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© 2026 the Way of the Showman
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Philosophical and esoteric perspectives from a modern day Showman.
Each season is different in its approach. S1 is essays. S2 is one book length attempt at Understanding Showmanship, S3 is conversations with remarkable Showfolk. The brand new Season 4 explores the relationship between Showmanship and Play.
The host, Captain Frodo, internationally renowned circus performer, director, writer, husband and dad lays out, in great detail, his practical performance philosophy for performers who seek to deepen the conversation with their audiences and themselves. You can find him, and more of his writing at: www.thewayoftheshowman.com
161 Episodes
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We trace the unlikely arc that carried poolside pandemic brainstorms into London Calling, a high-velocity variety show that’s genuinely all-ages without sanding off its edge. As the Pandemic hit Las Vegas Paul Dabek and Captain Frodo dreamt by the pool of acts, podcast, and shows. As it turned out these dreams all came to fruition. We get specific about how the show grew: a clear adult-facing voice, visuals that enchant kids on contact, and design that marries LED world-building with just a f...
In this episode I read the first chapter of the Paradoxes of Juggling by Michael Staroseletsky, a book published by NDjuggling.com which of course is run by Niels Duinker who was a guest on the podcast back in episode 135. If you are interested in ways to view the world through a craft this is a book you should check out. If you're interested in advanced practice and the technique of juggling this is a great read. It is also part of the brand new Compendium of Soviet Juggling Wisdom. What if ...
Do yourself a favor before reading any more of this: Listen to the Road To Joy now! Also! Listen to Clay Hillman’s wonderful piano music What if the spark that powers great rituals, great sermons, and great shows is the same playful force? Captain Frodo sits down with Clay Hillman to follow that thread—from the shaman’s circle to the market square—and ask how joy, surprise, and sacrifice can teach us to love without the cage of judgment. The claim is bold: ritual likely grew out of pla...
Step aboard the Punky Steamer and watch everyday moments turn into portals. -> listen to the fantastic tale here! I highly recommend checking this audio play out before listening to the episode. For one it’s awesome and for sure lots of what we talk about will feel deeper and make even more sense. We sit down with Clay Hillman—once a Lutheran minister, now the imagination behind a toy-and-coffee shop and the audio adventure KC Bonker’s Road to Joy—to explore how play can be bo...
A hat flips, a wig sails, and an arena of sixteen thousand goes from breathless to thunderous—this is where Adam Kugler learned to make comedy work under pressure. We trace his path from the Ringling Brothers train to the Mad Apple stage in Las Vegas, unpacking the paradoxes that shape a clown: technique that opens doors, character that keeps them open, and the relentless practice of reading a room in real time. Adam grew up wanting to be a clown. Juggling paid the bills long enough for arti...
A chainsaw mounted to a sword. Seventeen pumpkins in a minute. And a philosophy that says a show only becomes real when the audience completes it. That’s the ride we take with Jelly Boy the Clown—writer, record-setter, and sideshow artist who turns chaos into craft. We start with the surprise aftermath of America’s Got Talent: millions of viewers, zero promotion allowed, and a door opening from an unexpected direction—Guinness World Records. From there we go inside the workshop, where ideas ...
What makes an audience lean forward before the first trick lands? We dive into stage presence as a lived practice, not a buzzword. From Jay’s house in Stockholm, Frodo and Jay unpack how real attention, honest emotion, and contextual awareness turn raw technique into connection you can feel in the room. No acting notes, no hollow smiles—just the hard, generous work of being here with people, right now. We share the messy path many artists take from hobbyist to performer and why conviction ma...
Some performers step into the light and the room leans in. Others work just as hard and leave us cold. We wanted to know why. Together with juggler and performance thinker Jay Gilligan, we unpack stage presence without the fluff—what it is, how to build it, and why authenticity beats polish every time. We start by challenging the myth that presence is a gift you either have or don’t. Yes, some people radiate charisma from day one. But most of us can raise our baseline by choosing the right l...
What separates a technically competent performer from one who creates unforgettable moments? In this captivating conversation between Captain Frodo and comic magician Nick Diffatte, we journey into the heart of showmanship and the complex relationship between originality and tradition. The performers candidly explore their creative anxieties about using established material versus developing original routines. "The reason I'm putting this in here is that this is a book that would have helped...
Ever wondered where the line between inspiration and appropriation lies in performance art? Captain Frodo welcomes comedian-magician Nick Diffatte for a candid exploration of originality in magic that will resonate with creators across all disciplines. Nick takes us behind the scenes of Tannen's Magic Camp—an intensive gathering where 120 young magicians (ages 10-20) immerse themselves in the craft under the guidance of working professionals. You'll feel like you're wandering the Hogwarts-li...
Ever wondered what happens when a circus performer's act goes "wrong"? In this intimate conversation with East German circus artist Antje Pode, we explore how the most powerful moments of connection often emerge from embracing unexpected challenges on stage. Ancha shares her extraordinary journey through the fall of the Berlin Wall – a time when her entire professional identity was upended as state-sponsored circus dissolved overnight. We explore the magnificent marble circus buildings of th...
Step back in time to a vanished world of state-run circus schools, train journeys across the Soviet Union, and the dramatic moment when the Berlin Wall fell. In this captivating conversation, foot juggler Antje Pode shares her remarkable journey from a young gymnast in East Germany to an internationally acclaimed circus artist. Antje reveals the fascinating, rarely-discussed reality of the communist-era circus system, where performers were government employees with guaranteed lifetime positi...
What if imagination isn't a distraction from truth, but our only reliable path to experiencing it? In this episode we conclude our 30-part exploration of showmanship through the lens of play. Using a personal case study of creating a plate-spinning poetry act, we witness how true artistic creation evolves organically—not as random elements slapped together, but as a cohesive vision that transcends its individual components. The journey takes an unexpected turn when the pandemic transf...
What if imagination isn't just fantasy, but the very faculty that brings our world into existence? In this philosophical deep dive, we explore the fifth and final criteria of play: that it is imaginative and improvisational. Unlike previous episodes in this series, I'm not arguing that imagination benefits performers—that connection is self-evident. Instead, we're examining imagination as the arena where showmanship unfolds. From the initial creative impulse to the finished performance, imag...
The delicate dance between performer and audience reveals itself as we explore the self-motivated, voluntary nature of play in this deep dive into showmanship. Drawing from personal experiences during the pandemic and inspired by observing children at play, Captain Frodo uncovers how true connection emerges when audience members move from passive viewing to active participation. At first glance, the power imbalance between showman and audience might appear problematic. The performer directs ...
What happens when we lose touch with play, friendship, and authentic human connection? This episode dives into the surprising links between playfulness, friendliness, and showmanship – revealing how these seemingly "purposeless" activities might be the very foundation of what makes us human. I explore Belyaev's groundbreaking fox experiment, which demonstrated something remarkable: when researchers bred foxes solely for friendliness, playfulness emerged spontaneously without being selected f...
There's a profound paradox at the heart of play – we're told it's "apparently purposeless," yet this very quality might reveal its deepest value. This episode dives into the second criteria of play and examines how it mirrors the essence of showmanship in fascinating ways. When we attend a circus show, comedy performance, or music festival, we don't go primarily to learn something or accomplish a task. We go to have a good time – to experience life fully in the moment. Yet society has condit...
Have you ever wondered why some performances captivate you completely while others leave you checking your watch? The secret might lie in the ancient art of play. In this expansive exploration of showmanship through metaphor, Captain Frodo delves into the profound connection between performance and play. Drawing on both philosophical underpinnings from Aristotle to modern cognitive scientists like Lakoff and Johnson, this episode reveals how metaphorical thinking shapes our reality—not just ...
What if embracing play could transform not only our perception of reality but also the world we live in? Join me, Captain Frodo, as we embark on a whimsical exploration of the intrinsic connection between play and showmanship. Together, we’ll question whether play unearths pre-existing truths or crafts entirely new perspectives. Drawing inspiration from cultural phenomena like the Marvel Cinematic Universe and thinkers such as Huitzinger, we’ll investigate how play might be the cornerstone of...
What if the most profound aspects of human experience—from religious ritual to artistic expression—have their roots in play? In this thought-provoking exploration of serious play, Captain Frodo challenges the false dichotomy between seriousness and importance, revealing how playful engagement offers access to deeper realities than solemn endeavors often can. Drawing on Plato's assertion that "life must be lived as play," we explore how imaginal play allows us to embody different identities a...
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