In weeks leading up to the Gamma Phi Circus home shows, April 19-20, seniors Emma Rauschenbach and Sylvia Raquel and sophomore Jillian Riley have been busy perfecting the troop’s choreography inspired by favorite musicals.
In the busy student world of textbooks and regular class attendance, Michael Marcheschi, a senior molecular and cellular biology major at Illinois State University has found an unexpected and exhilarating passion—tightrope walking with the Gamma Phi Circus.
Teagan Whitaker, student president of Gamma Phi Circus, states that all through her venture into performance arts, particularly with the Gamma Phi Circus, one thing has enabled her to soar to great career heights– that is, the ability to push the limits.
One of the more unexpected things available in Milner Library is the Ueckert Circus Wardrobe Collection. An amalgamation of over 1,200 circus costumes, accessories, and props from the 1880s to the early 2000s, the collection is one of the most comprehensive collections of circus wardrobe in the country.
More than a year of planning and all six floors of Illinois State University’s Milner Library were needed to accommodate an undertaking one library staff member called “the biggest exhibit the library has done.”
![Black and white photograph of a smiling man in a cap holding the bridles of three horses standing partially under a tent awning. Scratches and dots caused by damage to the emulsion appear over much of the image.]](https://news.illinoisstate.edu/files/2022/08/Clarke2-1024x683.jpg)
Brunsdale’s recent book, In the Shadow of the Big Top: the Life of Ringling’s Unlikely Circus Savior, brings the American circus to life through the figure of Art Concello.
Beads sparkle, feathers sway, and fabrics glitter on Illinois State University’s Gamma Phi Circus performers as they swing through the air—the bright stage lights illuminating their costumes.
Gianna Velazquez ’20, Chris Melecio ’20, Michael Catalan ’16 and Megan Barnash ’14 share the connections between their student employment experience and their current full-time careers.
Jon Fulton, a member of the Gamma Phi Circus, is a co-act captain for the clown act, one of the heads of the publicity committee, and the president of the nation’s oldest collegiate circus. Follow Fulton through a day in his life.
Gamma Phi Circus members Thalia Bowen, Danny Less, and Jared Cihlar signed contracts with Holiday World to perform during summer 2021. They had a great experience as professional circus performers at the theme park.
