Mark St Leon – författare

This collection of primary sources brings together a series of documents derived from archives, journals, newspapers, out-of-print books, memoirs, letters, and other written materials pertaining to the circus during the long nineteenth century (1789-1919). Historians concur that the ‘modern’ circus emerged in London in the late-eighteenth century, following the entrepreneurial initiatives of Philip Astley (1742-1814). It soon spread to Scotland, Ireland, France, Russia, Scandinavia, and other regions of Europe. Introduced to the United States by and English equestrian, John Bill Ricketts, in 1793, the modern circus transformed into a movable tent show by 1825. Following the Civil War and the development of railroad transport, the uniquely American circus transformed again into an ‘industrialized juggernaut’ capable of entertaining a large and diverse population from coast to coast. Transmitted across the globe through the British colonial project, the circus flourished in the colonies of Australasia, South Africa, South- and Southeast Asia, and was nourished by traditional performance forms of China, Japan, India, and Southeast Asia. The modern circus evolved through interaction with different geographies, socio-political contexts, new technologies, cultural heritage, and absorption of vernacular performance forms. Accompanied by extensive editorial commentary, and edited by an international team of scholars, this collection will be of great interest to students and researchers of circus studies, theatre and performance studies and cultural history.

This volume of documentary sources and critical commentary provides a history of circus in Australia in the long nineteenth century. Taking root by the 1840s, Australia’s lively circus culture became the region’s dominant entertainment by the century’s end. Cultivated through exchanges with visiting international circuses and nurtured by the energetic synergy that flourished between colonial audiences and home-grown enterprises, the region’s largest circuses were also touring internationally by late in the century, contributing to global circus networks. Sources from newspapers, journals, private collections, and government archives track the growth and diversification of circus in Australia, providing insight into its business, aesthetics, experience, and social life.

This collection of primary sources brings together a series of documents derived from archives, journals, newspapers, out-of-print books, memoirs, letters, and other written materials pertaining to the circus during the long nineteenth century (1789-1919). Historians concur that the 'modern' circus emerged in London in the late-eighteenth century, following the entrepreneurial initiatives of Philip Astley (1742-1814). It soon spread to Scotland, Ireland, France, Russia, Scandinavia, and other regions of Europe. Introduced to the United States by and English equestrian, John Bill Ricketts, in 1793, the modern circus transformed into a movable tent show by 1825. Following the Civil War and the development of railroad transport, the uniquely American circus transformed again into an 'industrialized juggernaut' capable of entertaining a large and diverse population from coast to coast. Transmitted across the globe through the British colonial project, the circus flourished in the colonies of Australasia, South Africa, South- and Southeast Asia, and was nourished by traditional performance forms of China, Japan, India, and Southeast Asia. The modern circus evolved through interaction with different geographies, socio-political contexts, new technologies, cultural heritage, and absorption of vernacular performance forms. Accompanied by extensive editorial commentary, and edited by an international team of scholars, this collection will be of great interest to students and researchers of circus studies, theatre and performance studies and cultural history.