Submitted by Dic Wheeler
(February 11, 2023) — Circophony Teen Circus will present Cirque du Schooleil: Operation Snakeout at Oddfellows Playhouse in Middletown.
The latest original Circus-Theater piece by Circophony Teen Circus tells the tale of Nero, a ball python who is also a high school mascot, and the unlikely group of friends who set out on a mission to save him from life in a cage. Directed by Allison McDermott, Cirque du Schooleil: Operation Snakeout runs March 2, – 4, 2023. Performances are at 7:00 p.m. on March 2nd, 3rd and 4th, and there is also a 2:00 p.m. matinee performance on Saturday, March 4th. The performance on Thursday, March 2nd is a “pay-what-you-can” preview.
Cirque du Schooleil: Operation Snakeout includes acrobatics, juggling, contortion, stilt walking, unicycling and more. Circophony Teen Circus is a collaboration between Oddfellows Playhouse Youth Theater and the Middletown-based theater company ARTFARM. This year’s show includes a cast of 12 trained performers ages 12 to 20. McDermott has created an original circus-theater piece annually for the past six years and it is a highlight of winter in Middletown. This winter’s show features acrobatics and contortion choreography by Naja Muller and equilibristics and capoeira choreography by Joel Melendez. Scenic design is by Luke Reinwald, costume design by Marion Imbruglio, lighting design by Jon-Paul LaRocco, sound design by Rowan Trowbridge-Wheeler, and properties design by Artemisia Omani and Patience Armstrong. Technical direction by Myke Halpin.
Oddfellows Playhouse is located at 128 Washington Street in Middletown. Tickets for Cirque du Schooleil: Operation Snakeout are $15 for adults and $8 for students and may be purchased at www.oddfellows.org or by emailing info@oddfellows.org or calling (860) 347-6143.
Circophony’s Cirque du Schooleil is made possible with generous support from the Connecticut Office of the Arts/DECD; Middletown Commission on the Arts; City of Middletown Health Department; The Fund for Greater Hartford; State of Connecticut Judicial Branch (Youth Violence Prevention); Evan Boyd Knoll Memorial Fund; Middletown Youth Services Bureau; Thomas J. Atkins Memorial Trust Fund; Middlesex United Way; CHEFA CT Cultural Fund; and many generous individual donors.
Photo by Bill DeKine
