We were lucky to catch up with Nathan Wakefield recently and have shared our conversation below.

Nathan, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?

I’m a firm believer in mentorship and historical study. As a juggler, I’ve spent a great deal of time reading old books, studying old videos, and talking to older veterans. This allows me to not just understand my craft better in terms of how I do it, but why I do it, where facets of it came from, and how it has evolved over time. I’m also of the belief that if you are truly passionate about something, it would behoove you to deep-dive the historical context of it so that you yourself become an authority on it as a specialized subject as a whole, and not just the technical application of it.

I also believe that for certain skill sets, you need to give your craft the respect it deserves by taking your time with it and seeking out in-person learning with the masters in your profession so that you can represent your craft well when you do present it publicly. This will additionally help reduce the likelihood of learning bad habits that you would pick up otherwise. A good example of this is I was working on recreating an old vaudeville-era gentleman juggling trick for a while. I spent four years researching it passively and was able to connect with three of the very few people I know of in North America that actually know how this trick is done. During my travels, they understood I was serious about my craft so they felt comfortable enough to allow me to handle their props and explain the mechanics behind it. This past year, I finally had enough information on the trick so I hired a fabricator on the other side of the country to make a prop to spec that I needed for the trick, and after several months of refining, I finally received it in the mail. Now I can say that I am a part of the niche group that does this particular trick.

My work as an author also ties greatly into my work as a performer, as I write historical non-fiction relating to niche showbusiness. When I published my first full-length book, I was fortunate enough to work with two veteran publishers that gave me a wealth of knowledge on the publishing industry as well as some great thoughts on tonality when it comes to writing works of this nature. As I was writing the book, I also interviewed numerous show people for similar reasons to include in the text itself. Sure, I could just cite old interviews and regurgitate information that I located, but I found there to be value in seeking out industry professionals and having detailed conversations with them to include their perspectives. I also had it peer-reviewed by numerous experts in the field to ensure that what I was saying was both agreeable in terms of accuracy as well as clearly presented.

Nathan, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I’m a showman and am very passionate about that. I was an introverted creative child growing up that loved going to the circus but always struggled to fit in and express myself creatively. When I was in college I discovered juggling and slowly began to understand the creative possibilities with it. This was furthered when I started performing and found it to be the outlet I had always searched for to express myself. As an entertainer, I’m primarily a juggler. Though I also do sideshow feats, fire manipulation, and tarot readings. I perform as Nathan McScary, as I bring a macabre flavor to most of my performances and present a contrast between being a refined gentleman juggler and a sideshow maniac. I leverage this brand to create my own unique style that sets me apart from other variety entertainers. I think branding is important, so it’s good to take time to create your own unique image and material to present. I’ve had the pleasure to meet many interesting people in my travels as a performer and have worked with some phenomenal circus and sideshow companies over the years. I’ve been featured on national television and been included in several books as well. Oh a lighter note, a gelato shop in Chicago named a gelato flavor after me (“Nathan McScary’s Peach Clobber”).

My involvement and interests in the business of live show does not end at my performing endeavors, as my work as a showman includes my efforts as a historian and advocate for the performing arts. It all ties together. I produce shows, provide consultation and marketing services for other entertainers, and regularly volunteer my time to help at other industry events and with organizations. For example, I was Chairman of the Board of the International Jugglers’ Association for four years and have taught workshops at festivals all over North America. More recently, with the release of my book The Rise and Fall of the Sideshow Geek, I’ve been lecturing at various industry conferences and venues. In the past few months, I’ve lectured in Detroit, Chicago, and New York. In the fall I will be bringing my geek lecture to Atlanta.

I’m of the belief that when it comes to your craft, you should be confident, but humble. Express gratitude for the opportunities that come your way, be kind to those you meet, and always be refining your skillset and presentations so that you can be the best version of yourself possible.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

My first foray into circus-style entertainment was when I formed a two-person juggling/acrobatics duo with a friend of mine who later became my romantic partner. We learned together, trained together, wrote material together, and began our performing paths together. At the time, we lived in a small town, but over the course of several years our hard work paid off, as we slowly built our brand up to the point where we made the local newspaper and were getting more and more performance inquiries coming our way.

Unfortunately, my partner and I ended up having an unexpected and very ugly breakup. Naturally, once this happened I no longer desired to keep our performing duo going. I was crushed. Not only was I dealing with the pain of an unexpected breakup, but the brand that I had poured all my creative energy into for years was suddenly no more.

This motivated me to move away to a different city to start anew. I was at a point in my life where I had to decide if I wanted to only juggle for fun, or if I wanted to reinvent myself as a solo entertainer. For a couple years, I tentatively put my foot into the water taking only strolling juggling gigs and occasionally doing children’s shows, which motivated me to write more solo show material. Then I had an epiphany: If I was this passionate about performing, my goal was to be more than just a token juggler that was essentially interchangeable to clients, I wanted people to hire me because they wanted me and what I could offer to them specifically. This inspired me to create my own brand, spend money on custom stage props, learn obscure tricks that are rarely performed anymore, and create acts that are unique to myself. Now I get more and more people reaching out to me specifically because they like my style and want me personally for their event. This brings me joy.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

For me, it is about the live experience. Social media can be passive fun and occasionally a useful tool, but there is nothing like the unfiltered live experience. There is something incredible about stepping on stage and hitting a big finale trick and hearing the surge of applause wash over you. Then stepping off stage and just feeling a post-show glow that resonates over your very being. It’s beyond words. But it is not exclusively the applause as it relates to the live aspect of show that is rewarding but the whole experience of it. That is, traveling around and meeting other entertainers, seeing interesting things on the road, traveling to interesting places, cuttin’ up jackpots with other show people, and so forth. Even the hardships present a sense of accomplishment, such as working hard to hang sidewall on a big top, driving hundreds of miles alone by car late at night to get to the next stop, loading in crates of props, etc.

I like to use this as an example of the hard contrast of working in variety entertainment: One weekend you’re performing in a ballroom at a formal corporate event then eating filet mignon and sleeping in a five star hotel on the client’s dime, the next weekend you’re performing outside on a makeshift stage in a field with no bathrooms and sleeping in your car. I find this contrast exciting and wouldn’t trade it for anything. Hey, that’s showbiiiiiiiiiiiiz!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://nathanmcscary.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nathanmcscary/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@NathanMcScary