PARIS — Classical mime Rob Mermin will give two performances of “Circle of Sawdust,” a multimedia one-man show of adventure and comedy experienced over 40 years under the Big Top.

On Saturday, July 21, Celebration Barn Theater will host Mermin, who trained with Etienne Decroux and Marcel Marceau, and has performed in European circus, theater, TV and film.

On Sunday, July 22, the Frontier Cafe in Brunswick will present the same show as a benefit for Merriconeag Waldorf School’s “Magic Matinee” program, which will provide Circus Smirkus tickets to children in need for the Big Top Tour shows coming to Freeport in August.

“Circle of Sawdust” features personal anecdotes and rare film clips that bring alive the myths, mayhem and magic of circus from someone who has lived the life. Mermin’s picturesque history illuminates the relevance of circus culture to rural life in America over the past 200 years. 

Mermin is also an author, director, university lecturer, former dean of Clown College for Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, and founder of the award-winning international company Circus Smirkus. 

Honored around the globe, his awards include Copenhagen’s Gold Clown, the Bessie Award, Best Director Prize at the former Soviet Union’s International Festival on the Black Sea, the Lund Family Center’s “It Takes A Village Award,” the Vermont Arts Council Award of Merit, and the 2008 Governor’s Award for Excellence, Vermont’s highest recognition in the arts.

For tickets to the 8 p.m. show on July 21, call Celebration Barn at 743-8452. They are $14 for adults, $12 for seniors and $8 for students/children. The theater is at 190 Stock Farm Road. For more information, visit www.CelebrationBarn.com.

For tickets to the 7 p.m. show on July 22, call the Frontier Cafe at 725-5222. Tickets for this fundraiser are $15 for adults, $12 for seniors and $10 for children. The cafe is at 14 Maine St., inside the Fort Andross Mill. For more information, log on to www.explorefrontier.com.