Adagio - Seriously Sophisticated Circus

Downstage Theatre and Awkward Productions turn live performance on its head! Featuring a blend of syncopated circus acts and cool fluid jazz sounds, Adagio - Seriously Sophisticated Circus takes circus out of the tent and into the theatre.

Epic and intimate, thrilling and thoughtful, bold and original, Adagio is a combination of physical theatre, circus, contemporary dance, music and comedy. Directed by multi award winning director Deborah Pope it shows six beating hearts playing with the isolation of being in a crowd.

Adagio features an ensemble of highly skilled physical performers, unique in their approach to theatre making. Mason West, Rowan Heydon-White, Angela Green, Jenny McArthur, Rosie Langabeer, Asalemo Tofete and Vicki Jones lay bare their hearts, poetically and physically.

Director Deborah Pope uses circus techniques with real creativity, beauty, virtuosity and generosity in Adagio. Deeply committed to training and presenting her work at the highest possible skill level without compromise, Pope won various international awards, among them the “Total Theatre Award” for Deadly at the 1999 Edinburgh Fringe Festival and the Les jeunes Talents du Cirque competition in Paris.

Music designer Jonathan Crayford has gained international recognition and is in high demand as instrumentalist and composer. Crayford made it to the cutting edge of the New York scene within many genres of music. In addition to performing and recording, Jonathan composed orchestral scores for television programs and feature films like Mr Wrong and Ruby and Rata, which picked up “Best Original Score” at the New Zealand Film Awards.

Concept and Direction: Deborah Pope
Music Design: Jonathan Crayford
Starring: Mason West, Rowan Heydon-White, Angela Green, Jenny McArthur, Rosie Langabeer and Vicki Jones

Adagio is presented as a part of Downstage’s 2008 Spring Showcase Seasons Change. It is arthouse circus at its best, an evolving art form which is only just beginning to capture the imaginations of New Zealand audiences.

Tickets can be purchased online at www.downstage.co.nz, by phone at (04) 801 6946 or in person at Downstage’s box office.