Design In The Circus

There are certain aspects of a circus to which I pay close attention.  Theme, quality of acts, pacing, energy, and of course, humor.  That said, as an artist who works in a highly visual form - physical theatre - I pay a great amount of attention to what a circus looks like.

A rich visual landscape has always been a primary interest of mine.  Physical theatre demands it, even with simple means and small budgets.  Without the benefit of language, a production's story, characters, emotions, and humor must be conveyed visually.  And a potent design is vital to the production's ability to connect with the audience.

I consider the design elements as important as the performances and the material - and vital that these elements all co-exist and complement each other.  I think of the circus in exactly the same way.

Maruti Evans' design for Parallel Exit's ROOM 17B - photo by Jim Moore

Once again, I'm counting my blessings, as I've got what I consider to be the best design team in New York City: set and lighting designer Maruti Evans, and costume designer Oana Botez.  Maruti has worked with Parallel Exit over the past few years, most notably on the Drama Desk-nominated ROOM 17B, for which he built us an ingenious and absurd office of floor-to-ceiling file drawers.

Oana is a colleague of Maruti's who has collaborated with him on a number of projects.  Their combined design for a 2013 production of Master and Margarita, for example, is breathtaking.  And I can't wait for you to see their work on Parallel Exit's new show EVERYBODY GETS CAKE! opening this month.

As we begin throwing concepts around for our season at the circus, Maruti and Oana are asking the kinds of questions I hoped they would: what's the essence of the story we're aiming to tell, who are these characters and how do they exist in the world we're creating, and how do we realize the show in visual terms?

Oana and I at the dress rehearsal of The Big Apple Circus' Metapmorphosis - photo by Paul Gutheil

I think the circus is going to be a great playground for these two artists - a place where they can push ideas to a high level, and have some fun along the way.  The circus is a flight of fancy - a place to dream and wonder - and I expect their contributions will lift us above the clouds.

I can't wait to see what they come up with.

Choreography In The Circus

It may come as a surprise to some circus fans, but a choreographer is a huge part of the creative team.

While you won't typically see a kick line of chorus girls in the ring, there are many places in a circus where a choreographer can make all the difference, from the opening and closing group scenes to transitions and smaller moments throughout the show.

I will have the great privilege of working with a close friend and immensely talented choreographer, Antoinette DiPietropolo.

Antoinette DiPietropolo

Antoinette is the choreographer for this year's Big Apple Circus production of Metamorphosis. She'll be doing the same job for our production next season.  And I'm the luckiest first-time circus director ever, thanks to her having been through the process this year.

Like most of the team we've brought together, Antoinette has also worked with Parallel Exit, as co-creator and choreographer of our dance comedy POWERHOUSE in 2005.

Antoinette is going to be a second set of eyes and ears on everything we do.  And thank God.  She's smart, talented, and has personally tried just about every physical stunt the artists will be doing in the show.

Along with staging the big ensemble scenes throughout the show, Antoinette will also be working with me to ensure every act is played for maximum impact, focusing on energy, music, and most importantly, working in the round.  Even seasoned circus artists can be tempted to play their material out front, neglecting those audience members seated next to the bandstand.

I'm excited to see how Antoinette tackles the boundless creativity of the full team.  Just the other day, the man behind our concept - Joel Jeske - threw this video at us for inspiration.  Without giving too much away, the formations made by the dancers at the end of the clip are surprisingly appropriate:

All of the essential ingredients of a great circus - timing, energy, momentum, thrills, connection to the audience - are going to be foremost in our minds as we jump into this production.

I'm thrilled that Antoinette will be standing next to me as it happens.