A 20-foot pole is part of Water for Elephants' last day

Near the end of Water for Elephants, acrobat Adam Fullick slides head-first down a 20-foot pole and stops just short of the ground. In Lookout's interview, he described performers checking how their bodies feel before each show, with another acrobat able to step in.

The touring musical mixes circus skills with life-sized puppetry. Its final Eugene performances are Sunday, November 8, at 1 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. in the Hult Center's Silva Concert Hall, according to the venue.