Gravity & Other Myths continues Performing Arts Series

Oct. 27, 2016

SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. - A multi-award winning and critically acclaimed acrobatics ensemble from Australia, Gravity and Other Myths creates their work with an emphasis on an honest approach to performance, moving away from traditional circus and theatre models toward a form of acrobatic physical theatre.

The troupe will perform its "A Simple Space" program at 7:30 p.m., Nov. 10 in the Smith Student Center as part of the 2016-17 Slippery Rock University Performing Arts Series.

Launched in 2013, "A Simple Space" has grown organically from its inception as the program continues to push new boundaries in its attempts to sustain the heart of the show and keep both performers and audiences on the edge.

The production premiered at the Adelaide Fringe Festival winning the weekly award for Best Circus and receiving a nomination for Best Circus Overall. The AFF is the world's second-largest annual arts festival and the largest in the Southern Hemisphere.

According to the GOM website, "'A Simple Space'" is meant to evoke real, visceral responses in audiences. Instead of fine-tuning the performance with makeup, lighting and contrived theatrical overlay, the cast has deliberately gone the opposite way. The audience is brought in close to surround the stripped back stage.

"In that space, the acrobats are pushed to their physical limit, breaking down their usual guards and introducing the reality of failure and weakness. With nothing left to hide behind personal narratives come through naturally. This honesty is the essence behind "'A Simple Space.'"

GOM is comprised of acrobats Lachlan Binns, Jascha Boyce, Jacob Randall, Martin Schreiber, Joann Curry, Simon McClure and Lewie West, and musician Elliot Zoerner.

This engagement of Gravity & Other Myths is funded through the Mid Atlantic Arts Tours program of Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation with support from the National Endowment for the Arts. This project also receives state funding support through a grant from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, a state agency funded by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the National Endowment of the Arts, a federal agency.

MEDIA CONTACT: Robb King | 724.738.2199 | robert.king@sru.edu