To Mud Show or Not to Mudshow...

That is the question...

In Joe McKennon's Circus Lingo book, he makes a point to over-explain the phrase "Mud Show." It is more of an editorial comment than an actual definition, but I thought it was interesting in the context of my research. He says (and I'm leaving his typos in):

"MUD SHOW: A show that traveled by horse drawn wagons between the towns on it's route. There is no record that any established carnival used this mode of travel. Some independent showmen probably traveled that way before carnivals were organized in the 1890s. (A recent book has wrongly used the term in connection with carnivals). All circuses were 'mud shows' at least part time until 1872. A few were still 'Mud Shows' until the early Twenties when they began moving on trucks. NO TRUCK SHOW HAS EVER BEEN A MUD SHOW. The term applies to the show's mode of transportation and the muddy roads they moved over, not the muddy lots ALL shows have to work on. This in spite of a book by that title on a well known truck show. I know the title is alluring to an unversed 'First of May', but why not get it right and keep it that way? Much more alluring is a vision of long lines of horse drawn wagons pulled by tired teams of horses slogging along through deep mud on a back country road sometime before daylight on a midsummer morning. THAT WAS REAL TROUPING, BOYS."

He sounds militant in how he defines the description of the term. I am not sure what carnival book he is referring to, but I know that the phrase "this in spite of a book by that title on a well known truck show" refers to Mud Show by Fred Prowledge. Most circus people that I've talked to, and my husband, who has toured with multiple circuses, all define mud show the way Fred Prowledge does. It is any tented show that performs in spite of the weather and the condition of the lot. Mud lots are a given when you are working a tent show, although they don't occur every day, of course. Some days, you are slogging through the mud to do your job and make your performances; other times you are on dry, sandy, hard-packed lots. That is just the nature of the business.

In my research, I have encountered three types of shows that currently tour:

1. Mud Shows; Carson Barnes, Kelly Miller, Culpepper Merriweather, and Clyde-Beatty Cole Brothers. These shows move almost every day (occasionally there is a two or three day stand), work under a tent, and perform in all types of weather. These are also the shows that may be living performance-to-performance. They rely entirely on their own power (generator trucks) to present shows. These shows have a distinct caste system in place that separates workmen from performers and bosses.

2. Arena Shows; Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey, Royal Hanneford, George Cardin, Shrine Circuses. These shows travel mostly by train but sometimes by truck, and play only inside arenas or permanent structures. They tend to have week-long engagements in large cities. Performers and circus staff live on the trains or trucks they came on. These shows have a distinct caste system in place that separates workmen from performers and bosses.

3. Modern Circus; Big Apple, Cirque du Soleil, Circus Flora, Zoppe Family Circus. These shows tend to book for several weeks at a time in urban locations or near urban locations. They tent on asphalt lots, and often use city utilities for electric, water, and sewage disposal. These shows have completely blurred the lines in their caste system and all parties work together to put on the show. Stock staff can also be performers, and the same guy that assembles the ring curb may also be doing an aerial act in the show. These circuses tend to have a "we are all family" coop atomosphere unlike mud or arena shows.

This third type of circus is the type I'm writing about. Of course, I'm modifying it some to my own purposes, but this IS fiction and I can do that. My circus will book for two-week stints near urban areas, and while there will be a perceived caste system, in general everyone becomes "generally useful" and the lines are quite blurred. This will allow my female main character to develop the types of relationships with the various members of circus that I need her to.

Tonight or tomorrow I should finish I Love You Honey, But the Season's Over. I don't know if I'll start anything else, or if I'll move back to my interviews and start investing some time in my outlines again. November is going to come quickly, and I want to be ready. I'm still excited, the whole idea of this book still thrills me, and I'm still dreaming about Circus when I close my eyes at night. That bodes well for the outcome of this project!