This Thursday, September 29, The Circus in Winter: A Musical will premiere for the first time ever at Ball State’s University Theatre. This musical is based upon the novel, The Circus in Winter, by assistant professor of English, Cathy Day, and it was written and produced exclusively by Ball State students as part of their Virginia Ball Center for Creative Inquiry semester-long seminar. Below is further information about the performers and the chance to meet with Cathy Day after the October 6th performance.

Where: at the University Theatre of Ball State University

When: September 29-30, October 1, 5-8 at 7:30 p.m., and October 2 at 2:30 p.m. 

Who: Adaptation by the students of the Virginia B. Ball Center for Creative Inquiry, Inspired by the novel by Cathy Day, Directed by Beth Turcotte, Musical direction by Ben Clark and Alex Kocoshis, Choreography by Erin Spahr

How to Order Tickets: The box Office is open from 12 to 5 PM Monday through Friday (765)285-8749 or boxoffice@bsu.edu $16 Gen. Adm., $12 Senior, $11 Student. Group rates are available.

How faithful is the musical to the book?  Quite faithful, but wisely, they only used the first five stories in the book. You’ll meet Wallace Porter, Irene Porter, Jennie Dixianna, and Elephant Jack, among others, as well as a few new characters not in the book.

What’s the musical about? Basically, it’s an origin story; why does Wallace Porter buy a circus? Here’s the promo copy: “The Circus in Winter is the story of passion beneath the big top. Join Wallace Porter, a stable owner from Indiana, as he falls in love and searches for his life’s work, a journey that culminates in the purchase of his own circus. Filled with fantastic characters, heart-wrenching moments of love and loss, and extraordinary new music. The Circus in Winter is a feast for the eyes, ears and heart.”

Where do I go? The University Theatre and Box Office is located on the Ball State campus behind Emens Auditorium, across the plaza south of Bracken Library.

Which performance should I go to? Think about Thursday, Oct. 6th for a post-show “Talk Back” with Cathy Day and the students who did the adaptation.

May all your days be circus days!

We are not the only ones that are excited about the Circus in Winter!  Check out this article which was published in the Kokomo Tribune just last week.