On July 5th, Prescott Circus Theatre participated in a historic Town Hall Meeting on Circus hosted by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) in Washington DC. PCT’s Board Treasurer and former PCT participant, Edward Smith Lewis (United Negro College Fund), joined Social Circus representatives from all regions of the U.S. on the Social Change Through Circus Arts panel. PCT’s Executive / Artistic Director, David Hunt, also attended the meeting to meet with and connect with other leaders, directors, historians, producers, and presenters invited to speak before the NEA. The NEA honored circus as an art form and an agent for positive social change, and stated, “We believe circus to be a people’s art, something that deserves unilateral support across the country.” This meeting was a huge step forward for circus in the U.S. and we were honored and thrilled to play a roll.

The day-long NEA Town Hall Meeting took place as part of the Smithsonian Institute’s 50th Anniversary Folklife Festival dedicated to Circus Arts June 27 – July 9.

Jessica Hentoff (Circus Harmony, St. Louis), Edward Smith-Lewis (Prescott Circus Theatre, Oakland), Dan Roberts (CircEsteem, Chicago); Amy Christian (Wise Fool, Santa Fe); Meret Ryhiner (international Language School, New Orleans); Zoe Brooks (Trenton Circus Squad, Trenton)