The Brandywine, PA
Music Circus

• Brandywine Music Circus (Concordville, PA)
  Its first season was 1956.
• Camden County Music Circus (Haddonfield, NJ)
  Its first season was 1956
• Neptune Music Circus (Asbury Park, NJ)
  Its first season was 1952
• Miami Music Circus (Miami Beach, FL)
  Its first season was 1951

In association with St. John Terrell, Gordon A. Rust founded the Brandywine Music Circus. Mr. Rust, a Wilmington, DE resident, promoted the city's Theater Guild subscription series, which, in relation to population, was the most successful in the country. Rust was also one of the prime movers of the American Shakespeare Festival Theater at Stratford, CN. He pooh-poohed the general belief that by 1956 the saturation point in the Delaware Valley region had been reached in regard to theatrical enterprises, pointing to the area's population of close to a million, of which three-quarters could be considered prospective customers. With the help of associate, John Stark, Mr. Rust wooed 20 relatives and friends, primarily the du Ponts and Carpenters, to invest $150,000 in the Brandywine project.

The  first Season was precarious going because Brandywine was late in starting its Season and competitors had already picked the best of the available 'tuneshow' entries. Rust admitted that the theater's opening should have been delayed another year to get an early start on "the season." Also, the producers found that educating patrons to match their enthusiasm came slowly. But by the end of the first season increased attendance and appreciative letters indicated that Brandywine was catching on.

In 1956, Brandywine began as a Affiliate Music Circus, but in 1958 St. John Terrell assumed management control of the Brandywine tent and it had its best results in three years. Mr. Terrell's firm footing is considered why the theater was able to finally strike pay-dirt at Painters Crossroads, especially since he guided his Lambertville big top through much the same troubled pattern in its first year.

A June heat wave coupled with those footlight temperature-raisers, Olsen and Johnson, kicked off the 1957, the second season with "Hellzapopin'." Unusual difficulties followed right on their heels when a violent wind storm ripped through the area. Ole Olsen is credited with tracking down a canvas replacement to cover the theater's 2000 seats and which ended the acoustical problem. When business resumed a week later it took an upward swing that held for the rest of 1957.

As apposed to the Lambertville tent with its dirt floor and railroad ties creating the seating tiers, the Brandywine tent had a poured concrete floor creating the tiers for seats to be place on.