Cirque Mechanics: Jan. 17, 2020 Cirque Cirque Mechanics 42FT – A Menagerie of Mechanical Marvels Friday, Jan. 17, 7:30 p.m. Program Act One Act Two Opening Poster Wall Justin Finds the Circus Revolving Ladder Matinee Finale Rosebud Returns The Suitcase Animal Trainer Circus Parade Knife Throwing Wheel Charivari Sword Swallowing Juggling with Rosebud Slack Wire Duo Trapeze Strong Man Log Zombie Cape Russian Swing Strong Man Bowling Balls Justin Joins the Circus Bravado Brothers Finale Juggle Go Round There will be one 20-minute intermission between acts one and two. CIRQUE MECHANICS IS REPRESENTED BY PLEASE NOTE • Latecomers will be seated at the house manager’s discretion. • Photography and video recordings of any type are strictly prohibited during the performance. • Smoking is not permitted anywhere. CU Boulder is a smoke-free campus! · cupresents.org · 303-492-8008 C-1 energy led him to “run away” with his own circus Program notes company, Cirque Mechanics. About 42ft – A Menagerie of Lashua believes that innovative mechanical Mechanical Marvels apparatus and the relationship between performer and machine sets his company apart and is at the Forty-two feet in diameter has been the measure heart of what makes Cirque Mechanics unique. of the circus ring for 250 years. Englishman Philip Lashua has delivered on this approach in the Astley discovered that horses galloping inside this company’s theatrical productions. His innovative ring provide the ideal platform for acrobatic feats. machines interact with acrobats, dancers, jugglers These equestrian acrobatics, along with clowns and contortionists on a 1920s factory floor in and flyers, are a large part of what we’ve all come Birdhouse Factory, a gold rush-era town in Boom to know as the circus. Town, accompany world renowned symphonies in the Orchestra Project and in a bicycle shop in This 250th anniversary of Astley’s circus inspired Pedal Punk. Cirque Mechanics to produce a one-ring traditional circus show in its own modern mechanical way. Now, in 42ft – A Menagerie of Mechanical Marvels, 42ft – A Menagerie of Mechanical Marvels follows Lashua continues to build on the might of his the story of a down-and-out roustabout filled engineering mind, his passion for the circus and with wanderlust and enamored with the circus, all things mechanical by designing a veritable willing to persevere in order to reach his dream of menagerie of mechanical devices worthy of performing under the big top. 42ft displays life in a the generations of circus shows and acts the tent show by exposing the glamour inside the ring production aims to honor. Cirque Mechanics: Jan. 17, 2020 Cirque and the vitality of the back lot. When Lashua is not developing material for To capture the authenticity of the traditional, a theatrical show, he is building other wacky Cirque Mechanics has assembled a veritable performance devices for events, most recently menagerie of circus acts worthy of the ring, like the Paddleship, a portable stage that not only the strong man, the Russian swing, the trapeze, floats, but that can also be navigated by pedal- the ladder, slack wire and juggling. And to powered paddle wheels. Lashua is a producing celebrate the important role animals have played partner of the Vegas International Variety Arts in circus throughout its history, 42ft features a Festival (VIVAFest). He was also recently featured captivating performer riding on a stunningly life- as a guest lecturer at the annual Association for like mechanical horse! Theatre in Higher Education Conference. In 42ft, Cirque Mechanics dares us to let our imagination run away and jump inside this Creative design team remarkable ring full of the lore, the beauty, the grit ALOYSIA GAVRE, CO-DIRECTOR – and the thrill of the circus. CHOREOGRAPHER Aloysia Gavre co-founded both Cirque School and Troupe Vertigo in Los Angeles in 2009 after Personnel 22 years of touring internationally with the Pickle CHRIS LASHUA, FOUNDER – CREATIVE Family Circus, Cirque du Soleil and symphonies DIRECTOR – PRODUCER – MACHINE DESIGNER around the globe, including the Sydney Opera Company founder Chris Lashua hails from Boston, House and the Kennedy Center. Her passion and Massachusetts, where he spent most of his youth knowledge for the circus arts has led her to a riding on a BMX bike. He was discovered by career as a director, choreographer and educator, Cirque du Soleil and created/performed a BMX including Cirque Cracker - Phoenix Symphony, bike act that was entirely his own. He was then Cirque Broadway - Baltimore Symphony, Cirque commissioned to build a “German Wheel” act Cinema - Indianapolis Symphony, as well as her for the company, an act he performed for several own creations, including Tableaux. She has both years in Cirque du Soleil’s production of Quidam, coached and choreographed for film, television cementing his reputation as a visionary of circus and the internet, including Water for Elephants, gadgetry. His engineering chops and creative Pitch Perfect 2, Bravo, NBC and BuzzFeed. She C-2 · cupresents.org · 303-492-8008 Cirque Mechanics: Jan. 17, 2020 Cirque has been recognized in Dance Teacher Magazine, touring the United States. Dance Informa and speaking engagements with TED-X, Center Theater Group, Directors Lab, The winner of the Turner Classic Movies Young Chicago Circus Festival, AYCO and VIVAFest Film Composers Competition, Picton was chosen Las Vegas. She has been a long-time artistic from a field of over 600 aspiring composers by collaborator with Cirque Mechanics, having a jury chaired by the legendary Elmer Bernstein. had creative involvement in over four shows For TCM, he scored the silent films The Temptress since 2004, after having met Chris Lashua while and The Red Mill. Other film and television work performing in Cirque du Soleil. includes Mutt & Stuff for Sid and Marty Krofft on Nickelodeon, the SyFy series Flash Gordon, the SEAN RILEY, SET DESIGNER – ARTISTIC independent feature Little Chenier, and main title RIGGER themes for I Want to Work for Diddy and Bates Sean Riley has a 20-year career combining Motel. Picton has composed network themes for suspension, kinetic movement and design PBS, Amazon Originals, and CNN International, with performance. Through scenic design, among others, as well as commercials and promos rigging design and mechanical design—often for a long list of clients. in concert with each other—he creates unique performance environments. Concentrating his STEVEN RAGATZ, WRITER design for performance on site-specific and non- An original Birdhouse Factory, Boom Town and traditional work, Riley has created installations Orchestra Project cast member collaborator, plus with a wide spectrum of accomplished artists lead writer for Pedal Punk, Steven Ragatz has and collaborators. Known for his bold and been entertaining audiences with his juggling, often-surprising use of space and for large- physical comedy, stilt walking and general antics scale movement, Riley’s installations commonly for the past three decades. As a 10-year veteran reflect his lifelong obsession with gravity and of Cirque du Soleil, Ragatz has toured throughout Newtonian physics. His works have been installed North, South and Central America, as well as Asia from backyards to Broadway and continue to and Europe, performing multiple juggling acts as tour internationally. He is a founding member well as an eclectic array of characters. Ragatz is of Cirque Mechanics and his company Gravity on the staff of Bloomington’s Stage Flight Circus Design, through which he has developed an Arts, where he teaches juggling and unicycle skills arsenal of specialized tools, pushing the bounds workshops. You can find him on stage currently of performance as well as industrial safety. touring his one-man show Under the Umbrella, Riley was the host of the National Geographic Life is a Circus, an evening with a juggling virtuoso Television series World’s Toughest Fixes and the and stories from world-wide circus adventures. four part docuseries Speed, currently on Curiosity Stream. visiblegravity.com, gravitydesign.org, Ragatz holds a B.A. in variety theater and an M.S. cirquemechanics.com in computer science from Indiana University. He studied mime, stage movement and circus arts MICHAEL PICTON, COMPOSER with Fred Garbo, Tony Montanaro, George Pinney Michael Picton is an award-winning composer and Michael Moschen. He and his wife Lisa have whose eclectic career spans film, television, two children, Melissa and Andrew, and currently advertising, theatre and circus. Picton has scored live in Indiana, where they have perfected the art four Cirque Mechanics productions: Boom Town, of making the perfect margarita. the Cirque Mechanics Orchestral Project, Pedal Punk, and now 42ft. His circus career began as a ANTHONY POWERS, LIGHTING DESIGNER performer, touring as keyboardist with Cirque du Anthony Powers is a lighting designer and Soleil’s Quidam. He has written songs and score production manager who has worked on a wide for six editions of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & array of shows across four continents. He has Bailey circus: Bellobration, Funundrum, Dragons, been working with Cirque Mechanics since Built to Amaze, Circus Xtreme, and the final edition 2010 and is excited to be designing his third Out of this World. Recently his live work has show with them. Powers has had a hand in all expanded to include superhero arena shows with of the CM touring shows, as either the lighting Feld Entertainment’s Marvel Universe Live and designer or the lighting and technical director on Marvel Universe Live - Age of Heroes, currently tour. Outside of Cirque Mechanics, Powers has · cupresents.org · 303-492-8008 C-3 been the designer or production manager for AIDA LASHUA, CO-PRODUCER – concerts, festivals and events across the United COLLABORATOR States. He currently has the honor of being the Aida Lashua has been Chris’ co-producer and general manager for the San Francisco office of creative partner in life and work for over 20 years.