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Christopher "Kit" Chatham, Cirque du Soleil percussionist
Job: Percussionist, Cirque du Soleil
What I do: While he didn't exactly run off and join the circus, Christopher "Kit" Chatham of Cobb County is back home -- with the circus. He's a musician/clown in the touring company of Cirque du Soleil's "Corteo" show, playing at Atlantic Station in Atlanta. "It's nice to be in a tour that stops at my home for a while," he said.
Chatham, 29, is a percussionist -- far more than a drummer. While he plays a drum during a procession in the performance, he also is in the pit and on stage playing a variety of conventional and ethnic percussion instruments. All the while, he wears a clown's makeup and costume, like so many performers in the show.
"I play and do clowning on stage. It's musical and theatrical," he said. "I've always loved the music of Cirque; what brought me here was the music. Getting on stage is really cool."
Chatham is the only percussionist in the show, "so I have to do it all" in Cirque's New Age-organic style of music, he said. While he has performed with bands and symphonies, "I wanted to do something where the music is coming from me, instead of off the page." With Cirque du Soleil, he performs new music in the traditional circus style. It's all live and follows the acts on stage.
"Corteo" is in Atlanta through Jan. 28 as part of its tour of the United States and Canada. While in Atlanta, he stays at his Cobb County home with his wife, Ashley, an elementary school music teacher in Alpharetta.
But on the road, he spends his time writing and arranging music, staying in shape, practicing and performing in one or two shows a day.
Being in the circus doesn't mean living in a wagon, either. The performers stay in corporate apartments and enjoy chef-
prepared food in a cafeteria near the circus's big tent.
What got me interested in this: "My mom is a singer and piano teacher," Chatham said. "My parents forced me to take piano lessons. My brother started playing the drums. I snuck in and played his drums when he was gone."
Chatham played in school bands at Pebblebrook High School in Cobb County and at Washington County High School in Sandersville. He was a member of the Redcoat Marching Band at the University of Georgia, where he earned a bachelor's degree in music education. During his time with the band, he helped to train younger band members.
Best part of my job: "Playing with the caliber of musicians we have here," Chatham said. The troupe has seven instrumentalists and two vocalists.
Most challenging part: "The makeup," he said. It takes 40 minutes to put on his own clown face. He stays in the same costume and makeup throughout the show, and he participates in every act piece but one.
What people don't know about my job: "That I get on stage and become a clown," Chatham said. They also may not realize that Cirque du Soleil is a real circus -- without animals -- that is a self-contained community, "a traveling family," he said.
What keeps me going: "Diet Coke" and personal goals to become a better musician. "What's cool about touring is that I meet famous drummers and become friends with them on a professional level.
". . . You can never stop learning a new instrument -- the style, phrasing and patterns."
Preparation needed for this job: "Music got me here," he said. Other shows gave him the training to be more than a drummer. He began performing immediately after college, touring with "Blast," a Broadway performance. "It taught me to perform on stage -- acting and dancing while playing an instrument."
He also performed in London's West End in "Cyberjam" before joining Cirque du Soleil.
He said it's necessary to have "willingness to try new things, not to be stuck in a box."
- By Karl Ritzler, for ajcjobs. Got an interesting job that you love? E-mail your story to jobseditor@ajc.com.
