Johnny Blazes
Co-Director of Professional & Youth Programming
Johnny Blazes is a Boston born-and-raised performer whose work includes theater, modern dance, opera, clowning, and acrobatics, Johnny is a lifelong performer and teacher.
Johnny graduated from Oberlin College in 2007 with a degree in Dance Performance, after founding and directing OCircus!, a 95-person student circus group that brought together performers, composers, and musicians. During Johnny’s tenure as Ringmaster, the group created 5 full-length shows, including a touring show that played 11 cities in the Midwest and East Coast
Johnny returned to Boston in 2007 and immediately dove into the nascent local circus community. In 2008, Johnny co-wrote and directed Mischief in the Machine, an evening-length circus theater production, in collaboration with Emperor Norton’s Stationary Marching Band. This show served as one of the seminal moments for the founding of The Boston Circus Guild. Johnny served on the board of The Boston Circus Guild for several years, and directed and performed in a number of shows with the BCG, including Reign of Revelry, Threshold, and Vaudevillainy.
Johnny has been an elementary and middle school classroom teacher as well as a leader of workshops and weekly classes, with students ranging in age from 10 months to 75 years old. Johnny specializes in clowning, improvisation, physical theater, and act construction.
