The last time Brandon Glass was at George Mason University’s EagleBank Arena (4500 Patriot Circle), it was for his high school graduation. Now, Glass is returning with the circus later this month.
Glass has taken a circuitous route from Springfield’s Robert E. Lee High School — now the John R. Lewis High School — to touring public relations manager at Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey.
“I’m so excited to be here with a show,” Glass said.
Glass was a self-described “band nerd” in high school and played trumpet in marching band, but watching another trumpeter do gymnastic tricks changed his career trajectory.
“Someone else played the trumpet and would do random tricks and skills, like doing a flip,” Glass said. “Instead of going to classes, my friends and I started jumping off of stuff and doing parkour.”
At the same time, Glass was enthralled by a trip to Disney World and seeing a sign language interpreter at work.
“As I’m watching one of the shows, I saw the interpreter,” Glass said. “It was the first time I saw that being put to use. That feeling, knowing that interpreter is providing that for so many people… it’s still showbiz and still performative art.”
That range of skills took Glass across a variety of jobs, from sign language interpretation at Broadway shows like “Wicked” and “Dear Evan Hansen” to performing as Iron Man and an understudy Black Panther in Marvel Universe Live!.
While at Marvel Universe Live, Glass started “dabbling” in public relations by helping the tour coordinator set up interviews.
“When the show ended, they saw I had a knack for that and asked if I would do PR for Ringling,” Glass said.
A year later, Glass is helping the circus connect with a new generation of attendees.
Like Glass, Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey also feature an eclectic mix of entertainment types in the middle of a reinvention.
After decades of controversy over the show’s abusive practices toward circus animals and other issues, the show went on a six-year hiatus from 2017 to 2023. The show also faced declining ticket sales and high operating costs.
Glass said the show’s reinvention is a mix of new takes on old circus favorites — like an elaborate and tense trapeze set — and completely new acts.
“We can sit here and talk about all the things that go into this show, but what if someone who has never seen or heard of the circus before, how do we appeal to them?” Glass asked. “The nostalgia of the circus, that’s one of the biggest things. People want to see the high wire and the trapeze, but what else do we want to share?”
Part of expanding the audience for a revitalized circus is enticing a new generation. Glass said part of his PR work for the circus has involved getting circus performers to bring their acts outside the arena and provide demonstrations for kids.
“The jaws are on the floor,” Glass said. “It’s funny to see them do [warm-up exercises] at community events and the kids just lose their minds. It’s so fun to see kids invested and captured by what they’re doing.”
Glass said the new circus also includes more modern elements like BMX and more audience interaction, like a song performed with the audience. While there is nostalgia for acts involving animals, for the most part, Glass said the reaction to them being taken out of the circus has been positive.
“Most of the reaction is pretty positive, and that happens with any change in life,” Glass said. “It’s a transition, it’s something to adjust to. Once you acclimate to what there is now, there’s only been applause for us.”
The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey’s Circus is scheduled to perform at the EagleBank Arena in Fairfax from March 28 through April 6. Ticket prices vary by day but range from $15-$20.
