Saving the Side Show
produced by Mahawish Rezvi & Rebecca Huval
For more than a century, Coney Island has harbored freak shows, sideshows, oddities and oddballs. Only until recently did the sideshow become endangered. Coney Island gentrification has threatened the neighborhood's weirdness, and entertainment such as the TV has drawn audiences away from live shows. To preserve the art form, performer Adam Rinn teaches death-defying stunts to students from all over the country. "Saving the Sideshow" follows newbies as they learn to conquer their fears, breathe fire and, in their own small way, save the sideshow.