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Where Are They Now?

Steve "T.J. Tatters" Smith,
"Master of Mirth"

Eric "Colosso" Plaut

"Director, Consultant, Comic Spirit": These Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey (RBB&B)
three words can now be found on Steve Circus’s Blue Unit for their 1972 tour.
Smith’s business card. Steve, 72, is
a jack-of-all-trades within the Steve then took a year off from Ringling Bros.
circus and clowning industry. In 1973, he headed south of the border, touring
The Zanesville, Ohio native with a mime group in Mexico led by an RBCC
has been in the business for
over 50 years and he has never instructor. Upon his return
looked back.Oddly to the United States, Steve
enough, when contacted Ringling owner
he was growing
up, Steve’s dream Irvin Feld. Little did he realize,
was to perform in quite a number of opportunities
Vaudeville—not in the would open up for him at The Greatest Show
circus. He enjoyed working on Earth!
in tech theater at Zanesville
High School. Rather than Door number one opened up the chance to
taking the stage, Steve was more become the Advanced Clown for Ringling’s
a behind-the-scenes guy back then Blue Unit. Steve received his training from
working on stage crew. He also played the a future fellow International Clown Hall
snare drum in high school band and achieved life of Fame (ICHoF) inductee Leon "Buttons"
status as a Boy Scout. McBryde (’90)—then the Advanced
Clown for the Red Unit. Our
After graduating in 1969, Steve headed sixty miles very big friend "Buttons" was
south to Ohio University in Athens. He continued pleased to mentor his new
his love of theater, where he portrayed John Darling
in a campus production of Peter Pan. However, his
freshman year was cut short due to the nearby Kent
State shootings in May of 1970. All Ohio colleges then
closed down for the remaining academic year. Around
that time, Life magazine did a feature about Ringling
Brothers Clown College (RBCC). Nathaniel Litt, who
passed in 1997, was featured on the cover—half in
clown, the other without make-up. Steve was inspired
by this article and applied to RBCC a year later. He
graduated from the Clown College in 1971—along
with Ron Severini. Afterwards, Steve accompanied

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