Creighton University - Bluejay Yearbook (Omaha, NE)

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Circus plaining the outburst, Lee said something about himself looking larger than everyone else onstage, but even Lee himself wasn ' t too sure about the word ' s signifcance. He was sure of one thing though, It ' s sort of my circus nickname. Lee first got involved in perform- ing in 1977 when Weber taught a course dealing with the history of circuses at the Jesuit Institute for the Arts during the summer. That summer was the first time I had done that type of work, juggling and tightrope work, Lee said. Lee also performed in A Midsum- m er Night ' s Dream and as a jug- gler in The Madwoman of Chaillot, both Creighton produc- tions. After taking a leave of absence from Creighton, he went to New York City, working as a carpenter and performing a solo juggling act in clubs and one three-ring circus. He also studied at the Circus Arts Center there, a school run by two former members of the Moscow Cir- The noontime crowd look in awe at the amaz- ing juggling act. Bob Lee juggles a complicated sequence for onlookers. 24 Lichtpnstein Circus

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w ' Wm m ' Royal Liechtenstein Circus • Photos bv Monnie Market ■ fAT- ' ■ A M m s«; » K v K ti v,i f»i- ■■ :- V ' ' . ■ •Srr l t N; Photos by Monnie Markel After the show had finished, after the makeup was removed, after the big-top was down and the animals locked away, the juggler- acrobat sat down and talked about his career in the circus. Ever since I first saw the show I wanted to join it. That sounds like the words from a Mark Twain character who ran off to the circus when he was 11. But they were the words of Robert Ed- mund Lars Lee, a Creighton stu- dent who left school after the fall of 1980 and joined the Royal Liechtens- tein Circus run by the Rev. Nick Weber, S.J., that performed in Oc- tober in the Kiewit Center. Lee talked about his homecoming performance: It was real good, since I know a lot of people here. It ' s hard to explain to them what I do. It ' s better when they can see it. It was exciting doing the show here. Creighton was one of the best au- diences we ' ve had. That makes it better for us. Like the rest of the performers in the show, Lee performs many roles. He juggles -both solo and in ensemble -does acrobatics, helps with the props and music cues and works with the animals. The nickname Lars is derived from an earlier stint he did with the Big Apple Circus in New York in 1978. While onstage once, and au- dience member yelled out Lars at him and the name stuck. When ex- [ (continued next page) The Rev. Nick Weber, S.J., of the Royal Liechtenstein Circus. F

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cus who defected to the United States. While in New York, Lee auditioned for the Broadway show Barnum. I made one callback and was sur- prised I did with all those people try- ing out, Lee said. It was exciting and I ' m glad I did it. Lee had kept in contact with Weber through the years and caught the show at Yale while he was living on the East Coast. He (Weber) had an opening this year, Lee said. I joined the circus this summer and have been with it Jens Larson performs a difficult acrobatic act high above the Kiewit Center floor. since the first week in June. He said the hardest part of the job was continually living in close quarters. And traveling is really tiring, he said. By the time the show ends the season, the troupe will have been through 41 or 42 states. It ' s real hard work and long hours, but it ' s worth it. We don ' t get much time in any one place but there is usually enough time to get the flavor of the people and the places. Bob Dailey The Rev. Nick Weber, S.J., works with one of the many animals in the Royal Liechtenstein Circus.