Roadfolk

Many children of Roadfolk become Roadfolk themselves, but not always. Some find themselves weary of the Road and settle down for the rest of their lives, while others only manage a few years before the Road calls them back.
  Those who wish to join the Roadfolk from outside are often regarded with suspicion. The lifestyle is grueling and uncompromising, and people walk into it with rose colored glasses glamorizing life on the open road. Some Roadfolk are outright hostile to newcomers to the lifestyle, while others are kind but distant. Since the vast majority of newcomers quit within 3-6 months, after the honeymoon glamor has worn off, most established Roadfolk don't bother getting too attached to newcomers until at least then.
  However, once you have been accepted by the Roadfolk, you are considered a Roadfolk for life. There is no distinction made between those who were born to the lifestyle and those who made the choice to join it.

While some troupes are seasonal, many Roadfolk form permanent troupes and travel together in caravans. Some Roadfolk easily pass between troupes and semi-permanent shows for the seasons, while others possess an almost fanatical devotion to their home troupes. The aesthetics of caravan troupes and those of the seasonal and semi-permanent workers are wildly different.

Caravan Troupes

If you ever get the chance to meet a Roadfolk troupe out of costume, you’ll notice that they tend to decorate (and dress) like the inside of a thrift store. Each person is keenly aware of their diminishing place in a society that places more and more importance on digital entertainment and communications, and so many Roadfolk gravitate towards similarly outdated and outcast aesthetics. In the same troupe, you might find someone who favors flapper dresses, someone who wears the leg warmers of the 80s, and someone who dresses like a sickly Victorian child, makeup and all.

Seasonal and Semi-Permanent Troupes

“Seasonal” Roadfolk is the term used to describe someone who adheres to the Roadfolk lifestyle for only part of the year. These kind of Roadfolk often travel for a few months at a time before going to stay with family during their off months, or take work at a show that runs in the same location for long periods of time.
  For these Roadfolk, their professional life and their personal life tends to blend together. It’s more common here to see people commit to an aesthetic in their personal lives that match their professional one. They tend to favor bright, eye-catching colors in shiny fabrics and follow the circles of high fashion; their nightly exploits in the clubs are well matched with the dramatics of their daily lives.

Costuming

Whether a seasonal worker or a member of a caravan troupe, there is one thing all Roadfolk fashion has in common, and that is costumes. This puts Roadfolk backstage work solidly apart from working tech in a permanent theater, where the technicians are expected to wear unassuming black clothes and blend into the background. At a Roadfolk show, the background staff are part of the performance. The person staffing the ticket window might take money in a sequined jacket and a thick, indeterminate accent, and the technician moving set pieces between acts might do so in a tight tank top, showing off their biceps to the crowd as they make a big deal of their strength.
  Because of this, many Roadfolk learn the basics of sewing and tailoring their own clothes. Of course, some learn more specialized skills, hand sewing entire costumes from nothing but fabric and a keen eye, but even the youngest and least experienced Roadfolk can patch a rip or reattach a button on their own costume.

Costumes and Stage Personas

Every Roadfolk's costume is unque to their stage persona, but they always have a few elements in common: Bold doesn't always mean big, however. The glittering skin-tight leotard of the acrobat or the tiny shorts of the Strong Man can be just as effective as the matador cape of the stage combat specialist or the ankle length, bell-lined skirt of the belly dancer.
  A costume, especially for the more famous stage personas, is as important to Roadfolk as their own stage names. Many will spend years cultivating exactly the perfect look, adding and subtracting layers or adornments as they grow their act. Others will have a different costume for every act, a different color for every flavor of performance. They're so unique to each performer's stage persona that it's considered close to blasphemy to wear someone else's costume, or even to copy someone's costume too closely. Even when Roadfolk retire or pass away, their costumes are never passed on as a whole outfit. The costumes are either packed away as a family heirloom, or broken up into smaller pieces to give to other family members or protege.
  For example, a ribbon dancer might give her ribbon to one student, her hairpin to another, and her skirt to a third, so that all of them can incorporate mementos of her into their stage personas.

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Caravan Troupes

Mobile Roadfolk caravans are usually made up of a collection of camper vans, motor homes, and trailers hauled behind pickup trucks. They favor the eclectic and the vintage, and many of their vehicles are hand painted with murals that have motifs unique to each troupe.
 

Seasonal and Semi-Permanent Troupes

Many locations that manage semi-permanent stadiums change up their shows several times a year, but often keep a large percentage of the performers doing different acts. This allows some Roadfolk to live the lifestyle of a traveling performer while also having a permanent home. Of course, it’s not an extremely well-paid profession, and most Roadfolk who work these shows choose to live in dormitories provided by the managing company.
  Like with their clothing, living in dormitory with other performers, even when they all have their own personal space, causes the lines of professional and personal to blur. Many Roadfolk decorate their dorms with posters of past performances, or show memorabelia from other Roadfolk that were an inspiration to them. Some even look more like dressing rooms than bedrooms, with huge stashes of costumes.

Not everyone performs; some are too old or too young, and some are born to Roadfolk families but simply don’t have the inclination for it. But it’s not a free ride for anyone. Even children do chores as soon as they’re old enough.
  It’s not a rich lifestyle, and supplies can be quite expensive depending on the profession, so Roadfolk troupes often find themselves unable to find (or afford) the right specialists in their nomadic wanderings. This leads to Roadfolk troupes being self-contained societies with everyone taking on two or even three roles. The acrobat might also be the troupe’s mechanic, or the retired organist, her hands too arthritic to play anymore, teaches lessons and performs midwife duties.

Every Roadfolk has three names. The first is their birth name, which is generally only used by family or while they are a newcomer.
  The second is their stage name. This is the name they pick to use for their act. For some people, it's a variation of their real name or a completely different name. For others, it's a made up title or silly pun. Stage names are used exclusively in costume and when dealing with the public. A very few Roadfolk do not have stage names. These are mostly people who work logistics or behind the scenes.
  The third name is what's known as a Circus Name. Every Roadfolk calls it this, even if they don’t do circus, because Circus performers make up the vast majority of Roadfolk. Your Circus Name is the name given to you by other Roadfolk, and the one they will forever refer to you as. Children are given their Circus Names during their teenage years, and newcomers are given them a minimum of one year after joining a Roadfolk troupe.
  How “cool” your Circus Name is largely depends on the humor of the one christening you. Unchristened Roadfolk must be wary, as any failure or success might be enough to give you an embarrassing nickname for the rest of your life. Fall off a stage once, and you could be known as “Swan” for the rest of your life (on account of the gracefulness).