Being a gay uncle has its perks. You get to take your nieces and nephews to the Big Apple Circus. My partner and I did it last year and we got to do it again this year. The best part is that you get to experience the excitement of a circus through the eyes of a child. Going to the circus raises all sorts of questions, and I recently had the chance to ask a few of them when I interviewed Bo Allen, a member of the "performing ring crew" at the Big Apple Circus.
GS: Where did you grow up?
BA: I grew up in a very small town in Louisiana, Waterproof—Waterproof, Louisiana.
GS: When you were a child in Waterproof, Louisiana, did you go to the circus a lot?
BA: Yeah, actually, we all went to the circus. Every time a circus came within the area, my grandmother always took my brother, sister, cousins and me. But I never really planned on being in the circus. It just happened that way. I studied theater and I have a degree in performing arts. This is just something that happened and I am really, really enjoying it. It's a lot of fun.
GS: What's your favorite circus movie?
BA: I can't say that I have one. I saw the movie based on P.T. Barnum, and I really enjoyed it. I saw it right after I joined the Big Apple Circus. My roommate at the time had the movie and it gave me a lot of insight on what a circus was like.
GS: In your role as a clown, do you have a favorite clown of all time?
BA: When I first joined the Big Apple Circus, I really didn't know much about clowning and circuses, but I got to meet people such as "Grandma," the clown here at the Big Apple Circus, and Bello ( Nock ) , and I was amazed by their talent. Grandma's performance was absolutely incredible. I look up to Bello. I think he's absolutely incredible. He's given me a lot of advice, and so has Barry Lubin, who plays "Grandma," who is also the clown coordinator for the show. I also enjoy a lot of the clowning from Cirque du Soleil because it's very theatrical. Having studied theater, that's something I really watching.
GS: How much say do you have in which acts you get to perform in the Big Apple Circus?
BA: The circus's artistic team decides what parts they want me to be in. They tell me, "Okay, this is what we want you to do. This is what the scene is like, so go for it." I get to build my own character.
GS: How accepting, of you being openly gay, are your fellow circus performers?
BA: I find everyone here to be more accepting than anyplace I've ever worked, even in theater. It's just accepted to the point where it's not even brought up. When I've done interviews and the article comes out in the paper, everyone is very supportive. There are several other gay men that work at the Big Apple Circus. I feel that it's extremely open. The vibe is very good. Everyone is very open minded and very accepting. And if there are people who have problem with it, they haven't made it known. If they have a problem with it it's not my problem, it's theirs.
GS: How much of the year do you spend touring with the Big Apple Circus?
BA: From the latter part of August through July. It's almost a complete year.
GS: Where do you call home when you're not touring with the circus?
BA: Waterproof, Louisiana. My parents live there, my brother and sister live there. Whenever I get a vacation, I go to visit. There's nothing like a good Southern atmosphere to bring you back down to earth.
GS: Have you ever dated any of the very limber acrobats?
BA: ( Laughs ) No, I haven't.
GS: Did your family have an easier time when you told them that you wanted to be a circus clown or when you told them you were gay?
BA:Truthfully? That I was gay. My parents actually had a harder time dealing with the fact that I wanted to be an actor. I guess they thought that I was going to starve for the rest of my life or that I wasn't going to work. When they saw that I really enjoy what I'm doing and that I can get paid, then they decided, "Hey, he can make a living doing this, and it's great."
GS: You're very lucky to have such a supportive family.
BA: My mother, when I came out to her, she was so wonderful. She looks at me and says, "Oh, OK. What do you want for lunch? Pizza?" We were on a shopping trip at the time. And my sister was like, "Oh, it's about time you told me." I share so much with them. My mother is one of my very, very best friends because of the relationship that we have now since I came out to her. It's incredible, it really is.
The Big Apple Circus closes June 25, ( 312 ) 902-1500, Arlington Internat'l Racecourse.