Air Play
Tuesday, March 20, 2018 at 7:00PM
Fine Arts Center Concert Hall
Ride the wind and dream with AIR PLAY, a modern spectacle that brings to life the very air we breathe. Flying umbrellas, larger-than-life balloons, giant kites floating over the audience, and the biggest snow globe you’ve ever seen will make you gasp in wonder and laugh until it hurts.
AIR PLAY is a circus-style adventure of two siblings journeying through a surreal land of air, transforming the ordinary into objects of uncommon beauty. Fabrics dance in the wind, balloons have a mind of their own, confetti turns into the night sky, and an enormous canopy of hovering silk forever alters the siblings’ future. The creation of husband & wife team Seth Bloom and Christina Gelsone, AIR PLAY merges their circus and street theater performance art with the sculptural artistry of Daniel Wurtzel. This poetic ode to childhood will enchant and electrify the young and young at heart.
Performance Run Time: 60 minutes, No Intermission
Family Fun Fest in the Concert Hall Lobby at 6:00pm
"Revealing the Magic" with members of the company immediately following the performance
Ticket Prices
$25, $20, $15; Five College Students & Youth 17 and Under $10;
$50 Family Pack (2 Adult, 2 Youth ages 5+ recommended)
Please call the Box Office to see if you or someone in your party is eligible for a discount.
Accessible Seating Available by calling the Box Office at 413-545-2511
Air Play, a modern spectacle that brings to life the very air we breathe, employs flying umbrellas, larger-than-life balloons, giant kites, and the biggest snow globe you’ve ever seen to tell the tale of siblings journeying through a surreal land of many wonders.
Air Play is the creation of Seth Bloom and Christina Gelsone. The couple met at a circus in Afghanistan, became engaged while street-performing in Scotland, and married in China. Since partnering as the Acrobuffos in 2006, they have performed in more than 18 countries, juggled on Letterman, headlined at the Big Apple Circus, and been featured in The New York Times. Their mastery of circus and street theater performance art is complemented by the sculptural artistry of Daniel Wurtzel. Wurtzel has worked in several mediums since 1989. In 2009, his piece Magic Carpet went viral with 2 million views, and since then, he has worked with Cirque du Soleil, Julie Taymor, Robert Lepage, and Diane Paulus.
“Air Play holds the whole audience in the palm of its outstretched hand. A winning combination of visually stunning sculptures and cheeky but heartfelt storytelling that keeps both adults and children enthralled.” British Theatre Guide
“The curtains open and we see a man holding on to a huge piece of light fabric, dancing in the air, moved by a circle of fans. The wonder begins and I suddenly feel like a child again, receptive to every single magical moment in Air Play.” A Younger Theatre
Monks from the Drepung Loseling Monastery
Tuesday through Friday, April 17-20, UMass Old ChapelOpening Ceremony, Tuesday, April 17 at 9 a.m.
Open 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. for families and schools, 1 p.m. - 6 p.m. for general public
Closing ceremony, Friday, April 20 at 5 p.m.
Painting with colored sand is one of the most exquisite of the Tantric Buddhist arts. Over four days, millions of grains of sand are painstakingly laid in place on a platform. The creation and beauty of a Tibetan Sand Mandala is an abiding phenomenon of art and construction, emanating spiritual and healing power to all who experience it.
Machine de Cirque
Wednesday, April 25 at 7:30 p.m.Fine Arts Center Concert Hall
After five men survive the apocalypse, their only hope is to build a machine that will help them find other survivors. Armed with acrobatic talents and a generous heap of ingenuity, they’ll do whatever it takes to navigate this brave new world without telephones, computers, electricity…or women. The result is anything but grim. We find ourselves guests at a deliriously intoxicating party that is part circus, part slapstick, part rock concert, surprisingly moving, and a whole lot of awesome. At once side-splittingly hilarious and heart-tuggingly nostalgic, this show will make you stand up and clap for humanity.
The Underwater Bubble Show
Thursday, November 30 at 7 p.m.Fine Arts Center Concert Hall
Plunge into a glistening blend of laser technology, snow cannons, soap-bubble tornadoes, and optical illusions as the effervescent Mr. B is transported to Bubblelandia, a blissful ocean utopia where colors explode and dreams take flight. Inspired by the artistry of Cirque du Soleil, this lavish Latvian production uses drama, mime, juggling, sand art, and theatrical magic to whisk families to an imaginary bubble world bursting with possibilities.
Family Fun Fest in the Concert Hall Lobby at 6:00pm
Sponsors:
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