What's Up - Your guide to what's happening in Fayetteville, AR this week!
Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/1427813
NOVEMBER 14-20, 2021 WHAT'S UP! 7 Magic, Machinery, Meaning JOCELYN MURPHY NWA Democrat-Gazette A merican circus troupe Cirque Mechanics bring more than the acrobatics, the aerialists, the clowns and the other phenomenal acts of traditional circus to their engagements. It's a show that's exhilarating and emotive, promises the company's co-producer, Aida Lashua. For the company's "sweet 16th" season, they are revisiting the very first production that introduced Cirque Mechanics to the world. "And the universe really is paying us back, because we're doing a tour about a show that I think is perfect for this environment," Lashua muses. Approaching Cirque Mechanics' 15th anniversary, the creative team decided to revisit their debut show, "Birdhouse Factory," and apply the lessons they'd learned through the years to that early piece. The covid-19 pandemic prevented them from returning "Birdhouse Factory" to the road when they'd planned, but Lashua notes that the universal themes explored in the show seem to hold even greater relevance these days. "The story of our show is that this factory closes, and there's this bird that can signify so many things that comes into the factory and changes things," she explains. "It allows the workers to have hope, the workers to come together and to build their new future. And I think that's kind of what's happening now in our society. So it turned out that it was a beautiful homage to the resiliency of the worker, and I think it works. It was intended to be just a celebration of our 15th, and now I think it's so much more." One of the big "lessons" the Cirque Mechanics team realized over the years — what sets them apart, Lashua says — is that the company is able to perform almost anywhere. Lashua's husband Chris is the creative director, founder and machine designer of Cirque Mechanics and devised a system for making the company fit in nearly any space by designing his apparatuses to be portable and light. "The initial inspiration really was, Chris was a German wheel performer," Lashua explains. "He realized that he needed to figure out a way to be able to do rotations and perform his act in a much smaller space." Chris concocted a trolley system that allowed his wheel to spin in place — scaling the normally immense footprint of the hoop down to a manageable size for smaller venues — and Cirque Mechanics' first machine was born. The idea to turn the trolley into a boiler — and place it in a factory setting — was followed by taking visual inspiration from Diego Rivera's "Detroit Industry Murals" series; comedic and visual influence from the overly complicated, chain reaction-type Rube Goldberg machines; and adding in some slapstick comedy à la Charlie Chaplin's iconic "Modern Times." "I think that in itself tells you that this is not just a regular circus. We're putting it in a real world setting," Lashua points out. "All these machines are trying to make widgets, and then this bird comes in, gets injured, and the workers — who are really the performers — come together to care for this bird. And they get inspired to get out of the monotony of the factory and build something more whimsical, more fun, something that can help the bird and other birds. "Even without the spoken word, you get this sort of simple story of these workers that face adversity, and what do they do? They don't give up. They reinvent themselves. And in the process, they show us the beauty of the human body and the beauty of the resilient human." "I don't want to get too heady," Lashua adds with a laugh, "because it is a fun show. It's got comedy, it's got theater, the music is phenomenal, our lighting design is beautiful. But it does have this story that I think all of us can relate to, especially this pandemic audience that has been through so much the last 18 months. They're going to feel stuff, and that's what we want. We want them to feel hope; we want them to feel excitement; and we want them to have fun. I mean, that's the whole point: disconnect from reality, and enjoy." Circus takes flight of fancy on mechanical wings FAQ Cirque Mechanics' 'Birdhouse Factory' WHEN — 7 p.m. Nov. 18 WHERE — Walton Arts Center, 495 W. Dickson St. in Fayetteville COST — $10 INFO — 443-5600, waltonartscenter.org, cirquemechanics.com FYI — All patrons are required to wear a mask while inside the WAC, regardless of vaccination status. Visit WAC's website for full covid- 19 protocols and information. FAYETTEVILLE Cirque Mechanics combines the awe-inspiring and bewitching feats of traditional circus with the intricacies and aesthetics of factory machinery for a show The New York Times described as "exceptional, evocative, eye-catching and grossly entertaining … in a word, excellent." The troupe comes to Fayetteville to make their WAC debut Nov. 18 as part of the venue's 10x10 Arts Series. (Courtesy Photo/Darin Basile)