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Gamma Phi Circus

Your Year in Circus

  • Fall

    From the first Monday of Fall classes, both active and prospective members attend practice at 5 p.m. on Monday and Thursday evenings and 3 p.m. on Sunday afternoons in the South Gymnasium at Horton Field House. During this time, active and prospective members work together learning skills, setting up and taking down equipment for practices, putting together acts for various performances, and most importantly, developing friendships that will last a lifetime.

  • Auditions

    Students who want to join the circus must audition. Auditioning students are judged on their progress and skill development, execution, strength, cooperative spirit, and potential as a circus performer. Auditions are judged by the circus directors, coaches, and by student act captains. Each new member is required to attend practices, serve on various committees that help run the circus, perform in two small exhibitions a year, and perform at the annual Home Shows. Students who don't make an act during auditions are invited to become active members of Gamma Phi Circus by joining stage crew or performing as extras in the Home Shows.

  • Spring Semester

    Spring semester is spent developing and learning acts, making costumes, creating publicity materials, selling tickets, developing the annual yearbook, and of course, performing in the Home Shows. Although membership in Gamma Phi Circus requires hard work, dedication, and adherence to circus rules, the group is permeated with a spirit of cooperation and "togetherness."

  • Spring Applicants

    Students who want to be a part of Gamma Phi Circus but who are admitted in the Spring can serve as a member of the stage crew that semester. They must meet the requirements as a member in good standing.

  • Safety and Gamma Phi Circus

    Gamma Phi Circus's professional staff and student performers place a premium on safety. The circus directors have experience in training circus performers from amateurs to professionals. The circus has a strong safety record and it invests in new equipment designed to enhance safety.