Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to James McGrath. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, James thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

When I was in college I was going to a lot of punk shows. One day I was in Richmond with my best friend who was visiting from another town to see my favorite band. On our way to the show, a van full of clowns and circus people pulled up next to us asking for directions. I was transfixed. Later on at the show, I saw the same clowns walking down the aisle to the back of the club to meet with the band. Naturally, I asked about the clowns and why they were there. It turns out they were playing at a club literally called “the hole in the wall.” We went to see what the hype was about and despite being under 21, we were allowed into the second venue and what we saw would completely change my life. Fire, sideshow, comedy, juggling, danger, and stunts all performed by a touring group of punk rock clowns. After that I pursued clowning full time. Instead of spring break in Myrtle Beach, I was studying clown in New York. Every chance I got, I put on the makeup and worked on my character, much to the chagrin of my friends. It was by sheer happenstance that I submitted a resume to a clown who was leaving the show on the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus and they needed someone new immediately to clean the soap mat and appear in the preshow. That’s how I got into clowning.

James , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

After deciding to pursue clowning full time, I was eventually fortunate enough to join the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus where I spent 5 years traveling with the blue unit alongside some of the best circus performers in the world. It turns out I loved traveling via train car and living with a traveling group. More importantly I discovered a great joy in circus and variety entertainment. The years I spent with the circus were filled with amazing times and friends who I still keep in touch with to this day. After the circus I decided to move back home to Washington DC where I currently perform a show I developed on the road to social events, county fairs, parties, festivals, and all sorts of events. Since then I’ve learned stilt walking, fire juggling, unicycle, juggling, sideshow, and even bubble parties.
Currently I’m co-producing the new return of Clown Cabaret, DC’s foremost workshop for clowns as well as DMVariety. DMVariety hosts variety shows and burlesque brunch shows. I also host Laboum, DC’s longest running brunch show and I stilt walk every Halloween season for Cox Farms.

Have you ever had to pivot?

A few years ago the whole world changed in the matter of a couple weeks. Right when my career was at its best everything changed. I had to return a year’s worth of deposits, cancel every gig I had, and effectively had to do everything online. This is hard for jugglers as anything going too fast doesn’t register on screen. Same with magic. During this time I built a new bubble lab for bubble parties as well as began socially-distanced telegrams. Now those are some of my biggest draws! Sometimes the biggest pivot can be a great opportunity.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

Not too many people know this except for the clowns I toured with on my first year. My first day on the circus I got robbed! I was waiting outside of Madison Square Garden and I followed a guy pretending to be a security guard into another building. As a result I only had $50 for the first 2 weeks on the circus. Lot’s of peanut butter sandwiches and good will from a lot of people on the show.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.showsbycrickett.com
• Instagram: showsbycrickett
• Facebook: showsbycrickett
• Youtube: showsbycrickett

Image Credits
Stereovision Photography