The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-06-15
CIRCUS DRESSING TENT
THE "FIREsIDE" OF THE BIG FAM
lily OF PERFORMERS.
Each Person Permitted IN Have Only.
One Trunk-WaIIace's show
Here TO-MOrrow.

| With the advent OF the extreme warm
weather the thoughts of the people turn
| to seasonable amusements and not the
least of these is the ever-popular circus.
One of the best circuses is the Great Wal
lace Show, owned by Ben Wallace. the
| HOosier Snowman. This circus will give
| two performances tomorrow on the West
| Washington-street lot. The street parade
| will start promptly at 10 o'clock. The doors
TO the big waterproof canvas will open at
| and o'clock p. m. and the performa noes
| will begin an hour later. Bronson's con-
cert band. of twenty eight pieces will play
a orty-five-minute concert upon the center
stage Immediately preceding each perform
ance
The parade, the menagerie and the circus
| will be seen by all who are interested in
! circuses, but not many will know by per-
! sonal observation of the life of the per-
formers. circus dressing tent, from the
time the show arrives until the night CON
! cert is over, is a busy scene. full of in
teresting things of which the public knows
little. 1t is the rendezvous of the fairies
| and clowns of the acrobats and aerialists.
| 1t is full of mysteries
] Next to the cook tents. the dressing tent
is the first one erected. It is divided into
| three sections of about equal size--one for
women, one for the men and one for the
wardrobe. Upon the arrival of the baggage
| wagons the trunks unloaded and put
| in the same relative positions daily. The
trunks limited in size TO 4x1S inches,
and each person is allowed only one trunk
in the dressing tent Thus the number of
trunks indicates the number of performers
and when a professional" visits a circus
instead of asking how many performers are
with the troupe. he will inquire as to the
number of trunks in it's dressing tent"
With the Wallace show are over one hun
dred trunks two-thrds of them being in
the womehs section 1t is doubtful if any
other individual could pack so much in so
little space as does a woman performer in
a circus.
A view of the dressing tent before the
parade and after the close of the afternoon
performance would be a revelation to the
uninitiateG. In their part the women may
be found doing fancy work, making doilies
or hemstitching handkerchiefs or perchance
they may be sewing up an unwelcome rip
in their costume. In the mems side sew
eral trunks are converted into writing
desks while others are made to do service
as a tailors table. As show time APP
proaches preparations are made for the
baths as every performer with circus
takes a cold-water bath once or twice daily:
A dressing tent is the sitting room of
the circus family, and the same air OF
domesticity prevails as is expected at the
average "fireside" 1t is in the quietness
of the dressing tent, after they have
strained every fibre of their muscles 10
accomplish the .feats which pleased the
spectators, that the performers enjoy their
social chats, where they congratulate OF
sympathize with each other, where words
of encoura cement are spoken and help
ing hand offered 10 the sick to the in
jured Here il is that ties of friendship
are cemented which are as genuine ana
lasting as those made by college chums or
those formed by comrades who have
breathed the same battle smoke. 10y al
and true, ever ready to aid and assist
each other. the owners of the dressing room
sibly with now and then BLACK sheep
me- nber.
MUST KEEP IN FRONT.
The Wallace show is a family affair.
II is a rule of the show that no dead
wood" or excess baggage" shall be car
ried with the show OF the 500 people en-
ployed by Mr.. Wallace each has a duty to
perform. They are collection of families
and married couples. all of whom appre
ciate the stern reality of their life, and
who are striving to maintain their place
in the front ranks of the profession. Ev-
cry performer with the Wallace show is
what is known as top limit" They are
featured artists and must not allow
others to surpasS them, for 10 Go so would
| be to receive instant dismissal.
The time is not far passed when people
credited the stories circulated about the
cruelty of the circus people. 1t gen
orally supposed that a travelling show
was a gypsy caravan. going about stealing
children. horses and dogs and compelling
each of these TO travel and work whether
they wanted TO or not. 1t was believed
that for a performer TO fail or 10 make
mistake was to receive very cruel punish
ment. Such reports are groundless. There
are no whipping posts in dressing tent.
Harsh words are rarely spoken and never
is bodily punishment administered. The
falling or failure is OF itself a sharp sting
10 the pride of any ambitious performer
and no punishment is needed to spur them
TO greater efforts.
The performances given by the Wallace
| show have the reputation of being given
! with vim and smoothness rarely seen.
| This is due to the sober apd almost model
| lives which its performers must lead and
| also 10 executive ability of the equestrian
| director Every theatrical company has
| its stage manager and property man, but
| the duties of these are absolutely nothing
| when compared with the lnnumeraole De
tails which are watched and arranged by
the circus equestrian director. With the
| Wallace show this responsible position is
filled by Charles Sweeney. He is always
on hand and is a tireeSs worker. always
busy At one time he is attireG in the
| conventional black dress suit and in a few
minutes he may be doing the work OF a
''knock-about clown He is the head OF
the dressing tent family. the arranger of
| the programme and the sole manager Of
| the entire circus performance. He is al
/ ways required 10 see that the ring stock
| is lined up in its place before the perform
ance and TO see that the hippOdrome rae
| ing stock is ready 10 start promptly. IL Is
! from Mr.. Sweeney that the scores OF per-
/ farmers with the Wallace show receive
their cali and the riders in the racing
contests hear the word from his lips.
German Lutheran Orphans Home.