Press "Enter" to skip to content

Humans of the Hilltop: Sophia Fishkin

Sophia Fishkin, junior studio art-graphic design major, was part of a circus before coming to Bradley.
Photo by Cenn Hall

Support systems are often a universal concept, but for some, they can mean finding strength and trust with some of the most interesting and lively people – like circus performers.

When many of her peers were joining soccer teams or starting violin lessons, Sophia Fishkin, junior studio art–graphic design major, began taking lessons to perform at the Actors Gymnasium Circus School and Theatre Company at just six years old.

For Fishkin, she said joining the circus meant joining a whole family.

“We always said the most important person on the stage is the person next to you,” Fishkin said. “No matter how big your part is, no matter what you’re doing, if you have a line next … always support the person next to you.”

“There are a lot of young women who are really strong, holding other people up,” Fishkin said. “They taught me to be stronger than I thought I was, because the stronger I thought I was, the stronger I actually was.”

But just like most other families, the circus had its quirks. Fishkin said the environment allowed the performers to be “super silly in a super professional setting.”

Fishkin said during the last show of a season many of the performers were sad and crying because they’d spent so much time together, but her friend decided to bring a dead fish on stage to prank Fishkin.

“He was trying to get me to break [character] during this poem I was reading,” Fishkin said. “Then when I was outside the theatre going for a transition, he threw the dead fish at me. So the entire night I smelled like dead fish because it covered my shirt. And so, of course, I’m crying, but no one wants to hug me because I smelled like dead fish.”

Instead of the stereotypical giant elephants and clowns on unicycles, the Actors’ Gymnasium is a contemporary circus that is instead focused on building acts around a specific plot, according to Fishkin.

“Circus is [like] physical storytelling,” Fishkin said. “We would take stories, and we’d create the world around [the audience] not just by sets … but we’d create the world with our bodies.”

During the busier weeks, Fishkin had 20 to 30 hours of rehearsals in addition to managing high school. However, she said it never felt like work.

“It felt like I got to go hang out with my best friends for four hours and mess around and try new stuff,” she said.

Even though she does not participate in any circus-related activities at Bradley, Fishkin has carried over many of the same passions to campus.

According to Trevor Baty, junior theatre arts performance major, he sees those qualities in how she treats others.

“She is always looking out for those around her,” Baty said. “She is a hard worker, [and] she’s honest … I think [the circus] teaches a lot of those qualities to people … so if she ever comes off as over the top, it’s because she cares a lot … it comes out of a place of love.”

Whether she is with friends or on the stage, Fishkin said she is always passionate for theatre. For her entire duration at Bradley, she has been performing in theatre under the direction of Scott Kanoff, chair of the department of theatre arts.

“She brings her whole self to everything, and that’s always inspiring to me,” Kanoff said. “You add a phenomenal mind and a great attitude about collaboration, and she’s somebody that I’m extremely glad to see come through the door.”

Fishkin said her first circus class began with telling stories and rolling around on the floor, and since then, she has never let go of her love for storytelling. Over time, her involvement with Bradley’s theatre department continued to grow, even after she switched her major from theatre to graphic design.

As publicist for Bradley’s theatre department, Fishkin said she is involved with “what the storytelling may look like outside of our theatre.” This means developing campus engagement, getting Snapchat filters and making posters to advertise upcoming shows.

As a last piece of advice, Fishkin said, “Say yes to every opportunity … if I hadn’t had said yes to circus when I was a kid, I wouldn’t be the same person I am today … saying yes to those weird gut feelings is really important, and it’s going to get you way farther than you think it is.”

Copyright © 2023, The Scout, Bradley University. All rights reserved.
The Scout is published by members of the student body of Bradley University. Opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of the University.