S3E12: Most Joyful Show on Earth: Inclusion in Circus and Variety Arts With Guest Mark Hayward
Cover image for this episode, featuring Mark Hayward
Diverse Joy Podcast - Season 3, Episode 12
We invite guest Mark Hayward, a highly accomplished international performer with multiple world titles and world records, to talk about bias and inclusion in circus and variety arts. (Spoiler alert: It might sound oddly specific, but the stuff we talk about is entirely generalizable).
A mid-record still of Mark
For this episode, Mark’s joy is the sense of community he gets from spending time with fellow jugglers, performing artists, and circus folks. Amber’s joy is her project watching all the Disney animated feature films (an idea she got from producer Eric Roman)! And Will shares about his husband Eric Roman’s amazing baking, which you can check out on Instagram @SuperGayBakes.
For the main discussion, Mark talks about inclusion and bias in the past and present of circus and variety arts. The world of the circus has an interesting and rich, but complex, relationship with diversity. On the negative side, of course sometimes circuses used differences to make spectacle (e.g., “freak shows”). On the more positive side, the circus was often a place where people of color, LGBTQ+ folks, and disabled folks could make a living and find a sense of community, in times when traditional financial opportunities were often closed to them. We also discuss how activities like juggling and yo-yo are forms of play that can contribute positively to mental health.
During Story Time, Mark shares a story related gender and belonging/inclusion in competitive environments, and a story related to being receptive when someone pointed out a misuse of power during a performance.
Entertainer Mark Hayward (right) while guesting on Diverse Joy podcast hosted by Dr William T L Cox (left) and Dr Amber Nelson (not pictured)
This episode’s question is about how changing social norms related to inclusion, has played out when working in performance arts, and the importance of knowing how to grow and change with the times.
This episodes bias habit-breaking skill is to Think Ahead. We’re less likely to show bias when we’ve thought things through ahead of time.
Mark’s joyful recommendation (which Amber also loves!) is Murderbot, a sci-fi TV show and book series that connects to many issues related to classism and culture, with a diverse cast of characters–without the show being about diversity.
During the closing credits, Mark mentions CSAW Nonprofit, which you learn more about here.
The episode can be found below, by following the podcast wherever you get podcasts, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio, RSSFeed, Amazon/Audible, or by subscribing to @BiasHabit on YouTube.
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