WET HOT AMERICAN CIRCUS FESTIVAL ^expired

The Wet Hot American Circus Festival is excited to announce the lineup for their inaugural edition of the Festival from Sept 6-12 at the historic Eden Springs Park in Benton Harbor, Michigan. Shows will span many genres of circus and delight audiences of all ages.

Cycropia Aerial Dance from Madison, WI is the longest running aerial dance company in the United States. They have been pioneers in advancing techniques and apparatus used in aerial storytelling, often innovating new equipment and combining lush costuming with stilts, harnesses and more. Their show “Osmosis” will promenade the audience though Eden Springs Park, as the environment transforms into an underwater paradise.

3AM Theater-Mindful Manipulations is an exciting and empowering poetic program which showcases the beauty and logistics of conventional and unconventional objects in theatrical performances. This 3 person interactive show invites imagination, learning, and excitement.

The Cirque Us presents “RagTag”. These young performers, veterans of many tours with Circus Smirkus, are at the top of the field in the circus arts. Join this group of mismatched artists as they stitch together a tapestry of talents. This show features high-flying, knot-tying, gravity defying aerialists, loopy jugglers, musicians that pull at your heart strings, and comedy that will leave you in stitches.

Alexander the Amazing presents a 30 minute outdoor, street-style show that is perfect for all ages. Combining juggling, clowning, music and general delightfulness, Alexander the Amazing will tickle your funny bone while exploring values and purpose.

Aloft Circus Arts presents their hit show “Sanctuary Cabaret” featuring some of the top circus and variety acts in the country, a very well-dressed and foul-mouthed Ringmistress and the beautiful, ethereal music of Roy Gomez Cruz.

Loki Circus Theater founder and Artistic Director, Susan Voyticky will create a 30 min, site-specific, outdoor show over the course of the festival week, using the talents and motivation of the festival participants. Susan uses her background in Lecoq theater and extensive aerial training and directing to create unique work that tells personal stories. Her most recent circus creation, the film “Colored Girls” will be screened and there will be a director talkback following the showing.

In addition to the shows on the weekend, each company, as well as renowned rope coach Terry Crane, will be leading workshops for the entire week. Currently 35 workshops will be presented and open to participants of the week-long “Workshop Residency”, or Day Pass Holders. Workshops in handstands, juggling, clowning, acrobatics, aerial arts and cyr wheel will be coupled with seminars and discussions on topics ranging from creating Circus for Screens, dismantling sizeism in circus education, Community and Company Building, Connecting with Latin American Circus, and more! The entire workshop schedule is available online.

Workshop Residency Applications are open until July 15. Show tickets, day and weekly passes are also available online at www.wethotamericancircusfest.com.