The Great Orbax

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The Great Orbax is an Canadian sideshow artist.

Professor Burnaby Q. Orbax, aka the Great ORBAX, began his sideshow career in the summer of 1998 when he, along with Mnsr. Stinky Pants performed at the Guelph Community BBQ under the moniker of ‘The Lamest Sideshow on Earth’. This show incorporated elements of street theatre, physical comedy, traditional sideshow stunts, and modernized versions of classic circus feats.

From these humble beginnings within the busking community they developed a two-man ghetto-vaudevillian circus sideshow and toured Ontario, playing such venues as Sheridan College, the University of Guelph, and the Fashion Cares AIDS benefit and appearing on U8TV and Showcase.

In the year 2000, Orbax graduated from the University of Guelph with an Honours BSc in Physics with a minor in Mathematics. At this point, while pursuing his Master’s degree in Physics, he became involved in the world of professional wrestling. As a sideshow performer, the Great Orbax brought his training in stunt performance and heavy comedy influence to the world of pro wrasslin', carving out a swath of humour and devastation across southern Ontario.

It was also during this time that he helped form the Toronto ON based performance group iWasCured. This performance artist collective specialized in public displays of ritual practices, including flesh hook suspension. As part of this group Orbax made his first appearance on The Learning Channel, pulling a monster truck from hooks inserted in the flesh of his back.

The Great Orbax graduated with a Master’s degree in Polymer Physics from the University of Guelph in the fall of 2002. As a research scientist he learned to hone the art of public speaking by giving presentations at international scientific conferences in Boston, Indianapolis, Winnipeg, and at Guelph. He also began to work with Discovery Canada as a scientific consultant for ‘Strange Tales of the Flesh’, a program which aired in 2005 and discussed the scientific basis behind seemingly impossible physical acts.

Retired from wrestling, Orbax turned back to his true love, sideshow. While both performing and attending classes full time as a PhD candidate, he began his own company Fiendish Curiosities. This company had one mandate, to create the most incredible beasts ever seen by mankind. Combining elements of taxidermy, latex casting and special effects techniques, Orbax creates and sells displays of oddities and anomalies of nature for traveling sideshows as well as for private collectors and museums. This collection lead to the introduction of a menagerie of the strange in his own show which are available for display.

On Halloween of 2003, Orbax suffered third degree burns to 11% of his body during an on stage accident. This resulted in a ten day stay in the Hamilton Hospital Burn ward, and a 5 month retirement from public performance. It was at that point that Orbax felt he had to decide whether to retire, or to fully commit himself to being a professional entertainer.

He chose the latter.

Since then Orbax has performed his mind-blowing stunt show in venues ranging from clubs to colleges, for corporate clients to rock and roll bonanzas. This talented and skilled ringmaster has put together the single most entertaining sideshow in Canada today. The versatility of the show is as adaptable as Orbax himself. The Great Orbax Sideshow is one of Canada's only touring Freak Shows, and one of the last existing shows of this type in North America. He and his troupe have appeared in print in America, Canada, England and Japan, and have appeared in newscasts, music videos, and even movies. With clients like Teletoon, Rue Morgue Magazine, Blink Pictures, Northern Ink Exposure, and many Universities and Colleges across Canada, the Grea t Orbax has appeared on Showcase, TLC, the Discovery Channel and CBC.