I spent so much time with clowns and art this week that when the younger single people sitting at the table in the diner after the late night Clown Lab after Downtown Clown Revue started talking about putting their tapes together to apply for the upcoming Cirque du Soleil auditions I thought I was one of them.
They say there is lots of work. New shows are in development and existing shows need replacement cast. My friends have studio time booked and video cameras ready to complete their applications.
Riding the A train back to Brooklyn I was mentally cataloguing the video I have of myself in performance, what was recorded during the last production and what I might still need. Cirque du Soleil is to circus people what Broadway is to musical comedy triple threats. It is both the summit of all aspirations and the kind of high calibre gig that leads to more work. Who knows, maybe The Husband will be transfered to Las Vegas. Maybe another Cirque show will set up in New York. Maybe I could become attached to something that has a long development process and touring doesn’t become a reality until My Kid is in middle school or high school.
I walk through the door to our apartment. It is nearly 3 am. The lights are on and the TV is blaring because My Kid had fallen asleep in the front room watching the Disney Channel while waiting for me to come home.
She has written a note: “Tonight I was going to go to sleep with mom but she had to do something like see a clown show. So I tried to stay from going to sleep.”
Jeff Raz said the hardest part about touring with Cirque du Soleil was being away from his family.
So…
Never mind.