Big top rises again for Big Apple Circus Nonprofit, in danger of folding earlier this year, performs death-defying act of staying solvent under new Executive Director Gavin Berger. On Oct. 20, the Big Apple Circus will unveil its new show, Dream Big, in Damrosch Park at Lincoln Center. The $3 million extravaganza will feature 25 performers, a splashy aerial number, three Arabian horses, four dogs, an African crested porcupine and a Vietnamese potbellied pig. The show will also be the last hurrah for Grandma—aka Barry Lubin, the beloved star clown of the circus, who is retiring.While there will be wonders onstage, the death-defying acts have been taking place behind the curtain. Just six months ago, hit hard by a drop in ticket sales, dwindling donations, and growing debt, the circus was close to going under. Now, as it enters its 34th season, a combination of new leadership, a re-energized board and an influx of emergency funding has put the nonprofit organization back on solid footing.“We crashed and burned in every direction,” said Gavin Berger, who was hired in April to lead the ailing institution. “But we worked really hard to rebuild.”Mr. Berger was just the act the circus needed. As the longtime director of concert halls at Lincoln Center, he made it his mission to attract newcomers to the performing arts center with spectacular events, such as magician David Blaine's stunt to submerge himself in a fishbowl on the plaza for seven days. After that, Mr. Berger took on the sleepier job of director of development at Consumer Reports, until the opportunity to run the circus came along.When he arrived six months ago to serve as interim executive director, the operating budget was $17 million, down from $22 million in 2008, before the recession hit. Ticket sales had plummeted 20% during the worst of the downturn, then rebounded slightly last season. The deficit for fiscal 2010, which ended July 30, was a hefty $2.5 million, and angry vendors who hadn't been paid were calling.The situation was so bleak that at the end of the Big Apple's Boston run in the spring, executives were worried that they wouldn't have the cash to launch this fall's show.“When it came to us that we would potentially lose the circus, the board really came together strongly,” said Chairman Chris Wearing, who is head of the North American banking practice at Accenture. $1 million