After a year of assembling photographs, quotes, personal comments, essays, and more photographs we finally have a beautiful book to offer the fans and friends of Rob Torres.
“1987 – Big Apple Circus Clowns. This shot encompasses the wonder of clowns’ first contact with the audience: hope, innocence, vulnerability, and impending mayhem.”
~ ~ Paul Binder – CoFounder of The Big Apple Circus
PLEASE HELP KEEP THIS AMAZING NEW YORK CIRCUS ALIVE!
New York, NY – The Big Apple Circus, which announced several weeks ago that it was in dire financial condition and launched a $2 million fundraising campaign to Save the Circus, said today that it is low on cash and that unless it receives a significant infusion of funds by Friday, it will have to cancel performances for next season and possibly for good.
“When we went public with our urgent call for help, we needed to raise $250,000 a week over a two-month period to survive. As of today, we have not met that goal,” said executive director Will Maitland Weiss. “Several large supporters have made pledges, but those are contingent on our getting much closer to our target. And so, our cash is dwindling. We are at a point where we are living day to day, week to week. We must raise $600,000 by Friday in order to preserve our circus for the upcoming season and beyond.”
As of June 22, the organization had raised more than $400,000 in cash and a further $300,000 in pledged contributions from its board, ticket buyers, current and former staff members, and others, with $90,000 of that from 900 donors to their online crowdfunding site, www.savethecircus.org. With only $400,000 in cash received to date, cash flow is in critical condition, and unless the organization raises another $600,000 in cash by Friday, performances for the fall season will be cancelled, and it is unlikely they will be resumed in future seasons.
“We’ve been heartened by the outpouring of love and support from our fans, who have made contributions large and small in response to our appeal,” said Big Apple Circus artistic director Guillaume Dufresnoy. “The Big Apple Circus is a cultural treasure that has brought joy and wonder to families and children of all ages and abilities, all ethnic and cultural backgrounds, and all income levels for 38 years, and we want to be here for them for generations to come.”
Conceived and founded by Paul Binder and Michael Christensen to be a leading presenter of live family entertainment and a nonprofit performing arts institution, our nation-wide performances and community programs have made our 38-year history far-reaching and full. Our mission is to invigorate the communities we serve with the joy and wonder of classical circus. We create authentic, direct contact; laughter and delight, under the Big Top and in hospitals, nursing homes, and schools across the country. For more information, visit www.bigapplecircus.org.
Second is ventriloquist/actor David Strassman taken with his friend ‘Chuck Wood’. David has created some brilliant videos and inventions in the ventriloquist genre.
The third picture is one of the first photographs taken of Big Apple Circus founders Paul Binder and Michael Christensen upon their return to New York from traveling thru European circus juggling as a duo.
Portrait photographer Gordon Munro took the photograph of me with the flower.
Here are some photographs I took of the show on Opening day (Sunday, 5/18) at Cunningham Park, Queens. It is a beautiful site. You can relax in the park, talk a walk and then go see the circus…It also happens to be ‘warm’ out which adds to the novelty.
Paul Binder and Michael Christensen just before co-creating The Big Apple Circus.
I photographed Paul and Michael just after they arrived back in NYC from performing all over Europe as street buskers and in some of the celebrated European circuses.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
JUGGLE THIS is coming soon! Get ready to have some fun.
CIRCUS is a new six-hour series that takes you on an unforgettable trip with the legendary Big Apple Circus. From the big top to the “back lot,” explore a distinctive world with its own rules, lingo and no fixed address. Follow the diverse characters who make up the Big Apple family and find out what it really means to live life in the ring. Premieres in November, 2010. (PBS Press Release)
I mention this because my first posting of my new series CLOWN UN_MASK was Glen Heroy.