How filmmaker Kristen Elizabeth Snyder shares her family's history as circus performers

SOMERSET ― “One Dream Too Many,” a documentary film that explores a local family’s unique history and the value of pursuing a dream, is on its way to a Johnstown movie theater later this month for its national premiere.

Kristen Elizabeth Snyder, a 36-year-old Somerset woman who's now living in Los Angeles, created the film and is hosting the local premiere at 3 p.m. Nov. 25 at the Westwood Plaza Theaters, 1910 Minno Drive. Tickets to the screening are free and can be requested by email to ksnyder@cinematicescape.com.

Snyder put 12 years of work and $75,000 into the two-hour film, which introduces the audience to her circus-performing family that started with her great-grandfather, David “Captain” Latlip.

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“I was inspired by my great-grandfather,” she said. “He inspired me to make the film, and I hope it inspires people to return to pursuing a dream they've ever had.

“There’s a lot to learn from them. They weren’t trying to do it (the circus) to be the best, they wanted to bring joy to other people. People communicate joy, pain and other life experiences through art, but we’ve gotten away from the joy of creating and communicating through art.

“It’s an emotional film about real life, but (the audience) is also going to smile.”

Who was Captain Latlip?

Latlip grew up in Maine and, at just 12 years of age, started making a name for himself as a high-diving circus performer. In the 1920s and 1930s, he operated his own traveling circus, named “Captain Latlip’s Shows,” with his wife, Marion, who was also an expert acrobat and high-dive performer. They ran their circus act from their family home in Charleston, West Virginia, and took the show on the road with their five daughters, who performed high-wire walking and acrobatic acts with the circus.

One of the Latlip daughters was Snyder’s grandmother, Roseline, who met her future husband, Alfred DiPasquale, in Meyersdale while performing with the Latlip circus.

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Snyder said she wanted to make the film to preserve her family history and inspire people to follow their own interests when they can and for their own enjoyment, rather than trying to make it a competition with others or to be 'good enough' to make a living at it.

“I hope the film inspires people, if they ever had a dream, to pursue it – to do art when they can, and keep doing it,” Snyder said. “Today people don’t feel they are ‘good enough’ to pursue their art. They didn’t have that in those (Latlip’s) days; art wasn’t about being the best in those days.

“Through this film, I try to point out that (success) is more about the journey, enjoying the journey and not letting go of that dream.”

'Diving into' the Latlip family history

Snyder moved to Los Angeles in 2009 to pursue her dream of becoming a screenwriter. She has worked on several television projects since then, but she has also worked at other jobs to allow her to pursue her creative ambitions. In fact, Snyder has worked multiple jobs over the last 12 years and spent $60,000 of her own money to complete the film.

“I’m super proud of it,” she said, noting that $15,000 in seed money to begin work on the film came from community support through a crowdfunding campaign.

“I learned that it’s okay to have a different job that supports your dream.”

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She also found a relative in Kathleen Latlip, who works as a film editor in Los Angeles, while working on the film. Snyder said she and Latlip are now working together on a screenplay about Captain Latlip, their common ancestor.

The Los Angeles premiere of "One Dream Too Many" is scheduled for January, Snyder said.

Through those life experiences, and by ‘diving into’ the history of her Latlip family, Snyder has learned to redefine the idea of success as a journey rather than an end result.

“I didn’t do this to be a famous filmmaker, but to preserve my family’s legacy,” she said. “I am going to submit ‘One Dream Too Many’ to film festivals and try to sell it to a streaming platform – but if that doesn’t happen, I feel completely happy with it. The journey itself feels more like the trophy. I got a lot of enjoyment out of (making) it.

“At the end of the day, the most important thing is that (other people) feel inspired by their childhood dream.”

More information on Snyder and the film "One Dream Too Many" can be found online at onedreamtoomany.com or at the @Onedreamtoomany Instagram account.

This article originally appeared on The Daily American: 'One Dream Too Many' film premiere presents Latlip Family circus history