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Touring Performances

Now Booking: Isaac Newton's Little Apple Circus
A unique blend of CIRCUS and SCIENCE!
 

This 50 minute program – designed for schools, libraries, museums or community centers -- is equal parts performance, workshop, and comic demonstration. ARTFARM circus artists Dic Wheeler and Allison McDermott playfully embody Sir Isaac Newton and the 18th century French physicist and feminist Emilie du Chatelet.  These two giants of science present a series of circus skills such as juggling, plate spinning, partner acrobatics, diabolo, and the balancing of all kinds of objects (including peacock feathers, long poles, chairs, and one another). The real fun begins as members of the audience are brought on stage to help demonstrate the principles of Newtonian Mechanics. 

 

Isaac Newton’s Little Apple Circus introduces Newton's fundamental Laws of Motion -- the foundation of Classical Mechanics -- as well as the discoveries of Galileo which preceded them. Concepts introduced and explored in this fun and interactive experience include inertia, gravity, force, mass, energy, static and kinetic friction, velocity, gyroscopic stability and centripetal force. This feast of polysyllabic concepts will, however, leave not even the most restless young person bored or confused, but the hands-on spectacle of circus arts and comic acting will excite every participant to learn more about the forces in our universe that effect “everything from the flight of juggling balls to the movement of planets.”

  

The presentation is affordable and flexible, presentable in gyms, auditoriums, or just about any space with a 13 foot ceiling and a flat floor. For more information, or to book Isaac Newton’s Little Apple Circus , email info@art-farm.org or call (860) 346-4390.

Little Apple Circus rehearsal photos by Lauren Sitz.

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Also booking now -- limited dates are available for the Spring Tour of our Teen Traveling Circus -- 

CIRCOPHONY --

   This gifted group of young performers annually tours a 45 minute circus performance to area schools, clubs, churches and art centers. Circophony is a collaboration between ARTFARM and Oddfellows Playhouse. 

Each Fall ARTFARM circus teaching artists offer rigorous circus training to young people ages 12 - 18. In January members of the training program audition to be selected for the Traveling Company. Traveling Company members create a new circus  which premieres in April.

The show is only available to tour in May and June, 2017!

Last year's Circus of Joy performance thrilled audiences throughout Central Connecticut, and tour dates filled up quickly. Contact ARTFARM now to make sure that you can bring the 2017 Tour to your venue!


SHAKESPEARE'S ARGUMENT

A fast-paced introduction to Shakespeare for high school or college students. Four comic contemporary characters argue about what makes Shakespeare timeless. The Professor insists that it is the language and the metrical structure; the Producer claims it is the theatricality-the costumes, swords and special effects; the Actor says it is simply the characters; and the Groundling- who represents the voice of the audience- is only interested if it is authentic and entertaining. The players use selections from As You Like It, Macbeth, Henry V, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, Much Ado About Nothing, Measure for Measure, Julius Caesar, and The Tempest to illustrate their points.





WOMAN'S WILL

Woman's Will is a dynamic hour-long journey into the riches of Shakespeare's world through the eyes of some of his most fascinating women. This character driven collection is executed with textual accuracy and emotional depth by ARTFARM Ensemble Company members Marcella Trowbridge (ARTFARM Artistic Director) and Jackie Coleman (also Coordinator of the Arts for the Hartford Public Schools).

The piece, while containing some well-known passages, presents lesser known scenes and monologues from a dozen different plays in a journey which is at times playful, at times dark and heart-wrenching, but always challenging and entertaining.


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CIRCUS FOR A FRAGILE PLANET: SUBMERGED!

Circus for a Fragile Planet: SUBMERGED! uses the magic, fun and artistry of circus to convey an environmental message about water that is both compelling and necessary. Built around key elements of the grades 6 through 10 core earth science curriculum, Circus for a Fragile Planet addresses critical issues such as runoff from homes and farms, water pollution, overfishing, access to drinkable water, the effects of climate change and individual responsibility in a way that is accessible and upbeat. Filled with clowning, juggling, acrobatics, stilt-dancing, unicycling, slapstick and other circus skills and spectacle, the show accentuates the positive choices each individual or community can make to help build a better future for the planet.


IN THE THROES: THE ONE WOMAN SHOW

In the Throes is a groundbreaking performance for mature audiences tackling issues particularly important to women and adolescent girls including fear, abandonment, sexual abuse, and the unearthing of personal strength. In The Throes chronicles the life of one woman from childhood to motherhood through text, choreography and song.

The Residency**:
3-5 days of workshops culling and developing material from students' own life perspectives (including historical and literary resources). The group will select a theme and transfer this material onto the stage.

  • safe structured environment
  • writing
  • psycho-physical work
  • breath and body work
  • development of emotional accessibility
  • individual and ensemble
  • improvisation
  • effective stage presentation

COMMEDIA AMERICANA: THE ONE MAN SHOW

Introduces the history, style and characters of traditional Italian Commedia dell' Arte and provides a basic contemporary context.

The Residency**:
A 3-5 day residency which extracts the archetypes from the characters of 16th century Commedia dell' Arte and finds their modern manifestations. T he process first introduces the characters and comic style of traditional Commedia, then allows the students to re-interpret the stock characters, creating their own 'Commedia Americana'.

**All Residencies can culminate in a shared presentation