Rochester, NY’s PUSH Physical Theatre in final four

“Extreme body movement theatre” group consistently wows 

Rochester, NY – PUSH Physical Theatre is one of only four teams left of the original ten to compete for $100,000 in the final episode of Fake Off on Monday, December 15 at 10 p.m. EST. Debuting on October 27, the new truTV show features the captivating art of “faking,” a mix of theatre, acrobatics, black light and illusion.

For the first six weeks, the teams created 90-second performances based on themes given them by the show’s host, actor/dancer Robert Hoffman (Step Up 2: The Streets, 90210), while Monday’s seventh episode featured themes chosen by the groups themselves. Judged by an impressive panel that includes music superstar and five-time Grammy winner Rozonda “Chilli” Thomas of the group TLC; actor/dancer/choreographer Harry Shum, Jr. (Glee, The LXD); and world-renowned visual and concept designer Michael Curry (Broadway’s The Lion King, Cirque du Soleil’s Love), the groups are also scored by the studio audience.

PUSH Physical Theatre has consistently earned top scores with its compelling artistry, dubbed “extreme body movement theatre” by Fake Off producers, Shine America. Audiences fell in love with their takes on the Football’s Biggest Night, Action Movie Mayhem, TV Sitcoms, and Bucket List, as six other teams from around the country were eliminated, leaving just three groups to compete with PUSH in next Monday’s finale: The Body Poets, a street dance crew from San Diego; Freelusion U.S.A., a video-projection-mapping dance group from Los Angeles by way of Budapest, Hungary; and Lightwire Theatre, a luminous puppet theatre group from New Orleans.

“We learned so much about our creative process under the stress of competition. It was a ‘pressure cooker,’ but we’re proud of what we created.” says PUSH co-founder and co-artistic director, Darren Stevenson. “My favorite post-Fake Off activity has been watching the show on TV and live-tweeting the experience – lots of jokes!”

About PUSH Physical Theatre:  This talented group of performers inspires awe and ignites emotion with physical illusions and gravity-defying, dance-infused, acrobatic high-jinx. Founded in Rochester, NY in 2000 by husband-and-wife team, Darren and Heather Stevenson, PUSH represents the couple’s desire to “push” the boundaries of conventional theatre. In 2009, they received both the Anton Germano Dance Award and the Performing Artist of the Year Award from the Arts & Cultural Council for Greater Rochester. The current company also features veteran PUSHer Jonathan Lowery, former Cirque du Soleil performer Avi Pryntz-Nadworthy and new company member Troy Mercier (former members Ben and Christine Christensen were part of the six-member Fake-Off PUSH team.) In addition to a busy touring schedule that has taken them all over the U.S. and the world, these masters of physical storytelling are also very involved in arts-in-education programs, and are regularly awarded grants to create new work. PUSH has been profiled on PBS and NPR, and is represented by Robin Klinger Entertainment. More information is available at www.pushtheatre.org.

Media please note:  high-resolution photos are available via dropbox.com/PUSH_hi-res; video at youtube.com/pushtheatre (high-def video available). Interviews and photo/footage opportunities can also be arranged. 

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