Lauren Stringer
Circus
A few years ago I heard about an unusual school-- a performing arts circus school for youth called: Circus Juventas! After attending one of the circus performances both of my children wanted to try the Circus Juventas summer camps which introduced them to everything from balancing on balls and juggling to low-casting and swinging on hoops. My son was hooked and so was I!
Every summer, Circus Juventas presents a breath-taking show in the tradition of Cirque Du Soleil which highlights their most advanced students. The show has a different theme and story-line each summer and thus, a new script must be written and new sets and props must be designed and painted and that is where I come in. I write the script with the amazing Artistic Director, Betty Butler. I am part of a very talented set design team. Susan Furr, an architect and fellow circus parent, and I are the main designers and painters of the sets, but we could not do it without the contributions of the many talented Circus parents.
Scroll down to see some of the highlights from past shows I have worked on!
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Circus Juventas offers year-round classes in its 21,000 sq.ft. “Big Top” in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Ravensmanor - Summer 2008
Pazzanni - Summer 2006
Atlanticus - Summer 2007
Ravensmanor was a tale of wicked sisters, dead grooms, lovers parted for two hundred years, and a curse that had to be broken! The set was an eerie, haunted mansion in the bayous of Louisiana. Lots of ghosts, zombies, gargoyles and other spooky creatures flew through the air, hung from chandeliers, and leapt in and out of the haunted mansion’s windows!
The model for the main stage of Ravensmanor.
Once the set is built, we draw the outlines of the design details and number them with the base color for each particular detail. Then a volunteer “Paint-by-Number” day is held and everyone gets to paint, all you have to do is stay in the lines!
Atlanticus was a fast-paced circus-adventure-”Indiana Jones-style” with two explorers racing against their opponents in the search for a magical orb that would grant them the power to rule the earth! By accident they stumble across the lost continent of Atlantis
and all kinds of troubles ensue. Mythical creatures abounded including a Kraken, mermaids, and Poseidon with his royal family. Painting this fantasy underwater kingdom was utter magic!
Rehearsal for Atlanticus.
The Kraken’s cove!
Jump-rope in Atlanticus
Susan Furr and I pose together after painting the “Map” wall for Atlanticus.
Susan Furr and I painting the dragon head for YuLong. Together Susan and I make up the Circus Juventas set design team. Both of us have kids who take classes at circus which adds to the energy of our commitment to create wonderful sets and props!
The kingdom of Atlantis!
Pazzanni, was an enthralling fairytale, set in the twisting, turning alleys and canals of Venezia, during the Carnivale. A poor street urchin was transformed like Cinderella by the mask of a compassionate mask-maker. A love story unfolds interwoven with stunning acrobatic and aerial performances. This show featured masks made by Venetian master artists, Massimo and Sergio Boldrin from La Bottega dei Mascareri, their mask shop beneath the Rialto Bridge in Venice. Massimo Boldrin and his wife, Rita, stayed in residency with Circus Juventas for three weeks demonstrating mask-making, selling their beautiful Venetian masks, and even performing in Pazzanni!
Using wood, styrofoam, and a lot of paint, we dramatically transformed the entire Circus Juventas arena to look and feel like Venice, complete with a gondola!
Massimo demonstrating the art of mask-making
Rita with a painted mask
Painting the mask shop
Painting the Venice sky
Susan painting one of the many Venice canal scenes throughout the arena
Pazzanni in rehearsal; Massimo in front of his mask shop
Pazzanni in rehearsal, the German Wheel act
Pazzanni in rehearsal
Pazzanni in rehearsal; harlequin
A school of fish
Susan Furr and I are the main “uber-painters” or over-painters. After the first layer of paint-by-number is done, we layer over it, painting shadows and highlights, cracks and dirt, lichen and moss to give a sense of dimension and age to the haunted mansion.
We also draw and design props and movable scenery for the show. Above, I am drawing out a gargoyle on plywood for the entrance to the circus arena. Below the gargoyle begins to come to life with paint!
YuLong: The Jade Dragon - Summer 2009
Above: Susan and I get help with drawing our design for the Mythical Chinese village where Hua Mulan grew up.
Right: the finished village and landscape.
Yulong: The Jade Dragon was a spectacular show of dazzling costumes, breathtaking physical feats, battles, dances and drumming that brought the ancient tale of Mulan to life. In a tiny rural village, Hua Mulan, a brave, boisterous, and ingenious young woman defied tradition and disguised herself as a soldier to take the place of her elderly father in the ranks of the military. The powerful Huns were threatening to take over the peaceful Chinese Kingdom of Emperor Tianzi. Hua Mulan overcomes incredible odds to earn honor for her family as well as the respect of an entire nation. To view a short video of highlights from the performance go here.
The Haunted House comes to life with the different stage lighting!
I paint one of the Palace wings.
The Imperial Palace for YuLong.
The sets for YuLong come alive with the performers. Above Left: Imperial Soldiers perform on red silks, right: a dragon weaves in and out of the German Wheel performers, left: Clowns begin the show with a bang!
Above: Susan Furr carrying the mighty papier-mache dragon head built by her son and herself at their summer lake cabin.
