Circus Vera

Lights, Camera, and Action

2010-01-24T21:14:00.000-08:00

We are pleased to announce that Nicole Floyd and her film crew will be following around both Circus Vera and Vera's Circus Sideshow this season to film a feature length documentary.

Nicole Floyd is a film production student at Bowling Green State University in Ohio. She has been involved in many productions as a Director of Photography, Director, Editor, and Writer for such productions as LIT.erature (winner of the 2007 48 hour film project at BGSU), Blowing Green (Third place winner of the 2008 Falcon Film Festival), and It’s Not About Hubert (Third place winner of the 2009 Falcon Film Festival). She was also the script supervisor on the production of The Boy Next Door (2008) which was an Official Selection of the Sefton International Film Festival and the Long Island Gay and Lesbian Film Festival and is also featured on IMDB.com.

Photo of the Week

2010-01-08T14:27:00.000-08:00

Nothing creates more excitement for a small town then the tents of a circus.

Featured Cause of the Month - Invisible Children

2009-12-23T22:07:00.000-08:00

Circus Vera is dedicated to making the world a better place for everybody including our four legged friends. Each month we will feature a different organization striving to make the world a better place. Please check each organization out and listen to their worth while causes!

Our first featured organization is Invisible Children. Please take a moment out of your day to watch this short video explaining how important this organization is.

For more information on Invisible Children please visit www.invisiblechildren.com

Photo of the Week

2009-12-21T09:27:00.001-08:00

One of our fine banners for Vera's Circus Sideshow. The banner was created by Kevin Gerrone of Gerrone Studios.

Photo of the Week

2009-12-02T10:12:00.000-08:00

Unloading the sideshow unit.

Photo of the Week

2009-11-26T17:53:00.000-08:00

Zak Thompson is our Human Blockhead.

Photo of the Week

2009-11-21T08:59:00.001-08:00

Fire eater Josh Powell in a recent parade that Vera was featured in.

Recent Newspaper Correction

2009-10-11T13:55:00.001-07:00

The BG News recently did an article on Circus Vera there were a couple of misprints that we would like to correct.
- Circus Vera founder, Logan Jacot, started performing at 15 not 14.
- Circus Vera is not sponsored by the American Humane Association. We support the American Humane Association however.

Thanks!
Circus Vera Management

Update from Meesh the Clown!

2009-10-05T11:14:00.000-07:00

Hey all you Vera fans! Meesh the Clown here to say a quick friendly hello! Things are a little slow for this clown right now, "Meesh & Tucker's Big Adventure" has come to an end but that's ok it was so much fun while it lasted! We have some exciting new things coming your way very soon so no worries you won't even have enough time to miss us. We added another member to our family! Her name is Sarah and she's way coo. She is our stage manager for the winter shows! She makes sure this scatter brained clown keeps it together and doesn't lose her nose! Other than that there's no huge news. Until next time!

Always Clownin' Around,
Meesh

News

2009-07-24T15:55:00.001-07:00

Our little show is slowly gaining recognition around the world. We are now starting to receive videos resumes of performers from around the world! It looks like Vera will have a very bright future!

In other news Circus Vera will be performing at our very first arts festival in September. We will be closing our festival show at the Black Swamp Arts Festival. Fittingly we will have opened and closed our festival tour in the same city this year. For more information on the festival please visit http://www.blackswamparts.org/index.html.

Finally we are pleased to announce that our 2010 show will have a completely original score which will be composed by Teresa Lotz. Lotz composed some music for our current show.

Don't forget we are currently booking our fall and winter routes so if you would like us to come to your town visit www.circusvera.com for more information.

Headquarters Flooded and Odds - N - Ends

2009-07-04T15:48:00.000-07:00

Last night Circus Vera's headquarters were flooded. Thankfully the damage was minimal. One costume and the bed of nails got the worse of it. Everything else seems to be drying out nicely. The New Philadelphia headquarters will be shutting down in August of 2009, and be moving to Bowling Green, Ohio. We will be sending out postcards to all of our current supporters in August with the new address.

In other news Circus Vera is now starting to book fall and winter dates. If you are interested in bringing the show to your town please contact our booking office at booking@circusvera.com. Dates are starting to fill up so contact us ASAP.

The decision has also been made to create an official assistant director's position for the troupe. Interested parties should contact Logan Jacot at ljacot@circusvera.com or at 330-401-8363. We will be staging our 2010 show in November thru January in Bowling Green, Ohio so it is crucial that interested parties are able to relocate.

Vera founder, Logan Jacot, was interviewed by the Times-Reporter this week so look for him in Time-Reporter Paper!

May All Your Days Be Circus Days!

Circus Vera Presents.....

2009-06-01T20:21:00.000-07:00

Circus Vera is proud to present "Meesh and Tucker's Big Adventure" for the summer 2009 building tour. Right away the audience will fall in love with the hilarious antics of "wannabe" clowns Meesh and Tucker who are desperately trying to get a job in the circus. They try everything from taking over the circus to ring, to turning Tucker into a giant gorilla to even actually auditioning for the show. But with each crowd pleasing attempt strict ringmaster, Cassandra Collier, shoots their hopes down of becoming big top stars.

Come join clowns Meesh and Tucker on a magical journey throughout the world Vera. Join them as the meet contortionist, fire eaters, balancing acrobats and much more!

Will Meesh and Tucker ever get a job in the circus? There is only one way to find out, get your tickets today!

Circus Vera Gets a Facelift

2009-05-23T19:20:00.000-07:00

Circus Vera is getting a facelift! After our last festival several decisions were made to change the appearance for Vera's building tour this August. Some of the changes will be made before the building tour though.

The first change will be the clowns. No we are not getting new clowns, we love our current ones. We are changing their faces! All spring they have been playing with various make up designs, and it was decided finally that the current makeup resembled a party clown a little too much. Our clowns are not your typical clowns they are a bit of a cross between Dan Rice and Tom Dougherty so they decided that they didn't want to have traditional clown makeup. Well the desired results haven't been achieved yet but that is what most of the spring tour was devoted to; finding out what worked and what didn't.

Some more drastic changes are on the way. The show will be getting a new backdrop, ring curb, and ring mat. The new equipment will go along with our building show's theme which will me announced MONDAY JUNE 1!!!

We will also be adding a free standing ladder act, quick change act, and a chair balancing act this summer.

Clowns....

2009-05-18T20:20:00.001-07:00

This is what happens when I leave my performers alone.

Wish us luck! haha

Logan

The Faces of Vera

2009-05-14T15:56:00.000-07:00

Tucker Barton - Clown
Michelle "Meesh" Morris - Clown
Hannah Crabtree - Rolling Globes
Logan Jacot - Contortion
Brett Strauss - Escapes
Cassy Collier - Ringmaster

From Meesh!

2009-05-14T11:17:00.001-07:00

Hey Vera fans! Just an update from your beloved Clown and costume designer!

So I've reinforced the straightjacket, and I have finished the costumes for the strongman festival which I might add are super cute! Now I am jsut working on the costumes for the tour, I am pretty confident they will be a crowd pleaser.

Again, I hope to see many of you at the Strongman Festival and be sure to be wishing Tucker the clown some well deserved birthday wishes!

Always clownin' Around,
Meesh

Check Out Meesh's Blog

2009-05-11T22:56:00.000-07:00

Our clown Meesh, has started her own blog! Check it out at http://meeshtheclown.blogspot.com/

From Meesh the Clown

2009-05-11T22:54:00.001-07:00

Hello Vera Fans!
Just a quick update for you all. The world premier of Vera was a success! An unbelievable feeling to perform for that audience! I swear clowning is better than anything I've ever done before *wink, wink*. But seriously, I'm rearing and ready to go! The strongman festival is May 16th and I can't wait to get back on that stage and perform for everyone again! There really is a lot of talent in this bunch, not to toot our own horns, but really I am so proud of every member of this crazy group! Also the strongman festival is our very own Tucker the Clown's birthday so be sure to wish him a happy birthday! Hope to see you guys at the festival!

Always Clownin' around,
Meesh

Circus Vera's Opening!

2009-05-02T12:10:00.001-07:00

We apologize for the lack of updates. We have been swamped here at Circus Vera with the season now off and running. As you know we just had our world premiere! Vera was blessed not only to play to a standing room only house but also received a standing ovation! Just listen to what a couple of the attendees had to say about our first show:

Clowns

2009-04-25T19:25:00.001-07:00

This is just one of the make up ideas the clowns of Circus Vera have been playing with.

Update from Logan Jacot

2009-04-23T10:31:00.000-07:00

Hello Everybody,

Circus Vera is now in the final stretch before our world premiere on Sunday. Everybody has been rehearsing their butts off. We just got out of rehearsal and I am so pleased with how things are coming along. Although the show isn't perfect it is as good as it can be at the moment. The creation of a show is an evolutionary process and things will always be added and changed throughout the life course of any show. Speaking of changes tomorrow is the final Lion's Den so if there are any more major changes they should take place tomorrow.

There is a lot of interest in the show growing throughout the arts community in Ohio. Almost on daily basis I am having dancers, gymnasts, singers, musicians, and actors asking how can they get involved. We are also being considered for some nice sized grants so keep your fingers crossed for us!

I can't wait for everybody to see the show. It is truly a unique show. The best description I've heard of the show so far is that it is a cross between the current Ringling Style, Soleil, and the Bindlestiff Family Circus. It is the only show that I know of that combines both traditional and new age circus traditions with sideshow acts and has theatrical narrative to it. It's something new and different, which is scary and exciting at the same time.

Looking forward to seeing everybody on Sunday!!

Logan

Meet Our Composer

2009-04-20T10:32:00.000-07:00

We are extremely privileged to be able to work with up and coming composer Teresa Lotz. Teresa comes to us from Baltimore, Maryland. Lotz maybe the next best thing in musical theatre to be from Baltimore since Hairspray's Tracy Turnblad. Her most recent work was "That's What She Said." "That's What She Said" was a musical based upon the lives of several college students. The show tackled several heavy topics including sexuality, religion, and drugs.

From the desk of Cassy Collier

2009-04-15T09:16:00.001-07:00

Well, I suppose it’s high time I make myself a little more known on here, which is only fair. I’m Cassy and I’m acting as the lecturer/ringmaster for Vera. I’m really excited for our performance coming up, it’s going to be some really great stuff; everyone’s doing so well! I really admire the gags that Meesh and Tucker are working with. Their dynamic is so great, and now that Meesh has tweaked her character, she’s definitely able to give Tucker a run for his money. Hannah doing so well at rola bola and her hula hoops- she’s been experimenting with new things with them that really make her shine. Brett is really awesome at his escape act, I’m very impressed (that straightjacket looks so uncomfortable!), and Josh is becoming a true showman when it comes to putting things in his skull. All this is going on while Logan keeps up morale but definitely maintains his skills. You guys are all in for an awesome show

I thought it’d be nice to let everyone know where we’re standing as of now. Just this past weekend I trekked across Ohio with Tucker and Logan to Logan’s home, where we set out to build a blade box, bed of nails, and a machete ladder. High aspirations for a holiday weekend, isn’t it? Well, while we started out with the best of intentions, our main point of progress was with the bed of nails. The blade box we’re still waiting for materials on and the machete ladder still needs a bit more lumber. I’m sure we looked a little ridiculous, three kids working furiously on a large sheet of plywood while singing along to various songs in Logan’s garage. It was a great time, though.

That said, we decided it’d be easier to transport the bed of nails if we waited to add the nails until we reached Bowling Green again, it’d just be a shame to lose a cast member this late in the game! However, although we didn’t exactly accomplish what we set out to do, our updated plan is definitely working in our favor in terms of travel safety and storage space. Now that we have all the materials here, the entire cast agreed to put in a little elbow grease and finish these projects up.

That’s all for me for now!
Cassy

New Philadelphia Date Moved

2009-04-12T08:03:00.000-07:00

Due to reasons beyond our control the New Philadelphia date will be moved from our Spring tour to our Summer tour. We are sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused you. Keep checking back for more information.

May All Your Days Be Circus Days!

Update from Escape Artist Brett Strauss

2009-04-09T18:43:00.000-07:00

Hey all you crazy kids out there in circus fun land, it's Brett Strauss filling you in on the behind the scenes with Circus Vera. We've added a new element to my escape act. It makes it more entertaining! I think everything is going really well, Cassy is really embracing her lecturer/ringmaster position finally. Logan is Logan, of course, the rubber boy. Meesh and Tucker are getting better at clowning each rehearsal. Hannah's rolling globe act is progressing very nicely. Josh's human blockhead act has become more polished with every practice, he's really stepping up the entertainment. I think I am doing fine. the stars of Circus Vera are shining brighter every day!

Brett

Update from Meesh the Clown

2009-04-08T09:00:00.000-07:00

Hey Circus Vera Fans!

Meesh here, just giving her first update! First off I just want to say that I hope everyone is as excited as we are for Vera! I had a rehearsal with our Lovely Logan today at noon; Tucker and I were working on character development and such. For the first half of our rehearsal we worked on across the floors and as much as I’d like to say that we were flawless the across the floors seem to be getting harder and harder. We’re working on three levels and I can’t seem to get my bottom level in gear! Tucker seems to be doing a lot better. We worked on our opening skit and then one of the gags we made up. We had a surprise audience which really helped us get over our stage fright and work with an audience other than Logan. All in all I think the rehearsal was a success.

The best rehearsal was the big one we had that evening! It still amazes me how much talent is flying around those rehearsals at one time. There is so much excitement just flooding out of each one of the cast members! Everyone is working very hard to perfect their individual acts and we had a sort of “show-and-tell” tonight. All of us performed something for the group and then got feedback; great ideas were being tossed around. Hannah (Hula Hoops, Ladder of Death) has come a long way. She’s constantly pushing herself far beyond her limits to perfect her acts and it’s paying off. The rest of the cast is coming a long way as well, they’re so excited for this show and it is very apparent in their performances. The two that stand out the most are Cassy (our lecturer/ringmaster) and Tucker. Cassy wasn’t really sure what to expect of a lecturer or what sorts of things she’d have to come up with, but she has risen to the challenge and she’s become so much more confident in her performance. Tucker has also found a new inspiration for his performance. He has recently developed, well a hilarious character voice that has spun his character into a strong performer. His energy was there before but it was dragging a bit and now he’s tipped everything over the top and has so much energy rushing through each skit he does I’m struggling to keep up.

Well that’s my update for you guys so far. I’m sure I’ll have more for you guys soon.

Meesh

An Update from Vera's Clown Tucker!

2009-04-07T22:12:00.000-07:00

Hey Vera friends it's Tucker!
I just wanted to come by and tell you all how rehearsals are coming.
Today we had what I think is the best rehearsal yet!!! Everyone was on their game tonight. Especially the clowns, haha. Meesh (Michelle)and I had a very productive rehearsal of our music gag with Cassy. It was the most fun I've had yet. I finally feel as if I've cemented my character. It's coming along so well, I've finally come to a point where I love where my character is heading and that in turn is making my energy and excitement sky rocket. I can't wait for you all to see the show, we have so many good things coming along.
Anyway, this was just a short little blurb about how things are going. Hope you guys are as excited as I am!!!!
Tucker :{D

Circus Vera to be featured at the Great Blackswamp Olde Time Strongman Picnic

2009-04-06T20:32:00.001-07:00

Circus Vera will be a featured attraction at the Great Blackwamp Olde Time Strongman Picnic. Old Time Strongman is sponsored by Atomic Athletic. The festival will open May 16 in Bowling Green, Ohio. More information coming soon!

Circus Vera Adds Hudson, Michigan Date

2009-04-02T02:10:00.000-07:00

Circus Vera has added our first Michigan date! For the first time in history Vera will be making a stop in Michigan! We will be playing in Hudson, Michigan on May 24.

D. Victoria Bonnano Joins Vera

2009-04-01T17:19:00.000-07:00

D. Victoria Bonnano will be joining Circus Vera in Bowling Green with her exceptional belly dancing skills. We are all very happy to have her on board with us. A couple of Vera's performers saw one of her shows and were blown away. Needless to say the rest is history.

Cat Kelly Joins Vera As Make Up Artist

2009-03-30T23:07:00.000-07:00

Cat Kelly is thrilled to be diving into the world of circus as Circus Vera's make up designer. Why does a circus need a make up designer you ask? Although Vera does share some common traits with Cirque style productions the majority of our performers will not be in a full face of make up like many of the cirque productions. Kelly's job will be to coordinate our performers' make up with their costumes and the rest of the show. Vera is striving to be a very polished and well put together show and we believe having Kelly on board will greatly assist us in achieving that goal. The most challenging part of her job, however, will be designing the make up of our characters. The characters of our show are more like Cirque characters than they are traditional circus clowns so the make up is a very vital element of the actual character. It is safe to say that the make up actually becomes a part of the character.

The Gish Theatre Was a Success!

2009-03-27T12:47:00.001-07:00

Circus Vera's preview performance was a smashing success Tuesday at the Gish. There wasn't a seat to be had. Some Gish Theatre regulars estimated that we brought in about an additional 30% more people then most showings. We will be posting some videos from the performance later this week.

May All Your Days Be Circus Days!

The Most Refreshing Phone Call

2009-03-27T12:39:00.000-07:00

I got off the phone with a potential sponsor today and it was so refreshing. She asked what kind of show were we. I explained to her that we are brand new. I told her that we are not claiming to be the biggest or the best show out there. We are just trying to get off the ground. I told her that we were primarily a group of twenty somethings that have a strong love for both the circus and the sideshow and we are working on creating a company that can pass our love on for our art to the audience. She loved the idea. She thanked me for our honesty and not claiming to be something that we aren't. She really liked the idea of a group of college age students working together to help keep a dying tradition alive. This woman made my day. She's the kind of person that makes all of our hard work here at Vera pay off.

May All Your Days Be Circus Days!
Logan Jacot
Producer/Director

Producer's Note

2009-03-25T12:14:00.000-07:00

Yesterday in addition to the performance at the Gish we had a rehearsal for our upcoming April dates. WOW. That is all I have to say. As many of you know Circus Vera's core group of performers are college aged students who have always wanted to "run away and join the circus" so for most of them this will be their first dip into the world of the circus. If you were to watch their rehearsal last night though you wouldn't have been able to guess that they were new to the scene. I am so proud of each and every one of them. Not only are they perfecting their acts but they are thinking of new and creative ways to do them. When the "kiddies" as I call them join up with the seasoned veterans in May it is going to be magical.

Take care,
Logan Jacot

Special Preview Performance Tonight!

2009-03-24T09:28:00.000-07:00

If you are in the Toledo, Ohio area we encourage you to come out and see a special preview performance of Circus Vera. Tonight at the Gish Theatre Circus Vera will be showcasing our contortion, human blockhead, glass walking, and rola bola acts. Show time starts at 7:15. If you have any questions please call us at 330-401-8363.

Circus Vera's Clown Alley

2009-03-17T17:11:00.000-07:00

This week Circus Vera started rehearsals. The clowns of the show, Tucker Barton and Michelle Morris, are busy working on two gags. One of their gags is more traditional circus and the other is more Cirque. Barton and Morris are both freshman at Bowling Green State University. Both Morris and Barton are veterans of the stage. This will be Barton's first time clowning.

Michelle Morris and Tucker Barton in David Ive's Five by Ives.

Circus Vera's Promotional Tour Starts This Weekend

2009-03-14T13:41:00.000-07:00

The performers of Circus Vera will be making several guest appearances throughout Ohio over the next couple weeks to promote the world premiere of Circus Vera. We encourage you to come out and meet the performers that make up the world of Vera when they come to a town near you.

Tonight's gig is in New Philadelphia, Ohio. Founder, Logan Jacot, will be performing at the Little Theatre's Relay Revue to benefit the Relay for Life.

Circus Vera Announces Light Designer

2009-03-13T12:49:00.000-07:00

Circus Vera is very pleased to announce that Alexis Moody will be joining our team as light and sound designer for our very brief tour this spring. Moody hails from Los Angeles, California. She has been the light designer for several local/regional productions including Fame, A Chorus Line, The Who's Tommy, Aida, and A Christmas Carol. This will be her first adventure into the world of circus.

Rachael Ramos to join Vera cast in Dover!

2009-03-13T12:48:00.000-07:00

Rachael Ramos will be joining the Circus Vera cast in Dover, Ohio this spring. Ramos is a multi talented performer. She is an accomplished vocalist, actress, and fire eater. This will her second adventure with Vera's producer, Logan Jacot. In 2007 she was in "Dreams" with Jacot.