Fritz Grobe (Director and Show Concept) has a long history with Smirkus—as Road Show Director and Advanced Juggling Coach for several years in the early 2000s—but he was pulled away for a while by the world of viral video. He’s become best known as one of “the Coke & Mentos guys,” for his online videos featuring the explosive combination of Diet Coke and Mentos that have been viewed over 150 million times. His video work won 4 Webby Awards and received 2 Emmy nominations. He returned to Smirkus as Road Show Director for the past two years.
Fritz has 35 years of experience as a professional performer, creative director, and choreographer for award-winning circus acts and stage performances. He was a lead actor and the featured solo clown in the original cast of Cirque Mechanics’ “Birdhouse Factory.” As a juggler, he won five gold medals at the International Jugglers Championships and set a world record for bounce juggling way too many objects. He’s performed live in 19 countries and appeared on dozens of television shows including The Late Show with David Letterman, Ellen, and Mythbusters.
Quinn Carpenter (Choreographer) is a freelance dancer and choreographer based in New York City. As a performer, she has worked with the global K-pop group ‘BTS’ and appeared in ‘Beyond Babel’, the Off-Broadway dance show choreographed by Keone and Mari Madrid. Her choreographic work includes excerpts from the immersive NYC dance experience, ‘Betterland’, and Hideaway Circus’ outdoor production, ‘Stars Above’. Quinn’s creativity lives at the intersection of dance and circus, where storytelling meets flight. Her time with Smirkus has been a joyful return to that intersection—an experience she describes as nothing short of magic.
Quinn Carpenter (Choreographer) is a freelance dancer and choreographer based in New York City. As a performer, she has worked with the global K-pop group ‘BTS’ and appeared in ‘Beyond Babel’, the Off-Broadway dance show choreographed by Keone and Mari Madrid. Her choreographic work includes excerpts from the immersive NYC dance experience, ‘Betterland’, and Hideaway Circus’ outdoor production, ‘Stars Above’. Quinn’s creativity lives at the intersection of dance and circus, where storytelling meets flight. Her time with Smirkus has been a joyful return to that intersection—an experience she describes as nothing short of magic.
Aaron Schondorf (Composer & Music Director) Aaron Schondorf is a multimedia composer from New York City, specializing in orchestral and electronic scores with a distinctive cinematic flair that maintain an intimate connection to narrative. An alumni of Circus Smirkus, he spent five years touring as a juggler and acrobat before switching to composing full time. Since then, he has returned to the company to compose for the 2023 & 2024 Road Shows with director Fritz Grobe. Aaron has collaborated with many companies including writing for Black Label Music and 4 Elements Music, Fieldston Choral Society (arranger), Carleton College (music director, arranger, and conductor), and VocalEssence. Aaron recently graduated NYU with a Masters of Music in Music Theory and Composition through their Screen Scoring program. He is also an alumnus of Carleton College with a BA in Mathematics and Music, for which he was awarded distinction.
Ben Scheff (Sound Designer) is a sound designer and composer for theater, circus, and dance. He lectures and serves as a student design mentor at Dartmouth College. Off-Broadway: Notes from Now, Kennedy: Bobby’s Last Crusade, Only Human, and Red Roses, Green Gold. Touring credits include: Twas the Night Before… Cirque du Soleil, Stars Above, Hideaway Circus, The Imaginarium, Carnival! and A Midsummer Night’s Circus, Circus Smirkus. Recent regional theater credits include Noises Off and Mamma Mia! Skylight Music Theater, Matt & Ben, Penobscot Theater, Hurricane Diane, The Huntington Theater. Associate/Assistant Design: 59E59, The Director’s Company, Roundabout Theater Company, Cherry Lane Theater, Primary Stages, Manhattan Theatre Club, New York Theater Workshop, Playwright’s Realm, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, The Geffen Playhouse, South Coast Rep, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis. Member IATSE Local USA 829 - United Scenic Artists. www.scheffsound.com
Asa Giles (Lighting Designer)
Hanna Broer (Costume Designer) is a clothing designer and maker based in Craftsbury, Vermont. She focuses on hand-making comfortable, quality garments, using sustainable materials.
TJ Michael (Props & Associate Scenic Designer) found his love of circus early in life when touring with a youth circus based in Pennsylvania. He toured five seasons and performed as part of the acrobatic team. TJ also toured with several professional circuses before settling down in Virginia to raise a family. Since retiring from a career in information technology, TJ has returned to the circus and enjoys the challenge of building show props for Smirkus. This is his fifth season with Circus Smirkus.
Elisa-Belle Tremblay (Stage Manager)
Jonathon Roitman (Head Coach) has a background as an international circus performer and coach, specializing in club passing, banquine and Russian bar. He is a graduate of the Montreal National Circus School, and has performed in seventeen countries across six continents. Highlights of his performance career include touring with Cirque Éloize’s Rain, performing at the Adelaide Fringe Festival in Australia, and working for the GOP Variety Theater in Germany.
Jon’s Smirkus story started as a camper from 1999-2002. In 2016 he returned to Smirkus Camp as a coach, and then was a coach-on-tour with the Big Top Tour from 2017-2019, and 2022-2024. In 2020 he coached for Smirkus Camp, and was a coach for the Big Top Tour InTENTsive program in 2021. Jon is so excited to be returning again to coach for the Smirkus Big Top Tour in 2025!
Since 2012, Jon is the Artistic Director and Head Coach of the Flying Gravity Circus, a non-profit youth circus performance and education organization based in Wilton, NH, where he also teaches circus arts and physical education at High Mowing School, and directs the annual middle school Hilltop Circus on the High Mowing School’s Pine Hill Campus.
Starting in 2022, Jon is also the Circus Studies Program Coordinator at High Mowing’s high school campus, pioneering a new pre-professional high school track for students interested in pursuing professional circus careers! More information on this exciting program can be found at https://www.highmowing.org/circus
Ariele Ebacher (Show Boss & Road Coach) began her career as a circus performer in 1999 at Circus Smirkus. Since then she has had the great pleasure of traveling the world dancing on the wire. From black box theaters to international festivals; small circus tents to cruise ships; she has performed in every context imaginable. She is a coach for the professional training program at New England Center for Circus Arts. She is also a co-founder of the American Circus Alliance, which aims to unite and champion circus arts and circus workers across the nation.
Aaron Dewitt (Head Juggling Coach) began juggling at the age of ten, learning from the many great jugglers of Buckfield, Maine. In 2011 he moved to Canada to study circus more broadly at L'École de cirque de Québec. Since 2015 Aaron has been traveling the world, most notably on tour with Cirque Eloize and more recently with companies such as Flip Fabrique, Theater A Tempo, GOP Variete Theater and more. Aaron's current project is the development of a clown duo with the wonderful Joy Powers!
Hannah Grove (Hula Hoop Coach) is a circus artist and coach from the United States currently residing in Montréal, Québec. Hannah discovered circus arts at age 10 and began training by herself in her basement at age 14. Hannah spent 4 years touring with Circus Smirkus (2016-2019) where she was inspired to pursue a full time circus career. She then entered École Nationale de Cirque where she graduated Spring 2023 with a major in tightwire, general acrobatics, and hula hoop. She is very passionate about the arts and wishes to see them continue to grow in abundance for everyone to enjoy! Since graduating, Hannah has spent her time performing and coaching for various different theaters and projects, traveling as far as Portugal! She draws much of her inspiration from obscure art, claymation, 70’s experimental music, the way scaly animals move, odd fashion and live performance. Hannah is as enthusiastic about coaching as she is about performing and finds that teaching others is extremely gratifying as well as beneficial to helping her learn things about herself and her own practice. Hannah approaches her work with extreme curiosity and an intense love for the wire and the people around her. She wants you to know her favorite animal is a shark and you can find her somewhere under a lime green lightscape groovin’ to something experimental!
Avery Gunnell (Jump Rope Coach) has been jumping for around 12 years, competing nationally and world wide! She's also done contracts around the world, in particular Cirque Dreams over the holidays. Avery absolutely loves jumprope and loves being able to share it!
Charles Keidel (Acro Coach)
Collin Miclon (Juggling Coach)
Shane Miclon ( Juggling Coach) is a second generation juggler who has been performing all over North America for the last 25 years. He was part of the Circus Smirkus Big Top tour in 2009-10 as one of the Three Little Pigs & Juggling Lumberjacks alongside head juggling coach Aaron DeWitt!
Joy Powers (Clown Coach & Scenic Designer) began her clown and performance career as a Smirko in the 2006 and 2007 Big Top Tours; and then toured the country as a clown for several years with Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey. She is a co-creator and performer of The Piccolini Trio, and works year-round as a therapeutic healthcare clown at Boston Children’s and Hasbro Children’s Hospitals with the Laughter League.
Joy has performed with Theatre a Tempo, Hideaway Circus, Theater in the Open, and Cirque Us. She is a co-creator of "To the Moon and Back", a two person clown and juggling show with her partner, Aaron Dewitt. Joy has been a clown coach at Smirkus Camp, a Residency Artist in our School Residency programs, and this summer she is our clown coach for the 2025 Big Top Tour: Game On! Joy is a visual artist, sculptor, print-maker, and large-scale muralist, and illustrated the posters for the 2023 and 2024 Big Top Tours.
Rebecca Starr (Handbalance and Contortion Coach) is the Assistant to the Director and a Coach for the ProTrack Professional Training Program at the New England Center for Circus Arts (NECCA), where she specializes in Aerial Hoop, Contortion, and Pole. She began her circus career in the early 2000s and has since toured the world performing in tented shows, theater productions, special events, and more.
In addition to performing, Rebecca spent many years traveling as a master circus instructor, leading workshops and residencies at circus schools, aerial studios, and pole studios worldwide. Now in her sixth season as a creation coach with the Circus Smirkus Big Top Tour, she’s excited to continue sharing her love of circus with the next generation.
Doug Stewart (Aerial Coach) After growing up attending Circus Smirkus Camp and Touring in the Circus Smirkus Big Top Tour, Doug has gone onto perform around the world with companies like Krystalpalast, Flynn Creek Circus, Urania Variete, All Wheel Sports, Cirque Dreams, Westchester Circus Arts, Midnight Circus, AIDA Cruises, and Live305Entertainment. Doug is the founder and artistic director of Cirque Us, which has received numerous awards for its unique and heartfelt circus shows. You can follow Doug's circus adventures on instagram at @dougcircus.
Doug Stewart (Aerial Coach) After growing up attending Circus Smirkus Camp and Touring in the Circus Smirkus Big Top Tour, Doug has gone onto perform around the world with companies like Krystalpalast, Flynn Creek Circus, Urania Variete, All Wheel Sports, Cirque Dreams, Westchester Circus Arts, Midnight Circus, AIDA Cruises, and Live305Entertainment. Doug is the founder and artistic director of Cirque Us, which has received numerous awards for its unique and heartfelt circus shows. You can follow Doug's circus adventures on instagram at @dougcircus.
