It’s all circus and vaudeville
I was struck by news of the death of Reg Bolton — not that I’d ever heard of him, but by use of the word circus:
Reg Bolton, who has died aged 60, was a clown, teacher, director, actor and writer. He pioneered the concept of “new circus” when the days of the traditional large-scale tented circus were over, describing himself as “an enthusiast who became enthusiastic about the possibilities of using circus for education, self-fulfilment and community development”. He was full of hope for the future of the circus and how circus skills could change the lives of young people.
That’s “using circus for education”, not “using the circus for education”. It had never occurred to me that circus might exist without an actual circus. In that sense it’s like theatre and vaudeville. This is what Princeton WordNet has to say about theatre:
- (n) theater, theatre, house (a building where theatrical performances or motion-picture shows can be presented) “the house was full”
- (n) dramaturgy, dramatic art, dramatics, theater, theatre (the art of writing and producing plays)
A place and an art form. Mind you, it only has circus down as a place, not an art form. The Guardian clearly has a higher regard for circus than the New Englanders.
