Rosecroft, MD
Music Circus

The Music Circus in Rosecroft, MD in the 1950s was one of several Affiliated Music Circuses that Mr. Terrell had a hand in establishing.

In the early to mid-1950s St. John Terrell expanded his theater kingdom by establishing a series of other tent theaters in the New Jersey/Pennsylvania area. He thus created a "theater circuit," where productions traveled from one tent to another. He also established a Music Circus in Miami, FL.

The four theaters Mr. Terrell established and operated were:

• 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 addition to his own Music Circuses, Mr. Terrell was associated with these Affiliated Music Circuses:

• Sacramento, CA Music Circus - Its first season was 1951
• Rosecroft, MD Music Circus - Its first season was 1959
• Rye, NY Music Circus
• Cape Cod, MA Music Circus - Its first season was 1950

In a July 6, 1959 Show Business article in Time Magazine, the author writes about Terrell's interest in other Music Circuses, "...Terrell now owns or has a hand in four more (at Brandywine, Pa., Neptune, N.J., Rosecroft, Md., Rye, N.Y.), and clearly ranks as a Belasco of Straw Hat.

The Rosecroft, MD Music Circus is Created
While working at his Schaefer's Highway Inn on Old North Point Road, John Schaefer met his wife Joanna. Together the pair visited New Hope, PA to look at a tent theater in Lambertville which lead to them opening the Rosecroft Music Circus at the Rosecroft Raceway in Oxon Hill, MD.

John A. Schaefer was born on December 1, 1927 at St. Catherine's Hospital in Brooklyn, NY. He was the first born of six children to the late Anthony J. Schaefer and Imogene Schaefer (neé Johnson). At the age of 16 he enlisted in the U.S. Merchant Marines and worked on the Liberty Ship S.S. Simon Willard where he sailed with a convoy of ships to Europe. After his tour of duty, he moved to Maryland where he later opened up Schaefer's Highway Inn, which is currently Costas Inn.

He also had a long career as a Baltimore City Councilman from 1971 to 1991. Once he retired from the council John purchased several thoroughbred race horses which raced at Pimlico and Laurel. He was passionate about horse racing, but his first passion was his family.

Source: dignitymemorial.com/

Rosecroft, MD Part of the Music Circus Circuit.
There exists a "Brigadoon" Playbill from 1959 at the Library of Congress with information about the show and its cast and crew.

Source: Music Circus Website Archives
Source: worldcat.org/

Apparently, the Rosecroft, MD Music Circus production of "Brigadoon" that ran from August 25 thru August 30, 1959 was produced by the Lambertville Music Circus 1959 Resident Staff (I've marked them in red. Then it moved on to the Lambertville Music Circus where it ran from September 1 to September 6, 1959. More interesting was that St. John Terrell was one of the co-stars.

In another instance of the Music Circus Circuit.
This article from The Billboard indicates, not too favorably, that "DuBarry Was A Lady," starring Bert Lahr, opened at the Rosecroft, MD Music Circus June 23, 1959. The same production played at the Lambertville tent August 11 thru, August 30, 1959.

Source: https://books.google.com/