WONDERLUST CIRCUS

Wanderlust Circus to perform in Chico




The Portland-based circus Wanderlust brings its theatrical show of acrobats, jugglers, dancers and aerialists to the El Rey Theatre. (Contributed Photo)By KATRINA CAMERON-Staff Writer
from: chicoer.com
Posted:   06/27/2013
William Batty and his family of circus performers will grace the stage on Friday at the El Rey Theatre to present "Wanderlust Circus: The Endless Road."
The Portland-based circus family will perform their latest leg of their ongoing story. Their acrobats, jugglers, dancers and aerialists will tell the love story of a 1980s muscle beach bad boy who falls for an acrobatic songbird from the circus.
Before the beach boy catches the chance to sweep the songbird off her feet, he must discover the secret of the Wanderlust Circus.

 

The Portland-based circus Wanderlust brings its theatrical show of acrobats, jugglers, dancers and aerialists to the El Rey Theatre. (Contributed Photo)
There is an ongoing backstory to the Wanderlust Circus, said Noah Mickens, a theatrical director who performs as William Batty.
"I am the historical William Batty," Mickens said. "I made a pact with some mysterious source."
Batty's character is based off the original ring master of the 1800s in London, Mickens said. History loses track of Batty after he was swindled out of his theater by a business partner, and Mickens' rendition of the character takes off where history left off.
Batty will only stay alive if he works in the Wanderlust Circus, he said. All of the performers in the circus stay alive by being a part of the Wanderlust.
"Batty is both blessed and cursed with a mystical responsibility to always travel with the Wanderlust Circus," Mickens said.
Although the show is set in the 1980s, the circus consists of characters that come from different time eras, he said.
The costumes are composed of different fabrics and
patches.
"They're meant to communicate the meaning that we've been traveling for 200 years," Mickens said. "It's meant to look like they're patched together with different fabric and objects."
The Wanderlust Circus has been around for about seven years, he said. Mickens began street performing at 14 years old as a juggler and a natural contortionist.
The circus has never performed in Chico, and Mickens is excited to see how the show turns out.
"We're very, very thrilled to extend an invitation to the people of Chico to join us in the new circus renaissance where you can encounter your own potential to become extraordinary by viewing in person your fellow human beings who have trained themselves to the very limit of their ability," Mickens said.
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http://www.chicoer.com/entertainment/ci_23549882/wanderlust-circus-perform-chico