Backstage, Jack Marsh knelt beside the young girl who was about to open the show.
As Circus Flora's guest ringmaster, Camille had two special jobs: address the audience and blow the whistle to start the performance.
"If you want to, you can introduce yourself and tell everyone why you're here," Jack told her. "Do you want to practice?"
"No," Camille smiled. "I've got this."
In the center ring, she took the microphone.
"I'm here today because I kicked cancer's butt!"
The audience of 1,100 circusgoers erupted.
Camille had recently completed cancer treatment through Siteman Kids at St. Louis Children's Hospital, one of Circus Flora's community partners. She blew the whistle, the five-piece band struck its first notes, and the show began.
For Jack, Circus Flora's Executive and Artistic Director, the mission is personal. He grew up performing with Circus Flora and now helps lead its work both under the Big Top and out in the community. Moments like Camille's capture what they hope to create: joy shared together, with as few barriers as possible standing between a family and the magic of the circus.
Circus magic belongs to everyone
As a nonprofit performing arts organization, Circus Flora brings the magic of live circus to audiences under the Big Top each season. Its mission also reaches into the community through two outreach programs designed to make that magic accessible to children and families who might otherwise miss out.
Through its Share the Circus program, Circus Flora provides thousands of tickets each season to nonprofit partners across St. Louis. Organizations like the Foster & Adoptive Care Coalition receive free circus tickets for children and families who might not otherwise have the opportunity to attend.
Circus Flora also goes above and beyond to make everyone feel welcome.
Peanut-free preview performances create a safe environment for children with severe food allergies. Sensory-friendly performances adjust the lights, sound, and atmosphere so children with sensitivities experience the show comfortably alongside their families. Creating belonging matters to Jack:
"We see it as a universal show. People of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities can sit with one another and share in the joy together. We want to extend that spirit of inclusivity so people who might otherwise struggle to experience the circus feel especially welcome."
Fostering that spirit of welcome takes a lot of helping hands. More than a hundred volunteers help welcome thousands of guests each summer.
In the circus world, they're called Roustabouts. They greet families, scan tickets, answer questions, and help guests find their seats. Circus Flora welcomes volunteers of all abilities, inviting them to bring their whole selves and their enthusiasm for the mission. Many return year after year; some have been volunteering with Circus Flora for decades.
Steve is one of those familiar faces, part of a diverse volunteer community where everyone has a meaningful way to contribute. He volunteers at nearly 60 percent of the performances each season, fueled by a genuine love for the circus and a joyful spirit that's hard to miss.
He shares that excitement with families arriving at the red-and-white striped tent—some longtime circusgoers, others experiencing it for the first time. Steve isn't just familiar to the guests. The performers know him by name, too.
And that spirit of welcome reaches far beyond the Big Top.
For children who can't come to the show, Circus Flora brings "a little taste of the magic" directly to them year round.
Two clown doctors walk into a hospital
Dr. Celia doesn't look much like a traditional physician.
She wears enormous fuchsia corduroy pants with wide legs and deep pockets, a rainbow plaid blouse, a rainbow-striped tie, a floppy turquoise hat and oversized purple glasses. Her white doctor's coat is trimmed in the same fuchsia corduroy as her pants, with big yellow and blue buttons.
A red nose completes the look.
Inside those giant pockets, you might find a banana phone that doubles as a shaker, clown noses, trading cards with Dr. Celia's picture on them, Stephanie the Stethoscope, and a supply of fish stickers.
If a child has an IV, Dr. Celia might take a concerned look at the bag.
"Someone has been negligent with putting fish in your tank."
Then she adds a few fish stickers.
This is Clowns on Call, Circus Flora's hospital outreach program, and Dr. Celia has been one of its clown doctors since 2018.
"It seems obvious that we do a lot of playing and joking and performing," Dr. Celia said, "but oftentimes kids just want some company."
Some children sit up a little straighter when the clown doctors appear. Others start smiling before they even make it through the door.
"You never know who they think is going to be knocking at the door," Dr. Celia said. "It could be someone there to poke or prod them. So when they see it's a clown, they brighten up."
And if someone announces they're afraid of clowns, Dr. Celia has an answer ready.
"We're not clowns. We're doctors!"
When a song changes the room
One morning, Dr. Celia and her fellow Clown Doctor, Dr. Kooky, visited a four-year-old boy in a hospital bed. His dad and baby brother sat with him.
The boy looked tired. His dad did, too.
"We don't know what's going on with these families at all or what's happening," Dr. Celia said. She carries a guitar with her through the hospital, knowing the quick connection she makes with patients when they hear music.
The family spoke Spanish; as Dr. Kooky blew bubbles, Dr. Celia began to play "Cielito Lindo."
Dad recognized it immediately, and Dr. Celia could feel the tension in the room begin to ease.
"When we sang together, we could feel everybody relax," she said.
For Dr. Celia, that's the work: finding something—a song, a joke, a prop—that opens the door to a few minutes of play. Parents sometimes tell the Clown Doctors they haven't seen their child smile in days.
"It means so much just to hear them laugh out loud during what could be a scary time for them," Dr. Celia said.
A little piece of the circus
Clowns on Call brings the spirit of Circus Flora into a place that looks very different from the Big Top.
"We're not walking on a tightrope in the hospital, obviously," Dr. Celia said. "We are bringing this element of fun and performance and play that the circus totally embodies."
For some children, that means music and a red nose at the doorway. For another, it's bubbles floating across a hospital room. For one family, hearing a song that connects across barriers.
The setting may change, but the invitation at the heart of Circus Flora remains the same.
Under the Big Top or inside a hospital room, Circus Flora keeps finding ways to share that joy with the community.
It lives on in every volunteer who welcomes a family, every Clown Doctor who steps into a hospital room, and every child who discovers the circus was waiting for them all along.
Because at Circus Flora, magic belongs to everyone.
Circus Flora uses Unison to organize the dedicated volunteers who help each performance run smoothly. For a small nonprofit, streamlining volunteer signups saves valuable time—leaving more of it for the people and programs that bring Circus Flora's mission to life.
