Monday, January 16, 2017
Ringling Bros. Circus to Close, Final Performances in May
InPark Magazine: After much evaluation and deliberation, my family and I have made the difficult business decision that Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® will hold its final performances in May of this year. Ringling Bros. ticket sales have been declining, but following the transition of the elephants off the road, we saw an even more dramatic drop. This, coupled with high operating costs, made the circus an unsustainable business for the company.
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5 comments:
At first I was really upset about the circus coming to a close. I remember always going when I was a young kid to about middle school.In my town they would let you see the animals before the show and I thought that was so cool. Now I realize that animals should not be kept on trains and in cages there lives. Even if they were given "proper" care they should be outside being real animals. It is sad that ticket sales were really declining since they stop the use of elephants. That means hundreds of working artist are out of a job which is always sad to see. At the end of article however they listed a bunch of shows that the company is also apart of. Hopefully all the people who lost there jobs will be hired on those tours and hopefully the animals will get to have a happy and long life!
I've never been to the circus, so the news of the Ringling Bros. Circus closing plays on no sentimental heart strings personally. I have no memories of the big tent or peanuts and elephants, but I can see why people may be emotional and upset at this announcement. The circus is an era, a historical tradition that is an ingrained part of our culture. Before there was Hamilton and NCIS, there was the circus. However, as this era comes to a close it is time for us to look to the future and the paths that the Ringling Bros. have paved for future industries. Can we really say that Cirque would be alive today if it was not for its more basic predecessor, the traditional circus. So as the circus closes in May, I will not be looking at bast memories, but rather I will be looking to Cirque and so many other physical theatre experiences to ask "so what are you going to do now? This is your era."
Like Evan said, once I read the headline I felt a sense of bitter sweetness. I've went to the circus as a kid with my family so many times and have loved it so much. However, you never think or really know about how animals are treated in circus life and I remember being so confused as to why there were protesters outside the tents. I thought, "How could they possibly hate such a magnificent show?" (Although my favorite part were the clowns). As sad of a closing this is simply because of joyous childhood memories and the extremely long run time the Ringling Bros had, this is a huge, important win for animal rights activists all over. It's also interesting to note how, due to a loss of elephants, the circus lost so much business--the animals really were the thing people came to see and it was probably a little horrid once they found out the truth. Finally, one last point that I didn't even realize at first were the massive loss of jobs because of this decision by the company. I can't even imagine how hard it must be to land a gig when your major, passion, and education are all in the circus business. I'm sure there are plenty more spectacles that'll take these specific skill sets and there are always other circus companies, especially local ones you can go and support (as long as the animals are treated fairly of course).
It is sad news but it is important to understand the historical context behind this closing. In the past the circus was a traveling zoo among the normal acts. that coupled with the fact that it traveled allowed people in both rural and urban areas to have an opportunity to see animals or acts that they had no way of seeing otherwise. With our modern conveniences it is hard to compete with a society which has pictures and videos of every animal and circus act at their finger tips. That coupled with the discontinuation of the use of elephants and other animals really meant this was inevitable. although i dont think circus is dead. i believe smaller circuses and companies bring nostalgia with their performances as they are now that last few of a rare breed.
The circus is a very nostalgic thing for many people, and it's sad to see it come to an end. It was on my way to the circus that I got my very first concussion (unfortunately because of this I don't remember much else from that day but I'm sure I had fun). The red and white tent has always been a symbol of inclusion to me. The collection of animals from around the world, people of all different ages, backgrounds, and talents all come together to create art. No one doesn't fit in at the circus, and the welcoming/inclusive nature of the circus is in my opinion the greatest loss.
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