What is The Midnight Circus? 

The Midnight Circus is an eclectic company of actors and acrobats, aerialists and eccentrics, clowns and contortionists, singers, dancers, musicians and one dog who are committed to breaking down the barriers that separate their individual art forms and to combining them into a new and original style of live performance.   

The Midnight Circus came about out of a collaboration between a circus clown and an actress.  In 1995, Jeffrey Jenkins and Julie Greenberg combined their talents with the common goal in mind to develop a five minute eccentric acrobatic act to be featured at Circus Smirkus; a one ring European style circus which tours New England each summer. While on tour with the show, they apprenticed themselves to two former stars of The Moscow Circus. In between shows and practice, they would all share aspirations and ideas for the future of performance.

After the season ended and Jeff and Julie returned to Chicago, they worked with several theater companies who were interested in using "circus arts" in their shows. Ultimately it never matched the vision that they had shared with their Russian comrades. There was only one thing to do…Create their own show. The Midnight Circus; When Circus and Theater Collide! Was brought to life at the intimate National Pastime Theater  in January of 1997. After playing to sold-out houses for ten weeks, they moved the show to the more spacious Ivanhoe Theater where it ran for the next year. It also enjoyed a sold-out week long run as part of the “Best of the Year” season at Theatre on the Lake. The Midnight Circus; When Circus and Theater Collide! was licensed to The Big Apple Circus for a three year national tour.

In 1998, The Midnight Circus educated and amazed audiences as they performed under canvas on Chicago’s Museum Campus with their original show The Big Bang and Other Amazing Adventures!. For three months the company performed five shows a day to the thousands of people who came to enjoy The Shedd Aquarium, The Field Museum and The Adler Planetarium. 

In 1999 The Midnight Circus imagined William Shakespeare as their ringmaster in   “All the World’s a Stage!” This show made its debut at Theater on the Lake  and enjoyed several extended runs, most notably at the Ivanhoe Theater and The North Shore Centre for Performing Arts.

In February of 2000, The Midnight Circus brought their unique style of performance to Europe, where they were featured performers as part of Venice, Italy’s Carnevale 2000. They were invited to Carnevale again in 2001 to present Il Sogno della Strada (The Dream of the Road) in the elegant Spiegel Tent in Campo San Polo. They were also featured daily on The Carnevale main stage in Piazza San Marco.

In May of 2001, The Flower Thieves, a rock and roll circus fable came to life at the Northlight Theatre.  The show employed the use of a live seven-piece band, a full original score, and boasted fourteen acrobats telling their story with song, dance, and people flying through the air.  The Flower Thieves continued its run at The Metropolis Theater Center  in 2002 and again in 2003 at the Beverly Arts Center.

 2004 brought about a unique collaboration between The Midnight Circus and some of music’s most creative and potent Jazz Musicians. Soul Sonic Circus debuted at the Moers Jazz Festival in Germany.  The Midnight Circus shared the stage with eighteen musicians including Mars Williams(Liquid Soul, Psychedelic Furs, The Waitresses), Wayne Kramer(MC5), Rob Wasserman(Rat Dog), Hamid Drake, DJ Logic, and many more. The result was a completely improvised theatrical circus and music explosion.

 Stilettos, Circus, & Soul made its world premiere at the Northlight Theatre. Award winning Cabaret Diva and actress Alexandra Billings, Jazz Hip-Hop pioneers Mars Williams and Liquid Soul, and the full company of eclectic acrobats and actors of The Midnight Circus took to the stage. This latest theatrical production turned out to be Midnight Circus at its high flying, genre defying best as it once again played to unanimous critical acclaim and sold out houses.

The Midnight Circus is also committed to training the next  generation of new circus artists. Through their work with Gallery 37, The Chicago Public Schools, The Chicago Park District, Chicago Boyz Acrobatic Team, and Circus Smirkus, The Midnight Circus has used the ancient and honorable arts of circus and clowning to develop discipline and self esteem in children between the ages of 4 and 19.

In between theatrical runs, European adventures and teaching, The Midnight Circus can be found in a number of outdoor venues. Every October for the past decade, The Midnight Circus has set up for a month of free programming in the heart of downtown Chicago with the city’s famous skyline as the backdrop.  And most recently, The Midnight Circus has partnered with The Chicago Park District to perform a series of shows in several of the cities parks to raise money to rebuild the parks and their playgrounds.