Ticket feature: Circus show features zombies

Courtesy photo The Zombie Circus Extravaganza follows a circus that has a ringmaster, strongman, tightrope walker and the normal circus cast, but director Bryan Hahn said there is a twist.

It might have been a nightmare to put together, but the director of an upcoming zombie show said there’s no nightmare for the audience.

“It is a show of nothing but humor,” said Bryan Hahn, an Eastern New Mexico University dance faculty member directing the Zombie Circus Extravaganza. “Every step of the way, it’s got a laugh.”

The show, which is scheduled for four performances at the college’s University Theatre Center, was put together with a cast of 23 students and three weeks of rehearsal time.

The original show follows a circus that has a ringmaster, strongman, tightrope walker and the normal circus cast, but Hahn said there is a twist.

“We learn what happened to the circus, because at one time they were a legitimate circus,” Hahn said. “(The ringmaster) is still human. She is in control and all of the cast of characters fear her.”

With the college’s homecoming football game against Texas A&M-Commerce scheduled for the weekend, the show capitalizes on the game by advertising death-defying feats with monsters from Commerce.

Hahn said there isn’t gore like zombie movie fans can expect, but extensive work was done for makeup and costumes to reflect zombies and the circus — two themes that aren’t a normal pairing.

“It’s been a challenge,” Hahn said, “but it has come together.”

All shows are $4 admission, with 7 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday showings and 9:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday performances.