Eugene weekly., July 06, 2017, Page 12, Image 12

Fair again
Time
the
Circus
is in
Town
E
veryone loves a circus. Acrobats, contor-
tionists, clowns — the whole shebang. And
now that the folks at the Ringling Bros. and
Barnum & Bailey Circus have taken their
final bow, the demand for a clever circus
act is on the rise.
Fortunately, there is no better place to see Big
Top-type acts than this year’s Oregon Country Fair,
and unlike Ringling, the acts at the Fair don’t ex-
ploit animals.
Following Fair tradition, circus-type perfor-
mances of all kinds will take the various stages to
capture the attention of outdoor audiences through-
out the coming weekend.
Everything from traditional, skill-based jug-
gling and circus acts to performances focused on
healthy eating or the acceptance of queer identities
will be showcased.
Among the many acts, this year’s “Stage Left
Show” is sure to stand out. Sir Cupcake — aka
Jack StockLynn — the main character in the show,
describes it as a “queer circus explosion.” And, he
says, “If you can add the word glitter in there some-
where, even better.”
Sir Cupcake’s Queer Circus consists of eight
different acts, showcasing many classic circus
tricks with their own addition of pizzazz — contor-
tion, partner acrobatics, bamboo poles, dance num-
bers, even light up costumes — to tell a story about
queerness and acceptance.
“We tell our story throughout all of the acts by
doing unique and unusual things,” StockLynn says.
“Sir Cupcake’s Queer Circus is different than oth-
ers, pushing the boundaries all the time.”
Sir Cupcake says he begins the first act with a
judgmental and closed-off heart. Through an in-
teractive and creative take on the classic game of “Opera-
tion,” Sir Cupcake’s friends will perform their circus tricks
and go inside of Sir Cupcake to change him.
StockLynn’s real heart behind the show is clear: “A lot
of circus performers are queer or transgender, but can’t ex-
press it freely,” he says. “But we try to really elevate those
voices among ourselves, and do so in a way that whoever
is watching can express themselves too.”
The show will incorporate audience participation and
prizes to get people engaged, helping share the greater
message of inclusiveness and positivity. StockLynn says
he hopes that whenever people wander by, they can be in-
12
July 6, 2017 • eugeneweekly.com
I
t’s that time of year again: the smell of fresh cut grass in
the breeze, children flying kites and playing in the park for
summer break, and thousands of hippies descending on a
well-loved property near Veneta. It’s summer in Eugene,
and that means the Oregon Country Fair is back. This
year, we’re looking forward to ogling the usual fun array
of circus acts, dancing to great music like Chris Robinson
Brotherhood and High Step Society, and reflecting on
how the Fair comes together each year, bringing the
community together with it. OCF not your thing? We’ve
got you covered there too. Regardless, it’s shaping up to be another
beautiful summer weekend here in Oregon. — Kelly Kenoyer
circus acts from ju gglers t o acrobats
come t o the fair by m o r g a n t h e o p h il
Lynn says. “We are all just so excited to share our
story with the Oregon Country Fair family.”
Along with this Stage Left show, many other
PHOTO BY M. MAYRE
circus-type
performances are prepared to beguile
PHOTOGRAPHY
and delight the masses. A staple of Fair for the past
decade, the Wanderlust Circus returns again,
planning to stand out by showing off their authen-
tic circus skills.
“We have flamboyant performers and costumes,
but focus less on a comedic and vaudeville element
as others do,” Noah Mickens, a show producer says.
“We are a skill-based circus that is oriented toward
impressive, difficult and skillful circus tricks.”
Rhys Thomas and Charlie Brown make up an-
other frequent Fair duo, The Tossers, returning
to delight with “Brown’s comedy juggling and
Thomas’ circus shenanigans,” Thomas says. The
brothers-in-law plan to perform their “tried and
true material,” including the classic acts of jug-
gling cigar boxes and sword balancing, along with
“some new stuff involving whales and Japanese
movie monsters.”
Another highlight will be the Real Food Show,
a Community Food Co-Op sponsored circus-style
performance catered toward children and focusing
on healthy eating, exercise and community. The
energetic characters, Frank and Beans, perform
circus-style acts and “zany routines — juggling,
joking and entertaining — all while discussing and
encouraging healthy eating,” Karl Meyer, a show
sponsor, says.
The group will be honoring the recent passing
of the show’s original writer, Sam Williams, also
known as Smerdyakov Karamazov, a longtime jug-
gler and comedian with The Flying Karamazov
Brothers. Meyer’s says children leave the Real
stantly connected with their circus.
Food Show “inspired to make a positive change in their
“It’s been really fun to adapt the show for a moving and
attitude and behaviors.”
changing audience that will come and go throughout the
Other performances will be showcasing famous aerial-
Fair — at any point when you come, you’ll be engaged in
ist champions, renowned belly dancers and circus acts per-
what’s going on,” StockLynn says.
forming for the very first time.
It is the troupe’s first official time performing at the
Sir Cupcake’s Queer Circus will be performed at Stage
Oregon Country Fair, and they feel that performing some-
Left twice a day during the Fair; The Wanderlust Circus
thing so “super fantastic, super queer and super fun” that
will perform at WC Fields Stage three times during the
highlights queer voices and identities will be a perfect ad-
dition.
Fair; The Tossers will perform five times during the Fair, at
“As a queer person, I knew I wanted to make a circus
Stage Left and Monkey Palace; the Real Food Show will
where people could be completely themselves and where
be performed four times during the Fair, all at the Dare-
an audience could come and be themselves too,” Stock-
devil Vaudeville Palace. ■
SIR CUPCAKE’S
QUEER CIRCUS