Next weekend (February 9-11) the Celebrity Series of Boston will present “Sacre”, a re-imagining of “The Rite of Spring” by Australian contemporary circus company Circa, at the Boch Center Shubert Theatre. Theater Mirror had an opportunity to speak with acting artistic director Benjamin Knapton, who directed “Sacre”, last week.
TM: Tell us about Circa and how they differ from other circus arts troupes?
BK: In the early 2000s, Yaron Lifschitz (artistic director and CEO of Circa) took over a troupe called Rock n Roll Circus, and that company was doing some real different circus in Brisbane, Australia at the time. Yaron has a theater background, and when he started working with the (troupe) he essentially stripped it back, taking away the fancy costumes and lighting and set design, and really started to focus on the acrobatic body and what it could do, as well as the personalities and the emotional capacity of the performance. Since then, we’ve brought back sets and lighting and we do children’s shows (“Wolfgang’s Magical Musical Circus”), but the heart of that intent is still focused on the acrobatics, the acrobatic body and who the are performers are as people. With ‘Sacre’ for instance, there’s nothing on stage, it’s an empty black space lit by this one light. And it really focuses in on these extraordinary 10 acrobats who are in the show.
TM: I listened to Leonard Bernstein conducting “The Rite of Spring” last night and it’s such a complex piece of music, very bombastic, like a movie score about a ship being lost in a gale force storm. Tell us what inspired Circa to create Sacre from this?
BK: Since the early 1900’s (when it was first performed),’The Rite of Spring’ has obviously had a strong relationship with the dance world. When Yaron was initially thinking about it, the idea was that perhaps circus can bring something new, that contemporary circus could possibly unlock something in the music that hasn’t been unlocked before.
The thing that circus artists do that is not necessarily in dance is that it’s dangerous – people can die. So with what you’re seeing before you, there’s an actuality to it. There’s a reality to it. What you’re seeing is what you’re actually seeing. Nobody’s pretending to be a character. They’re actually doing it. So we’re all very present in the room together.
TM: Who is Sacre actually for?I mean, what’s the target audience? Ballet? Circus arts? Classical music fans?
BK: ‘Sacre’ is made for a really wide audience. It’s thrilling and it’s really theatrical, so it’s really interesting to the eye. And of course, people come because it’s ‘The Rite of Spring’ as well. We get people in who aren’t necessarily repeat audiences for circus, but they will come because The Rite of Spring, and the choreography that comes with that, is in the piece. So you’ve got people who come from the classical music world who are coming to see a circus from Australia, and I think that’s awesome.
TM: I read that’s it’s very sensual. Is that why it’s “recommended for ages 12 and up”?
BK: I guess it is. There are 10 artists on stage and it’s about the connections between people. I certainly think that ‘The Rite of Spring’, which was originally about this sacrifice that happens at the end, but in our version – and I don’t want to give away too much – is more of a disappearance of this role that you have seen throughout the show, as opposed to the kind of traditional sacrifice that happens at the end of some interpretations of the original work. But yes, it is very sensual. There are 10 incredibly built bodies on stage, and they’re in close contact, and they’re lifting each other up and they’re supporting each other and throwing each other across the room and catching each other, so yes there is a definite sensuality to it, but there’s nothing overly sexual about it.
TM: Any final thoughts about why folks should see it?
BK: It’s got music. It’s got 10 absolutely incredible acrobats doing amazing things with their bodies, and it’s definitely worth a look.
For tickets and information, go to: https://www.bochcenter.org/events/detail/circa
