Synopsis
The Great Circusman is an ideal English activity for middle and upper cycles. A clown wants to spread happiness around the world with his traveling circus, where some quite bizarre characters work:
- Monsieur Loyal, the ringmaster, played by a mysterious puppet who transforms into a haunted hand;
- The Strongman, a man without strength, but with a secret weapon: hypnotize the public to make them believe in his nonexistent feats;
- The Magician, a wizard who suddenly loses his magical powers and needs the help of children to do his tricks;
- The Juggler, who tries to balance an egg carton with disastrous results.
Many of the English expressions are related to the world of the circus. Language gets reinforced with sharp visual actions to promote good understanding.
The Great Circusman is, in short, a lively, dynamic, and very participatory play, in which the students actively take part and even interpret some characters.








Fact sheet and video
LANGUAGE: totally in English
AGE RANGE: 8 to 12 years old (3rd to 6th grade)
SUBJECT: a street performer
DURATION: 45 min
PERFORMANCE AREA: minimum dimensions 3 x 4 m
EQUIPMENT: sound system is provided; there is no need for neither platform nor special lighting
SET UP: 45-60 min; strike 25-35 min
We saw the play the whole school (from P3 to 6th grade) and everyone, including teachers, loved it!
– Magda M., Escola Lluís Castells (Ridaura)
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