The former St. Madeline Sophie Church at the intersection of Greene and Pelham Street has been the Circus Campus since 2017. Originally it was just the Philadelphia School of Circus Arts – the church converted to a practice and performance space, the classrooms to studios, and juggler Greg Kennedy set up a studio on the ground floor. The rectory became home to Dave Gillies’ Give & Take Jugglers. In 2019 Circadium opened, providing a three-year professional program.

As one of the most physical of the performing arts, circus was deeply impacted by the pandemic. Even street performances were curtailed, as streets emptied. Cirque du Soleil declared bankruptcy.

“PSCA’s been open in small ways since last summer,” said Shana Kennedy, the founding Director of PSCA, along with her husband Greg Kennedy. “We started minimal camp at the end of last year—tiny groups of kids, all different parts of the building, and adult programs as well.” Things shut down again by November across the country. “We’ve been back on track since February, and it’s going really well.”

They temporarily eliminated group acrobatics and everyone became a soloist.

“We do have protocols now where people stay further apart,” she said. “Everyone has their own apparatus.”

Between Covid protocols and reduced in-person enrollment, they made it through the year. They had their only positive Covid case in April, with an adult student.

On May 13, the CDC announced that vaccinated adults can stop wearing masks except in crowded indoor spaces. On May 14, Philadelphia students 12-15 started receiving the vaccine.

“Every one was nervous about coming back, but we’ve gotten the hang of it now,” Kennedy said.

Summer camps are returning, with COVID protocols still in place for social distancing and ventilation. Enrollment in each camp session is limited to a 1:6 teacher ratio. “We’re feeling pretty optimistic about the summer.,” she said. “We’re selling camp like crazy. Everyone wants to get their kids out of the house.”

Kennedy cited the non-competitive nature of circus programs as part of their appeal: Most adult students are there for a workout or to practice, and younger students can proceed at their own pace without a score hanging in the balance.

“It’s just such a joy when people can get back in the air, and moving their body,” she said.  "It’s been such a rough year. Circus is one of those places that is a fairly easy entry point – you haven’t lost your team or most of your strength or coordination – everyone has, and that’s okay.”

By the teen years, there’s a growing division between those who might be considering a commitment and those who are coming in for fun, or as an alternative to sports. Classes are designed to accommodate this, breaking out by skill level. Until recently the summer programs followed the same model. This year, with everyone expected to try to get out of the house, the Advanced camp is now by age, 13-18.

“You’ve got some in there who are serious, hard-core, and some you are beginners, who are teenagers, and just want to try it out,” said Kennedy. “So it’s not about level, it’s about age group.”

With classes and camps cut back or online, they rented out space to artists in residence, primarily jugglers and aerialists. The Dance Institute of Philadelphia moved in early on.

“Until recently, I thought of them as tenants, but then we had a good sit-down with them and I realized No, they really want to be here, and I’ve come to think of them as partners,” said Kennedy.

Circadium, the professional circus program, came back last September.  Circadium began in 2017, offering a Diploma of Circus Arts. It’s small, compared to other programs. There were five grads in the first class. When the lockdown began, the 36 people on the campus – staff, instructors, plus the 28 Circadium students – made a plan to operate as an isolated community. Many of the students lived on the campus all year.

The 2020 graduates are just now finding work, as theatres, circuses and festivals reopen.

“Last year, when COVID hit, we were set to graduate our first class, and we were planning to do a show at the Kimmel Center,” Kennedy said. “And it all fell apart. So it’s been very tricky to figure out, not only how to keep the program running, but how to get these students careers on track. That’s what we’re about; Circadium is about getting students out into the world of professionals.”

The graduating third-year students are doing Heliopause, a live, public show at the Fringe Arts Festival’s Hand to Hand Circus Festival, June 4-6. It’s their graduation thesis program, appropriately about “where we end and the other(s) begin(s). ”

The second-year students are doing a show at Vernon Park, Greene and Rittenhouse, on June 5. Monday Is Years Long “examines the contradictions and overlaps between virtual closeness, spatial distance, and the proximity of live performance.”

By the end of May, they’ll see what September Circadium class looks like.

“It’s a really big transition for us, sending off nine students into the world, and hopefully we’ll get nine more,” Kennedy said. “I’m getting used to it. We’re going into Year Five, we’re getting used to the cycle of students and how this works. We spend a lot of time with these people.”