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THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH!

Thursday 9pm AMERICAN EXPERIENCE - A documentary series that combines dramatic re-enactments with commentary by historians and authors to present an absorbing look at the personalities, events and resources that have had a profound impact on the shaping of America's past and present. CIRCUS - This four-hour mini-series tells the story of one of the most popular and influential forms of entertainment in American history.  Go under the big top to explore the colorful history of this favorite pastime in an era when its stars were among the most famous people in the world and multitudes gathered to see the improbable and the impossible.https://youtu.be/Vstd9m8e_M0 Through the intertwined stories of several of the most innovative and influential impresarios of the late nineteenth century, this series reveals the circus was a uniquely American entertainment created by a rapidly expanding and industrializing nation; that it embraced and was made possible by Western imperialism; that its history was shaped by a tension between its unconventional entertainments and prevailing standards of respectability; and that its promise for ordinary people was the possibility for personal reinvention. For many Americans, the circus embodied the improbable and the impossible, the exotic and the spectacular. Drawing upon a vast and richly visual archive and featuring a host of performers, historians and aficionados, The Circus follows the rise and fall of the gigantic, traveling tented railroad circus and brings to life an era when Circus Day would shut down a town and its stars were among the most famous people in the country.  

Clowns in the early 20th century
The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, the State Art Museum of Florida, Florida State University /
Clowns in the early 20th century
Equestrian performer, circa 1903
The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, the State Art Museum of Florida, Florida State University /
Equestrian performer, circa 1903

Copyright 2019 WLRN 91.3 FM

Mia Laurenzo is a 30-year veteran of public television in Miami. She began her career learning every aspect of video production. Currently she is a writer, producer, on-air host and promotions coordinator for TV, radio and the web. Her experiences include producing for a series, special events and historical documentaries. As a native Floridian, she is a perfect fit for South Florida's Storyteller Station, WLRN. She has produced award winning, nationally distributed documentaries like Journey to the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade where one year she followed a high school band and a clown as they prepared for the big day and the next year, she had the privilege of being a clown herself. Previously, she produced Weird Florida: On the Road Again, a sequel to the highly successful show Weird Florida: Roads Less Traveled, where the cast and crew travel over 1,500 miles searching the Sunshine State’s weirdest and wackiest places. On a more serious note and what she considers to be her most important work, she produced Out of Darkness, Into Light, a documentary on child sexual abuse,which delved into the lives of three adult survivors, a show in which she was awarded her first of two Emmys.