea of life being a circus, and specifically me being the ringmaster of this circus. I like this image precisely because it is not chaotic. I like the idea of learning to master this role.

In a circus, there is a lot going on. There is always something going on! But no one is getting fired out of a cannon at the wrong time. It is a well-choreographed dance of things in sequence, with the clowns entertaining the crowd while the tigers are being released to their spots. The ringmaster anticipates delays and keeps the complex parts moving along.

Our ringmaster position is a critical piece of our show. In a given year we have as many as four ringmasters positions available in our cast. Not only do our ringmasters perform the master of ceremonies role in the performance, but they also assist in the writing of the script.

As is the case with our circus act auditions, there is no experience necessary to audition to be a ringmaster. It does help to have some background in public speaking and/or theatre. Our ringmaster auditions consist of several readings of excerpts from our script.

Ringmaster auditions consist of one session. To audition you have to sign up for one of the two times specified. As noted, the audition consists of several readings from our scripts. There is no need to bring anything prepared as we will supply you everything you need. There are no callbacks for ringmaster. The final cast decisions are posted with our final cast list.

The Ringmaster is an animatronic sold by Spirit Halloween for the 2024 Halloween season. It resembles a tall ringmaster wearing a red coat and holding a gold, skull-topped cane. When activated, the mouth moves to phrases before it leans back and the arms move to expose the chest, which shows a projection of various ghostly faces and a skull.

3a8082e126