Rochester’s PUSH responds to COVID-19

 

Rochester, NY – For the past year, Rochester’s world-renowned PUSH Physical Theatre has been prioritizing projects that address loneliness and social isolation, such as its recent partnership with the Roanoke (VA) Arts Commission’s “The Lighthouse Project.” The 2019 national study which inspired it, entitled “Loneliness and the Arts in Virginia’s Alleghany Highlands,” revealed that – in addition to mental health consequences – chronic loneliness carries the same physical health risks as obesity, alcohol abuse, and smoking 15 cigarettes per day, increasing the risk of early death by 30%. Those alarming statistics are especially concerning during the COVID-19 pandemic, when social distancing is crucial for its containment.

PUSH’s recent focus on the effects of isolation has resulted in a plan of action, as real-time, in- person access to the arts and arts education disappears due to the closure of colleges, schools, and arts organizations.

“Along with all others at the University of Rochester, my “Mastering the Actor’s Body” class has been canceled,” explains PUSH Co-Founder/Co-Director Darren Stevenson. “But PUSH is starting to create a series of free training videos this week for anyone who wants to keep their education going during this difficult time,”

It’s a complicated time for the genre-defying, award-winning company, whose performances – like those of so many artists – have been postponed indefinitely. Plus, anyone who’s familiar with PUSH knows that its performers interact intimately, climbing all over one another in a gravity-defying display of sweaty acrobatics and artistry.

“We’ve tried some no-touch rehearsals – which are very strange, I must admit – and have let our performers decide to what degree they’re comfortable with physical contact – including attending no rehearsals at all,” says Heather Stevenson, PUSH co-founder/co-director.

Both Stevensons and company member Ashley Jones have begun shooting at Rochester’s Airigami studio at MADE ON STATE this week. Although the fellow teaching artists are generously providing these services at no cost to PUSH, the company is crowd-fundraising via Network for Good to cover other associated costs at:  https://www.facebook.com/donate/882031985568872/10158337710711289/

“These videos will be free, accessible to anyone, and connective – in other words, we will actively engage with students and teachers to answer questions and link with other free resources,” adds Darren.

About PUSH Physical Theatre: Founded in Rochester, NY in 2000 by husband-and-wife team, Darren and Heather Stevenson, out of a desire to “push” the boundaries of conventional theatre, PUSH Physical Theatre has since earned an international reputation as one of the U.S.’s leading physical theatre companies.

Recently featured in acclaimed collaborations with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, the Ying Quartet, and Pulitzer Prize-nominated composer Ricardo Zohn-Muldoon’s two multi-media operas (Comala and No Se Culpe with fellow composer Carlos Sanchez-Gutierrez), PUSH has also produced its own full-length works including DRACULA, Jekyll & Hyde, and Arc of Ages. Additionally, its wide-ranging repertory includes many shorter works such as “Red Ball,” a hilarious take on the interplay between the real and virtual worlds using iPad technology.

Known for intense athleticism, gravity-defying acrobatics, and soulful artistry, PUSH has been called “a perfect metaphor-in-motion” by CITY Newspaper and “a rare treat” by NY Theatre Guide. PUSH was a season finalist on TruTV’s national series, Fake Off, a competition/reality show featuring what producers dubbed “the captivating art of ‘faking’” – a mix of theatre, acrobatics, and illusion. Their performances caused judge and Glee star Harry Shum Jr. to exclaim: “You guys are superhuman!”

These masters of physical storytelling have received the Community of Color/Anton Germano Dance Award, the Performing Artist of the Year Award from the Arts & Cultural Council for Greater Rochester, and the University of Rochester’s Lillian Fairchild Award. In addition to a busy touring schedule, PUSH is passionate about arts-in-education programs and runs a summer intensive for adult students from all over the world.

Media please note: Additional high-resolution photos are available at PUSH photos, and interviews can be arranged.

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