Modern Vaudeville Press’s new book The Contemporary Circus Handbook, written by Eric Bates and edited by Kim Campbell with Benjamin Domask-Ruh and Thom Wall, argues that not every circus artist has to learn how to build a show the hard way. Bates’ writing style is not only educational, but also encouraging. He understands the complexity of creating a successful contemporary circus show and acknowledges the lack of existing instruction for artists on the administrative side of show creation. In short, this approachable, succinct, and well-researched guide to collaborative creation should be mandatory reading for every new circus artist who thinks, “I’ve got an idea for a stage show.”

About the Book After touring with 7 Fingers, performing with Cirque Éloize and Cirque du Soleil, and presenting an award-winning street show (among other impressive accolades), Eric Bates, along with his Cirque Barcode collaborators Alexandra Royer, Tristan Nielsen, and Eve Bigel, felt a desire to create a full-length, touring stage show. The problem? Circus performers are not always privy to the inner workings of funding, touring, and producing a show. As Bates explained it to me in an interview with him, “You really just see the tip of the iceberg in the creation room as an artist, and you don’t realize all the other stuff that’s happening behind the scenes.” So, Barcode had to learn how to do things the hard way. And after the difficult creation and production process for their first show, Sweat & Ink, Bates started to analyze the process of making a show more deeply. Barcode’s next production, Branché, would bring other creator...