New England Center for Circus Arts Purchases New Land in Brattleboro

Brattleboro will soon be home to the first custom-built circus-arts building in the United States. 

Thanks to a generous monetary gift, students of the New England Center for Circus Arts (NECCA) can look forward to a single space that contains specialized youth rooms, a performance space, a community meeting room, an in-ground trampoline and foam pit, and flying space. 

NECCA is internationally recognized and popular among circus artists of all ages and experience levels from around the world. The purchased property is located on Town Crier Drive, less than a mile north of downtown Brattleboro. 

The Secret Circus Spotted in Montpelier

Vermont actor James Gallagher was in the right place at the right time. Strolling through the Montpelier farmers market one recent weekend, he caught a spontaneous circus act. Luckily, he had his camera with him. He shot and edited this short film, set to music he created, and sent it to us.

"It's pretty cool to stumble upon talented street performers!" he wrote in an email.

 

The nimble performers call themselves Agents Honeymoon and Butterfly, and their act — filled with acrobatics, juggling and "comedic weaponry" — is the Secret Circus. 

Their real names are Brent and Maya McCoy. The Greensboro-based husband-and-wife duo has performed around the U.S., Canada and Europe since 2009. If you sense a little Bread-and-Puppet vibe in their show, you're right on: Maya apprenticed with the troupe after studying at the New School in New York City. Brent has performed his solo show, The Real McCoy, around the world since 2005.

On their website, the McCoys describe their show thus: "Honeymoon and Butterfly's operations contain the intensity of Mission Impossible, the skill of Circus Arts, and the fashion sense of Napoleon Dynamite."