Confessions of a circus tentmaker

He belongs to a rare breed of artisans who have the imagination and creativity needed to make circuses come alive.

Mr Paolo Anceschi, 58, is the owner of Anceschi Carlo SRL, one of the world's leading circus tent manufacturers.

The professional tentmaker from Italy told The New Paper when he was in town earlier this month to oversee the raising of the red and white big top of The Great Moscow Circus: "I think there are only four specialised circus tent firms in the world."

Mr Anceschi has been doing this job since he was 12 years old, first by helping his father during his school holidays and then working full time after he turned 14.

He said: "Since young, I dreamt of the circus."

Now, he is responsible for many famous circus tents, including that of The Great Moscow Circus, which returns to Singapore for the first time in more than 10 years, from Oct 25.

But it is a far cry from the canvas tents of old.

With a circumference of 40m and standing at 18.5m high, the circus' million-dollar tent was specially created for Singapore and took three months to build.

The fully air-conditioned tent can accommodate 1,600 people, with no audience member further than 11 metres from the action in the ring.

GREAT GRANDFATHER

Mr Anceschi's passion for tentmaking is a family affair.

In 1900, his great grandfather went to an exhibition to showcase his wares and met the director of Circus Togni, who commissioned him to make axles for the circus caravans.

Eventually, after working with specialised circus equipment, Mr Anceschi's own factory was born.

He said: "My family was the first to put motors in the King Poles (steel masts) to lift them and we were the first to build the arches to hold up the circus tent."

The family tradition spans five generations, with Mr Anceschi's son Nicolo, 25, helping in the business.

The process of tentmaking can be long and arduous as each circus company wants different things.

Mr Anceschi stressed that a lot of background work needs to be done before they start building the tent.

When asked about challenge, Mr Anceschi said: "Trying to make people's crazy circus ideas work."

He said some circus owners get too caught up in their own imagination and what they want is unrealistic, adding: "The biggest tent I made was 60m by 150m and it was very expensive and took up a lot of time."

But Mr Anceschi still counts his blessings when it comes to his unusual career.

He said: "I am happy when a new tent is put up for the first time, like what we are doing here in Singapore. Each tent is like my child and it is very special to see it for the first time."

FYI

WHAT The Great Moscow Circus

WHERE Under the Mighty Big Top, Bayfront Avenue, next to Marina Bay Sands

WHEN Oct 25 till Nov 18

TICKETS $55 to $155 from Sistic (www.sistic.com.sg or 6348-5555)

Secrets of the trade

• Knowledge is essential. Being a tentmaker requires lots of mathematical understanding, especially when doing the calculations and measurements of the tents.
• Patience is key. Before building the tents, continuous planning and preparation are needed. The process can take months to complete.
• Have passion and creativity. When people think of the circus, they always envision something out of this world. So the look and feel of the circus relies heavily on your dedication and imagination.