Circus Memories- Load-In Ringling Style 2001

Pammy outside the Denver Coliseum getting ready for load-in one early morning in September 2001.

Load-ins on the Ringling show didn't usually take too long for the clowns. It involved bringing in the trunks, wardrobe boxes and other assorted clown stuff and setting up the alley. One person usually had the job of setting up clown alley, placing all the clown steamer trunks in a particular order, usually by seniority. The Boss Clown and senior-most clowns had their trunks placed closest to the clown alley entrance. Sometimes, if needed, the trunks were also arranged according to who got along. Once that was done we'd set out to find clown wardrobe, the restrooms arena floor entrances and exits and the Pie Car though not necessarily in that order.

A clown on the Ringling show was only obligated to load-in and I'm referring to loading-in our clown stuff not extra load-in "cherry pie" jobs, for the first two years on the road. After two years it was strictly optional. Once that two year period was completed most clowns were elsewhere, far away from the arena sleeping or checking out the sights if there were any to see.  

 After load-in, if time permitted, you could go for a walk to scope out the area around the arena  or you'd go about the business of setting up your trunk for the day. Sometimes that was done because you might have a p.r. to do that day before the show as it often was the case for some performers. If you'd sent out a costume to be dry-cleaned you'd go find the racks near wardrobe and get that costume piece and hopefully it was there. 

Before showers were installed on the train cars (rapture!!!) you'd also look for the showers in the arena and perhaps the quickest route to them. If you got there a little too late after a show, you'd had to wait your turn and possibly risk taking an ice-cold shower. Then, as a result of a late shower, you might also have to wait a long time for the circus bus that would take performers back to the train. That could mean a couple of hours if the train was far enough away from the arena. 

On load-in day, if you waited long enough for things to settle down in the arena you might be able to work on some routine or gag on the track or in the ring. That kind of time was precious because when the up close and personal "Adventure" pre-show was introduced back in the early nineties it severely cut the time between shows that a performer like a clown could normally use to practice some new material out on the floor. Now if you happen to have a trailer and parked it at the arena you could practice after the show then walk to your "home"but that wasn't the case for the clowns. We all lived on the train and after a long day all you could think of was getting back to your room on the train to wind down.