This circus comes from town, and drops by monthly

The day after Christmas, for most people, was all about snow: Shoveling it, driving in it, getting stuck in airports because of it. But for an extended family of local artists, Boxing Day was all about the circus; specifically, the Cirque Du Singe Bris (Circus of the Shattered Monkey), a monthly celebration of acoustic music, the spoken word, and visual art held at the Zeitgeist Gallery in Inman Square.

And while the snow did keep some away, the show went on in its usual dizzying fashion: a classical guitar set (by a musician who's better known for his heavy metal work), a Dylanesque rendition of the Muppet classic ''Rainbow Connection," a short film clip of a surreal bicycle chase through the streets of Boston, a spoken-word ode to larger women, and a final set that nodded to Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard. Not the kind of thing you'd normally see at a club or coffeehouse, which is exactly the point of the Shattered Monkey, where many in the audience are performers themselves.

''The idea was to have a place to play, every month, and have a network of talent surround each other where everyone benefits from the show," says founder Rich Van Vleet, who also manages regular Monkey performer Rod Webber. ''Everyone gets something out of it, everybody's sharing everybody's audiences and stands a good chance of impressing someone else."

While the artists are local, Van Vleet is not: He lives on Long Island, but decided to start the event in Cambridge last July because of a lack of acoustic-friendly venues in New York and what he feels is a surplus of underappreciated artists here.

''I think you guys take for granted the performers that you have and really don't value them because there's just so many of them around," he says. ''You don't find talent like that everywhere."

Nor can you find a place where everyone brings their best stuff -- sets are limited to 20 to 30 minutes -- and plays for free. Money collected at the door goes toward renting the gallery for the night, while the few dollars left over were put into a compilation CD of the artists who have performed at Circuses so far.

While not a profitable arrangement by any means, it does free the performers from the constraints of what spoken-word artist Joseph Bellamy calls the ''mandatory minimum" cash flow required at more traditional venues.

''It's really more of a collective devoted to the works of the artists themselves, rather than the profit line, which takes a lot of the pressure off and allows you to enjoy doing your own performance, " he says. ''Which I think for anybody who feels the urge to perform is really what it's all about."

Another benefit of the Circus: Not having to fight to be heard.

''It's so much different from playing in a bar, because it really is a listening room," says singer/guitarist Kieran Ridge.

At the most recent Circus, Ridge, normally part of a five-piece band, was joined by just one bandmate, guitarist, piano player, and vocalist Chris Coughlin, for the closing set, playing to an audience that had barely diminished over the four-hour duration of the show.

''I think when people are quiet, it's easier for the performer," says Ridge. ''He can be himself in a way that you don't get with some of the rock venues we play. So it is a comfortable atmosphere, like playing in a living room."

High praise indeed, given the emphasis many local venues place on closeness to the performers.

''I've played everywhere in the Boston area, and I've never been involved in anything like this," agrees singer/songwriter Anna Freitas, who, like most of the other acts, played without a microphone or other amplification.

''You can get good feedback, too, whereas sometimes your friends that don't play, they're always going to say you're great, you know what I mean? But it's not this really competitive environment, it's supportive."

While Van Vleet hopes to take the Circus on the road to Providence and New York City in the future, he'll still rely on Boston-based artists to create this unique living-room show.

''This show has such a potential to develop a community about itself," he says, before quickly correcting himself. '

'The community is already there, but it needed a home."

The next Shattered Monkey will be held at 9 p.m. Jan. 21. For more information, go to www.zeitgeist-gallery.org/calendar/.

Will Kilburn can be reached at wkilburn@globe.com.