Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus gearing up for first tour in five years

Feld Entertainment is in the hunt for the most extraordinary performers and athletes in the world as it aims up to relaunch "The Greatest Show on Earth" for the first time in five years. 

The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus tour will kick off in cities around the U.S. in September 2023. 

It comes at a time when consumers are in need of "plain, simple fun," especially after living through a global pandemic, Kenneth Feld, CEO of Feld Entertainment, which operates the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, told FOX Business. 

It's "what we're missing in our lives," Feld said. "I think everybody needs something that's happy, something that brings families together." 

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At its core, the show has always been a combination of "humor, awe and extraordinary skill." However, after five years of planning, it won't be the same old production. 

"It will be something new, it will be different and it will be unique to itself," Feld said without revealing much detail. "We're creating something that we believe you won't be able to experience any place else on the planet." 

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With the show's reopening, Feld says the circus has to immerse a whole new generation of children and adults who may have never even seen the iconic show.

"In many cases, [it] will be the first family entertainment that some generations have ever seen before," he said. 

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This time, the production will introduce different types of technology, social media and new video elements to make audiences feel part of the show.  

To connect with audiences, Feld is trying to find performers who not only bring something new to the table but who have a unique story to tell. 

"From my 50 years of knowing talent and performers at the circus, the one thing that they all have in common is they have unique stories," Feld said. "Why did they go into the circus? Why did they work for their entire careers perfecting what might be an eight-minute performance. These are extraordinary people and extraordinary athletes, and this is what we want to bring out." 

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In being themselves and telling those stories, "the audience gets a connection with these performers," he said. 

"It's not just what they do, but what's inside their heart, in their minds," he added. By pulling these unique individuals together, "you've got an experience that no one's ever seen before."

For the next year and four months, the company will be putting together a cast of 75 performers.

Scouts have already started open auditions in Mongolia, Ethiopia, France, Las Vegas and Argentina just in the past month alone. 

When the tour kicks off, there will be shows in 50 cities across North America before eventually going international.