As for the questions, I wouldnt mind answering them at all and I'll try to be as helpful as needed.
The only Feld Entertainment shows that use trains are the Red and Blue tours of the Ringling Bros and Barnum and Bailey Circus. Those are the three ring circuses, the biggest and most extravagant of the three circus tour. There is also the gold show which plays smaller venues and is considered a one ring show. The Gold Show people fly or drive to their next venues and stay in hotels unlike the larger shows.
That said the train rooms themselves are not bad especially if this person has ever done any kind of intern work or Summer
stock theatre or the like. Its about 8 X 8, they make everything into storage in your room and include a built in sink, fridge with freezer, microwave and in many cars, a stove top as well as a closet and twin size bed. Each car has its own set of showers and toilets and AC and heat. Its a dollar a day rent. You also get to see some incredible parts of the country on jumps.
Certain members of the tech crews like riggers, electricians,
etc. will take turns going on a pre rig to unload semis, set up front of
house,
etc. the day before a
load in. They travel by van ahead of time and stay in hotels. The hotels they put us up in are taken care of entirely by the job including things like gyms, breakfast,
etc. there is a
per diem every day you stay in a hotel and they will pay on stops for really long jumps and you will get paid extra for doing pre rig itself. Also the hotels are often top notch, we're talking the Millennium Hotel in LA nice.
I can only attest to the Management of the Blue show and the people I met sparingly at the HQ in Florida, but they are overall a pretty good crew on the technical end of things, especially those involved with electrics, sound,
pyro, video,
etc. On the other
hand the management of the tour itself and the other departments can be good or bad though that is changing. I say that because the Feld's have been cleaning
house and getting rid of money wasters, problem makers, excess positions and the like.
All that said the people at the Blue show are all great to work with that have been brought in. The Blue Tour is the best of the best right now of all the Ringling Shows, its the got the best actual show and the crew is really shaping up as a lot of bad eggs have been forced out, fired, or left after their cohorts departed.
Bringing up advancement, well now is the perfect opportunity in my opinion. With the shake
ups, most crews currently need people. Off the top of my head sound just lost a guy for several months to a messed up knee, our
props and set department have lost or are losing several people, our electrics crew will soon be looking for a new person when our
pyro girl leaves in about a month and several management positions including things like assistant general manager are opening up or currently open. Tell him to check the Feld Entertainment website or try out the Ringling website itself, even backstagejobs often has postings with specifics. Also the Red Show is teching and rehearsing its new tour this november through january and will be taking on a lot of new people as old ones move on.
As to moving onto other shows it happens all the time the circus especially trade between themselves when needed. I know several people who have already moved to the ice shows or come to the circus when one or the other is on break or the like. Once you get settled and start to know people it becomes much easier. I myself may move to an ice show eventually, those go all over the
globe. That and they're
IATSE, the circus is
Teamsters but it works, I've got some excellent benefits and great pay especially considering my dollar a day rent and no car and other expenses.
Feld Entertainment also does things like Motocross, Monsters Jam,
etc. so they've got their fingers in a lot of pies.
Its a lot but I hope it helps them out in figuring out what they want to do. If they have any more questions or what not, feel free to ask!
