Circophony's Fall Circus Training Program begins September 13 and runs Tuesday and Thursday evenings, 6:30 - 9 pm in Middletown. The program is open to all young people ages 12 to 18 and will culminate in a Fall Circus Showcase on Friday, November 18.
Circophony is a collaboration between two Middletown arts
organizations -- Oddfellows Playhouse and ARTFARM. The program is held at
Oddfellows Playhouse and directed by ARTFARM’s team of circus trainers. Training
includes strength and flexibility, acrobatics and tumbling, juggling and other
forms of object manipulation, stilt dancing, unicycling, clowning and physical
comedy, and other performance skills.
Core Trainers Dic Wheeler and Allison McDermott run the
program with Visiting Coaches and Guest Artists. The Fall Program is open to
all teens regardless of circus experience. Regular attendance is expected. The
training is physically demanding and will stretch your own sense of what you
are able to achieve. This is a great program for actors, dancers, gymnasts,
athletes, parkouristas, clowns, and anyone with a willingness to try new and
exciting things. Circus is a place where any young person can find a role.
The program is open by registration. Tuition for the ten
week program is $250 (some financial aid is available). To register contact
Oddfellows Playhouse: info@oddfellows.org, or go to www.oddfellows.org.
Students who have completed the Fall Training Program
will be invited to prepare an audition for the Circophony Traveling Company. Traveling
Company auditions will be held January 17, 2017. The Spring Touring Show opens
April 29 and will be available for bookings throughout May and June. Auditions
are competitive and the Traveling Company is made up of a small group of
experienced young performers chosen for their skills and commitment. Weekly
Training also continues throughout the Winter and Spring for Circophony
participants who are not in the Traveling Company.
Both the Training Program and Touring Company are
directed by Dic Wheeler with Assistant Director and Lead Trainer Allison
McDermott.
Dic has been performing, teaching and directing circus in
the United States and Europe for over thirty years. A charter member of the
American Youth Circus Organization, Dic is founder of the Children's Circus of
Middletown, ARTFARM's Circus for a Fragile Planet, and was Artistic Director of
Oddfellows Playhouse from 1981 to 2005. He is currently Executive Director of
ARTFARM (www.art-farm.org)
Lead trainer Allison McDermott is an aerialist, acrobat,
stilt dancer and circus performer. She has been Lead Teaching Artist in
ARTFARM's Circus program since 2009, performs with Circus for a Fragile Planet
and independently, directs the Advanced Program at the Children's Circus of
Middletown, and is a graduate of the Professional Track Training program at the
New England Center for Circus Arts in Vermont (www.allisonmcdermott.com).
(Photos by David Schulz of Circophony Traveling Company performer Jasmine Peck in 2016’s “Circus of Joy”)
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