On September 25th, world famous clown Charlie Cairoli visited Newcastle-under-Lyme College Performing Arts Centre to launch a series of talks about Philip Astley the father of modern circus and his legacy, in Philip Astley’s hometown Newcastle-under-Lyme.
During the sit down interview Andrew Van Buren asked questions about Charlie’s lifetime in showbusiness as well as about his father Charlie Cairoli Snr who starred not only in Blackpool Tower Circus for 39 years but also became a famous household name and even had his own popular Children’s television series called “Right Charlie”.
The fascinating talk was complimented with rare performance film footage featuring Charlie senior, junior plus sidekicks Jimmy Buchanan and Paul Connor as well as snippets of vintage circus acts and shows.
The sell out audience then had chance to ask their own questions covering all subjects from working with Laurel and Hardy to behind the scenes information and history of not only circus but also clowning.
The talks, organised by Staffordshire University and the Van Buren Organisation, form part of The Philip Astley Project, an exciting project supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), thanks to money raised by National Lottery players, and designed to highlight Astley’s life and global legacy during nationwide celebrations of 250 years of modern circus in 2018.
To find out more, visit Staffordshire University’s website.
For details of Andrew Van Buren Lectures and Talks visit The Van Buren website.
