InsaneJournal

the sideshow.

Sideshow acts tend to be used to entice the crowds through the gates of a circus due to most of them being performed in the open air. They tend to be cheaper to run, hence the reason these performers get paid less than the main acts, but there's always the possibility for a sideshow artist to make it to the Big Top. However by and large most of these performers would be just as at home in a carnival as in the circus.



THE COOCH TENT.

Traditionally serving as a place in which single (and married) men could gape at the delights of the female form, The Birling Brothers Circus has taken this one step further. The cooch girls are well versed in the art of dance and burlesque, earning themselves a larger tent and audience than what would normally be expected. However the seedier side of this act is still very much in tact and the girls are expected to sleep with select paying customers.
MAXIMUM NUMBER. FIVE GIRLS. ONE CHOREOGRAPHER. ONE ROUSTABOUT.
CHARACTERS. girl one.


THE MEDIUM.

Capable of knowing your entire family history without so much as hearing your name, the Medium is a man cursed or gifted with the ability to communicate with the dead. Housed in a small, intimate tent basked in candlelight, this is one sideshow act you will be unable to forget -no matter how much you want to.
MAXIMUM NUMBER. ONE.
CHARACTERS. 001.


THE TAROT CARD READER.

Hailing from the mysterious world of the gypsy, the tarot card reader is able to commune with forces best left unnamed. Ask her any question you choose and then sit back with bated breath as the cards reveal their answer.
MAXIMUM NUMBER. TWO.
CHARACTERS. 01.


THE SWORD SWALLOWER.

With a neck seemingly as long as a giraffe's, the sword swallower can captivate an entire audience with nothing more than a prop. This is one of the few acts which can be watched from outside the tents, luring in the crowds and encouraging the paying customers.
MAXIMUM NUMBER. TWO.
CHARACTERS.


THE CONTORTIONIST.

Another act performed under the stars to draw in the rubes, the contortionist is a double jointed wonder capable of folding his or herself in two.
MAXIMUM NUMBER. ONE.
CHARACTERS.


THE FIRE EATER.

Due to obvious safety reasons the fire eaters hold their act under the night's sky. Always a crowd pleaser, they will blow flames into the air, ignite their own hands and swallow fire as if it were water.
MAXIMUM NUMBER. TWO. THREE IF A FAMILY GROUP.
CHARACTERS. 01. 02.


THE SNAKE CHARMER.

A practice that has been around since before Biblical times, the snake charmer is capable of hypnotising even the most fearsome of pythons and rattlesnakes. Crowds will gape as they witness the spell being woven on these deadly reptiles.
MAXIMUM NUMBER. TWO.
CHARACTERS. 01.



THE KNIFE THROWING ACT.

Always a crowd pleaser, this act usually consists of one partner standing with their back to a board and the other throwing knives at various points around their body. The more daring knife throwers will even do this blind folded.
MAXIMUM NUMBER. TWO.
CHARACTERS. knife thrower. assistant.


THE STRONG MAN.

The source of envy and admiration from men and women alike, the strong man will amaze you with his physical prowess. Capable of lifting an anvil above his head and bending steel bars, nothing is a challenge for this individual. Step on up though as you attempt to prove him wrong and win yourself some cash.
MAXIMUM NUMBER. ONE.
CHARACTERS. the strong man.


THE JUGGLER.

Knives, watches, hats, you name it! Anything is a go for the expert juggler. They walk the crowds at the circus entertaining children and adults alike. Often bad blood exists between the jugglers and the knife throwers and fire eaters due to the similarities in their acts.
MAXIMUM NUMBER. TWO.
CHARACTERS.