David Shipman joined Ringling Bros. last year as the circus’s ringmaster. (Photo courtesy of Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey Circus)

David Shipman saw his first circus in his hometown of Pensacola, Fla., when he was just 2 years old, and the experience stuck with him. “I fell in love with it,” he said in a recent phone interview. “I remember dreaming about running away with the circus. I mean, what kid doesn’t?” That childhood fixation came full circle last year when Shipman became the newest ringmaster for the Greatest Show on Earth, and he’s been touring the country with the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus since Christmas 2012. Shipman, whose résumé includes plenty of theatrical work and an appearance on the CW series “The Vampire Diaries,” is still in shock over his latest gig, especially because he missed the original rounds of auditions/Nathan Weinbender, SR. More here.

• The circus runs today through Sunday at the Spokane Arena.

Question: Which performer would you want to be, if you were part of a circus?