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For Brandon Glass, joking about running away to join the circus eventually became reality.

After graduating from John R. Lewis High School in 2010, the former trumpet player followed an unconventional path that included studying deaf services and sign language, working as a Hollywood stunt performer and joining the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus.

“Now it’s actually my life,” Glass said.

Glass attended Towson University, where he studied deaf studies and sign language. He later moved to Los Angeles and entered the stunt industry, performing fight scenes involving pyrotechnics—including effects he described as “basically fireworks coming out of my shoes.”

The circus discovered him in Los Angeles. Glass became its touring public relations manager, working with officials in the cities and towns visited by the production. He also occasionally recruits prospective performers, sometimes approaching people in gyms who appear to have the physical abilities required for circus work.

The modern Ringling production differs sharply from the animal-centered circuses of the past. The company moved away from animal acts around 2017 as scrutiny of animal treatment intensified.

“We’ve shifted the focus,” Glass said. “We have no animals in the show now.”

In their place are high-wire performances, acrobatics, BMX bikes, a robotic dog and interactive segments involving the audience. One new feature is a triangular high-wire act with performers moving in multiple directions.

“It’s some things you’ve never seen before,” Glass said.

Touring also allows Glass to work closely with performers from many cultures. He said the connections formed within the traveling company—and the entertainers’ constant antics—are among the most enjoyable parts of circus life.

Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey’s “The Greatest Show on Earth” was scheduled to bring an all-new production featuring more than 50 acts to EagleBank Arena in Fairfax from March 28 through April 6, 2025.