The Quebec 4

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As spring begins its slow, sporadic thaw, we find ourselves thinking of the crisp early autumn days when Midnight Circus in the Parks is touring Chicago neighborhoods. This year, the Little Big Top was graced with a talented quartet of acrobats we call the Quebec 4.

  • Willem McGowan – Diabolo and Juggler from Oak Park, Illinois
  • Adam Strom – Acrobat from Brisbane, Australia
  • Owen Winship – Porter and Acrobat from Victor, Idaho
  • Meghane Poulette – Flyer from Bordeaux, France

During the 2017 tour, our Director of Development, Julie Dickinson, sat down with the Quebec 4 to get some real talk about circus. Topics include: why the circus can be a male-dominated industry, the best schools to study hand-to-hand acrobatics, the most lively juggling competition, and what they do when they’re not touring with the little big top, and why they find Chicago to be so special.

Give a listen to their interview. It's long, but it's worth it! And once you're done, let us know what you think of the new format with a comment on our facebook page.

See the performers in action!

Adam Strom with his Spiderman toy, his reward from his parents for sticking with the circus.

Adam Strom with his Spiderman toy, his reward from his parents for sticking with the circus.

More Featured Performers
Sam Brown the Clown
Sam Brown the Clown

For more than a decade, Sam Brown–with his big hair, cigar box ukulele, and infectious smile–has been a beloved fixture of Midnight Circus. In fact, other than the Jenkins family, he’s the only performer to be a part of every Midnight Circus in the Parks tour.

Juggler, Contortionist, Musician and more: Book Kennison and his many talents.
Juggler, Contortionist, Musician and more: Book Kennison and his many talents.

Book says he creates material by taking into account every element of the performance–setting, music, costume, etc., along with whichever skills he wants to feature. Usually his knack for physical comedy wins out, says Book. “Ultimately, the material needs to serve my passion for acting like a goofball in the circus ring,” he says.

Frédérique Hamel
Frédérique Hamel

Frédérique Hamel, known to most as Fred, and her brother Christophe, were highly energetic kids growing up in Quebec City. Their mother, a college athletics teacher, heard about a new circus school for children at the Circus School of Quebec and signed them up. Fred started circus at 7 years old and hasn’t stopped yet.

From the Circus Ring to Outer Space: Maxwell Jenkins
From the Circus Ring to Outer Space: Maxwell Jenkins

At just 3 years of age, Maxwell Jenkins stepped into the Midnight Circus Ring. His feet were so small then, that both of them fit into a single hand of the Ringmaster (his Dad) as he precariously raised Maxwell high over his head.

The Quebec 4
The Quebec 4

During the 2017 tour, our Director of Development, Julie Dickinson, sat down with the Quebec 4 to get some real talk about circus.

Melvin Diggs
Melvin Diggs

Melvin Diggs’ strength and athleticism is beyond amazing. Picture doing a pull-up while holding yourself horizontally half way up a pole. Yes. Melvin can do this.

Sidney Iking Bateman
Sidney Iking Bateman

Sidney ‘Iking’ Bateman is not only an extraordinary circus artist but also an extraordinary human being. Sidney was born in North St. Louis, an area he describes as worse than Ferguson – the neighborhood brought to national attention by the protests that followed shooting of Michael Brown, an unarmed black teenager by a white police officer. Sidney is one of eight siblings who grew up doing flips in their back yard – a family tradition he shared with his brothers and uncles.

Regina Meirmanova
Regina Meirmanova

Regina Meirmanova was born to be a circus star. Her father Nourbol, from Kazakhstan, studied at the world-famous Moscow State Circus School. When he graduated in 1980, his first professional gig took him to Orenburg, Russia. There, he met Svetlana, Regina’s mother. As Svetlana tells it, she was working in a store. It was her first day on the job after graduating from college. Nourbol walked in, pointed to her and said, ‘she is the one.’ A year later, they were married and touring the world as circus artists.

Justin Durham
Justin Durham

Justin Durham started his journey to the circus at the ripe old age of 3. His mother, an administrator at Evanston hospital simply couldn’t get Justin to stop climbing, well…EVERYTHING!  So she did the next best thing and channeled all that energy and talent into classes and camps at the Actor’s Gymnasium.

Patrick Tobin (PT)
Patrick Tobin (PT)

Patrick Tobin hails from a tight knit Boston, Massachusetts’s family. His father is an Engineer, his mother an Elementary School Principal, and his two brothers are studying to be an accountant and engineer respectively.

So naturally Patrick Tobin…or as we call him PT…would end up being a Tight Wire Walker in the circus!

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