Sawdust & Spangles was Ralph's first full length play written with G. Riley Mills, and premiered in 1998. It was a co-production of Power Tap and Prop Theater, and was mounted at Chicago's Firehouse Theater. The play went on to win 1998's Joseph Jefferson Citation (Jeff Award) for Best New Work. The poster art, left, was created by Ralph's friend Charise Mericle Harper, who also created the album art for many of The Bad Examples' and Ralph Covert releases. Sawdust & Spangles was subsequently reworked and published as a hard cover, illustrated picture book, with illustrations by Giselle Potter, who provided the album art for the first seven Ralph's World albums.
The play is a historical drama which follows the life of WC Coup, a real-life circus pioneer who ran away from his boyhood home in Indiana to join the circus. He subsequently ran his own traveling show, introducing many innovative to the circus, including the three ring circus and being the first to successfully transport a show on train cars. Coup also was hired by PT Barnum when the novelty museum impressario transitioned into the circus world. The site of the Great Roman Hippodrome Coup built and ran for Barnum is now the location of Madison Square Gardens in New York.The play follows Coup's life from the early wagon wheel train days, through his time with Barnum, and finally to Coup's final venture, building what at the time was the world's largest aquarium in New York City.
The play is a historical drama which follows the life of WC Coup, a real-life circus pioneer who ran away from his boyhood home in Indiana to join the circus. He subsequently ran his own traveling show, introducing many innovative to the circus, including the three ring circus and being the first to successfully transport a show on train cars. Coup also was hired by PT Barnum when the novelty museum impressario transitioned into the circus world. The site of the Great Roman Hippodrome Coup built and ran for Barnum is now the location of Madison Square Gardens in New York.The play follows Coup's life from the early wagon wheel train days, through his time with Barnum, and finally to Coup's final venture, building what at the time was the world's largest aquarium in New York City.
