The Father of Modern Circus
by Fiona Labbé
In this article, I would like to speak about a man considered as the father of modern circus: Philip Astley. In the 1750s in England, the first equestrian exhibitions appeared. Jacob Bates was the first man who showcased equestrian exhibitions in a circular space. A few years later, in 1768 (a date that marks the beginning of the modern circus), Philip Astley created his own equestrian show: he made his first parade and his first show in London. He was a former military equestrian who gave riding lessons during the day, and proposed equestrian shows during the night. He is considered as the father of modern circus because, on top of equestrian exhibitions, he added small clown shows with young men amusing the audience by failing to ride horses.
Then, in 1770, Philip Astley created the first wooden riding hall he called Amphitheatre Riding House. Furthermore, he had the idea of putting sawdust on the ground to avoid mud and to outline the track in the riding hall with a rope and pegs and he rethought its structure to make it transportable. Finally, with this structure, he toured France where he imported the concept.
Philip Astley’s students did important things for the circus as well. For example, Charles Hugues was the first man to use the word « circus » which had not been used since the Middle Ages when he created the Royal Circus Academy in 1782. Then, there is John Bill Ricketts who opened the first American circus in 1792 in Philadephia.