Life under the big top
Proud mother welcomes home her son, the new Ringling Bros. ringmaster
BRIAN CRAWFORD SCOTT
by Hannah Kim Mountain View Voice Staff
August 30, 2011
Waltzing elephants, kissing tigers and flaming men blasting from a human crossbow electrified the arena floor with excitement. But to one mother in the crowd, the highlight of the show was the young man who burst into melody while guiding the audience on a riveting journey through each incredible act.
After the festivities of opening night, Heidi Scott, a Mountain View software engineer, joined her family as well as animal trainer Tabayara Maluenda, the Brothers of Brawn, the members of Clown Alley and the rest of the circus stars for a congratulatory feast. She says she would never have imagined celebrating her son's 25th birthday in this way, let alone having him return home as the man in charge of the "Greatest Show on Earth".
Waltzing elephants, kissing tigers and flaming men blasting from a human crossbow electrified the arena floor with excitement. But to one mother in the crowd, the highlight of the show was the young man who burst into melody while guiding the audience on a riveting journey through each incredible act.
After the festivities of opening night, Heidi Scott, a Mountain View software engineer, joined her family as well as animal trainer Tabayara Maluenda, the Brothers of Brawn, the members of Clown Alley and the rest of the circus stars for a congratulatory feast. She says she would never have imagined celebrating her son's 25th birthday in this way, let alone having him return home as the man in charge of the "Greatest Show on Earth".
An unexpected future
Brian Crawford Scott is the 36th ringmaster in the 141-year history of Ringling Bros. Barnum & Bailey Circus, and to Heidi, it is all very surreal.
No one had expected her son to join the circus after graduating from college with a degree in theater.
"It was definitely a surprise because when we all thought of musical theater, the circus didn't enter any of our minds," Heidi says. "But the more I thought about it, the more I thought it was perfect for his personality."
As a child, Brian says he never dreamed of joining the circus nor did he desire to pursue theater.
"When I was little, I wanted to be an astronaut and archaeologist, and when I was in high school, I wanted to be a writer," Brian says. "Theater wasn't really on my list of things to do."
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