Marc West joins the circus and finds out there’s much more to being a clown than just slapping on some face paint
Have you ever wished that you could run away to join the circus? Well, last week that’s exactly what I did.
Early Friday morning I packed a small bag, tiptoed down the stairs and quietly slipped out the front door as the sun was rising across East Oxford, to hastily hot-foot it to my pre-arranged rendezvous in University Park.
Waiting to meet me at Keble Gate was a slight man with baggy trousers and a single tuft of bright red hair – going only by the name of Tweedy.
He’s agreed to give me a crash course in clowning around to see if I have what it takes to join the troupe of merry pranksters doing the rounds with him at Giffords Circus across the county this summer.
And as I pulled back the heavy red velvet curtains of the Big Top, I stepped into a veritable Wonderland.
This topsy-turvy Victorian show is fronted by larger-than-life ringmaster Odoroff, and seeing him and the cast in action during morning rehearsals gave me a rare glimpse into a typical day in the life of Tweedy.
To try and find out more about the man behind the mask, I therefore offer to lend him a hand in prepping for the evening performance.
He’s responsible for all his own props and his new French “car” needs some attention, so we chat while he tinkers with the engine.
Some find life on the road hard, he tells me. But, the circus troupe is a real community and all pulls together.
Once “Shrimpy” is up-and-running again we take a comedy spin around the backstage area.
In wardrobe, Tweedy’s tramp-like costumes need dusting down and we have to feed his pet iron “Keef”.
I try my hand at juggling his cigar boxes. I thought I had reasonable hand-to-eye co-ordination, but be under no illusion, this is incredibly hard and only practice, practice, practice makes perfect.
Last, but by no means least, he reveals his latest acquisition…a huge cannon! I’ll leave it to your imagination what happens with that, but needless to say, I politely declined his offer.
It is immediately apparent that there’s a lot more to this lark than just slapping on some face paint and ramping up the slapstick.
In fact, it’s a non-stop whirlwind, but the show must go on and the buzz carries you through, Tweedy tells me. The Cotswold-based cast are all serious artistes who’ve trained for decades so used to the pressure and non stop touring. Getting on with each other is as important as the performing, so each act is very carefully picked, Tweedy returning year after year, and now one of Gifford’s main draws.
Gifford’s current production, Moon Songs, loosely tells the story of how two young Ethiopian brothers’ dream of one day joining a magical English village green circus – just as Tweedy himself did as a youngster.
“At 16, I planned to go to art school and study animation,” he explains. “Then, I realised I wanted to be the cartoon, not make them.”
The eccentric caricature he’s created over the years is therefore an extension of his personality - with his adoration for his hero Buster Keaton shining through.
So even though, when in the spotlight, Tweedy makes it appear almost effortless – I now know the opposite is true.
Giffords Circus pitches up at Daylesford Organic Farm, Kingham, GL56 0YG from July 9 – 13. Then it opens at The Fox Inn, Great Barrington, Burford, Oxon OX18 4TB from July 16 – 27
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here