Wild Rumpus Circus

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Caitlin Jefko

Performers at a past Wild Rumpus Circus show.

Performers at a past Wild Rumpus Circus show.

“Once Upon a Circus” features more than 50 performers in the circus arts, with unicyclists, clowns, acrobats, wire and stilt walkers, and more specialists showing their skills. It’s the annual collaborative show created by the Wild Rumpus Circus, whose founders Marcia Miquelon and Jacob Mills have been teaching the circus arts for more than two decades. Shows are at 2 and 7 p.m. on March 8 and 2 p.m. on March 9. 

media release: The Wild Rumpus Circus will bring its latest all original production, “Once Upon a Circus” to Madison Youth Arts Center’s (MYArts) Starlight Theater (1055 E. Mifflin St, Madison) on March 8 and 9, with shows at 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. on Saturday, March 8 and at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, March 9. Featuring an all-ages cast of local Madison and Dane County performers, “Once Upon a Circus” will be sure to surprise and delight by adding a circus twist to classic tales.

Co-created by the all-ages cast of clowns, jugglers, acrobats, dancers, tight wire walkers, stilt walkers, aerialists and German Wheelers––our collaborative process promises a truly original production. All performers participate in developing the theme, story and choreography of the acts in which they are cast. 

Add returning guest performers, The Madison Unicyclists to the menagerie, and the cast count soars to more than fifty. This year’s featured guests, they also performed in our very first "Winter Circus" production in 2009. Our successful collaboration helped to establish their group and they have grown in their own trajectory ever since. We’re thrilled to again share the spotlight and increase awareness of their unique talents. 

Seats are $20 for adults, $15 for youth ages 12 and younger. Tickets available online: tickettailor.com/events/wildrumpuscircus/1127645 or at the door, though shows typically sell out in advance. Seating is general admission, the run time is approximately 1 hr. 15 min, and has no intermission.

This will mark the Wild Rumpus Circus's 17th annual, original “ensemble” production and its fourth production at MYArts. Annually, the shows feature a cast of youth through adults who are guided by professional performers and choreographers through a collaborative creation process to make original, engaging and polished circus acts. 

Historically, the Wild Rumpus Winter Circus was held in the Goodman Community Center gymnasium––carefully transformed into a big top environment with the addition of curtains, theatrical lighting and even a circus ring curb. “Compared to the work we had to do to make a gym into a theatrical environment for so many years, MYArts is downright luxurious, and has opened up staging, lighting and creative possibilities for us,” says co-artistic director Jacob Mills. According to Jessica Courtier, MYArts Director of Community Partnerships: “We're so thrilled to have Wild Rumpus Circus at MYArts! The WRC shows are delightful and bright and use our theater in ways no other group does. These are excellent experiences for audiences of all ages. We're looking forward to seeing what magic they'll bring this year!” 

Proceeds from this annual production help to support the Wild Rumpus Circus' scholarship fund. Last year, more than $3,000 in partial scholarships was distributed, making circus education accessible for low-income and financially challenged families throughout Dane County.

Since 2002, Wild Rumpus Circus has been bringing the delights of the circus to children and adults in southern Wisconsin through its popular camps and performance programs. Founded and operated by teaching artists Marcia Miquelon and Jacob Mills, Wild Rumpus Circus offers kids and adults the chance to explore stilt walking, trapeze, acrobatics, clowning, juggling, tight wire walking, pantomime, physical theater, circus history, visual art and more. Classes are offered regularly at the Rumpus Room in Mazomanie and at the Goodman Center in Madison.

Marcia Miquelon is a dancer, aerialist, stilt walker and certified yoga teacher whose background includes ballet, modern dance, improvisation, African, and Latin dance as well as telemark skiing, long-distance cycling, and plenty of special event coordination. Her love of teaching has taken her from the ski slopes of Utah to the classrooms of Southern Africa and earned her a “Topnotch Teacher” award in 2013. She spent 20 years performing and learning the craft of collective-based arts administration with Cycropia Aerial Dance in Madison, WI., currently works part-time for the University of Wisconsin Division of the Arts and serves as a commissioner for Dane Arts. 

Jacob Mills is a professional actor, physical comedian and educator. He has been performing and teaching since 1974. Jacob studied theater at Cabrillo College in California, the Goodman School of Drama at the Art Institute in Chicago, and is a graduate of the Hayes-Marshall School of Theatre in Portland, Oregon. He is a past Artist-In-Residence for the City of Chicago, and his performances have been featured in a wide array of venues in the US and Europe, including schools, theaters, festivals, cruise ships and corporate events. He can be seen and heard on local and regional TV and radio spots. Locally he has performed with Cycropia Aerial Dance, Cherry Pop Burlesque and Chicago’s Zyngara New World Circus. He has been a featured instructor at the Rhinelander School of the Arts, offering week-long residencies for the UW Madison. From 1981-2009, he toured and performed with the juggling and comedy duo, Cheney and Mills. In 2002, Jacob teamed up with Marcia Miquelon to found the Wild Rumpus Circus where he teaches mime, mask movement forms, acting, improvisation and a variety of circus skills.