Published October 04, 2016

Step right up!

Hill ’04 brings ‘Carnival of Curiosity and Chaos’ to alma mater
The Carnival of Curiosity and Chaos will put on a fire show at 8pm on Oct. 6. A side show will take place Oct. 7 at 7pm.
The Carnival of Curiosity and Chaos will put on a fire show at 8pm on Oct. 6. A side show will take place Oct. 7 at 7pm.
Guests can step right up to a unique entertainment experience Oct. 6-7 at Monmouth College.

The Carnival of Curiosity and Chaos,” a collection of performance art talent and oddities founded by Monmouth graduate Tom Hill ’04, will visit campus Oct. 6-7.

At 8 p.m. Oct. 6 in the Quad, the troupe will perform a fire show; it will stage a sideshow at 7 p.m. Oct. 7 in Wells Theater. Free and open to the public, both events are part of Seriously Creative, the College’s observance of Fine Arts Month.

“Our mission is to provide original entertainment that pushes the boundaries of performance art,” said Hill, who began working professionally in the genre while still in college.

The carnival includes such elements as elegant artistic acts, fiery dance numbers, outlandish burlesque and comical clowns. Hill said that it “provides a rare opportunity to witness some obscure and nearly extinct forms of entertainment dating back centuries.”

“This exhibition promises to impress even the most desensitized viewer and keeps audiences curious for what is yet to come,” he said. “We provide a truly unforgettable entertainment experience.”

Hill created the “Carnival of Curiosity and Chaos” out of his love for the freak show. A self-determined creator, dreamer, trickster, extremist, circus performer and escape artist, Hill said he is driven by a passion for self-expression and the arts. After overcoming initial hurdles with his act, he has now performed throughout the United States for more than 15 years.

“It’s rare that a performance forces me to question everything I believe about art,” wrote a reviewer from Chicago Now. “When it happens, it puts me in a state of ecstasy. … The carnival claims to be a kind of freak show, but it is much more than that. … They believe in what they do, and that fierce belief in a living art, in a vital and real statement about the meaning of consciousness comes alive.”
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