Circus Theatre in New York City
I spent my summer in New York City making my Off-Broadway Directing Debut with {IN}TANGIBLE. {IN}TANGIBLE is a dramatic circus-play by Brianna Kalisch combining theatre and narrative circus to tell the story of a woman and her family negotiating dementia. I was brought on to this project last summer to help develop {IN}TANGIBLE at ArtYard in Frenchtown, NJ. Our workshop production was so successful that the Dementia Society of America partnered with us to present {IN}TANGIBLE at Theatre Row on 42nd Street in Manhattan this August to sold out houses.
For this full production, I was fortunate to bring on board some of my favorite artistic collaborators who are well-known by our People’s Circus Theatre community: Evan Tomlinson-Weintraub (Acrobatics Designer of The Secret Garden), Mikayla Dinsdale (Performer in The Secret Garden, Reindeer Games, and The Nightingale), and Victoria Ordeman (Costume Designer for The Secret Garden and Reindeer Games).
In addition to being immersed in the Theater Capital of the U.S. as a Director, I also got to see a variety of wonderful productions while in NYC including Water for Elephants, Illinoise, The Great Gatsby, and Titanique. I’ve been creating shows that integrate circus, clowning, and theater since my adaptation of The Tempest in Chicago in 2007, and it is wonderful to see this kind of physical storytelling being embraced in big budget shows on Broadway!
The audiences at Water for Elephants as well as {IN}TANGIBLE were delighted by the spectacle of the circus, captivated by the moving storylines, and surprised by the beautiful blending of art forms. I can’t tell you how many times I heard this work described as “groundbreaking.” I am proud that People’s Circus Theatre is creating this style of groundbreaking and exciting work right here in the Bay Area!
Read more about {IN}TANGIBLE in Forbes, DC Theater Arts, and Broadway World.