Weaving a poetic vocabulary of acrobatic movement and storytelling, this award-winning intimate play tells the tale of one woman, lost between the uncharted waters of her grief and the shores of her joyful memories following the disappearance of her soulmate. Following the performance there will be an artist talkback that will address the themes of grief and loss using the body as a primary tool to express emotion and tell stories, and how physical expression and storytelling can cross boundaries and cultures and create an inclusive space. One of UpLift’s company members is a Deaf artist; an ASL interpreter will join us for the performance, artist talkback, and the three-day workshop with students.
To make reservations for February 4th, please make reservations online or contact the Box Office: (845) 437-5599. This event is open to the public through online reservations.
Founded in 2013, UpLift Physical Theatre is an ensemble of actors and theatre-makers who seek to expose hidden human realities through the intimacy of the theatre. We use real physical effort and risk, pushing ourselves to our physical limits onstage in order to discover authentic connections with each other and the audience. We employ heightened forms of expression such as acrobatics, dance, and movement-based stories that are living, vital, and universally human. We uphold that the primary function of the theatre is to arouse and enliven the relationship of the body to the human spirit, which is urgent and necessary in the state of our existence.
The UpLift residency provides participants with a rare opportunity to witness how a professional theater company utilizes expressive arts and experiential processes to convey powerful human narratives. Funding from the Carolyn Grant ’36 Endowment Fund, Engaged Pluralism, the Lecture Fund, and the Vassar Drama Department will make possible this collaboration between UpLift Physical Theatre and Vassar College. This initiative is exciting because we hope that it will bring together a diverse group of individuals from the Vassar Community and it offers participants the unique opportunity to apply professional artistic practices to their academic experience.
Hannah Gaff is an international theatre creator, therapeutic clown, movement director, and teacher. She was a 2022 Fulbright Scholar at the Egyptian Academy of Arts in Cairo, a 2023 Fulbright Specialist in Pakistan, and has taught physical theatre courses and performed around the world. Hannah is a Visiting Assistant Professor of Acting at Vassar College in New York and an Alexander Technique Teacher. In collaboration with non-profit organizations such as Clowns Without Borders, the Medical Clown Project, and ClownCorps, Hannah performs in hospitals, on the street, and in care centers locally and internationally, offering laughter relief to children and families who have experienced crisis. Compelled by the transformative power of play, she seeks to facilitate play spaces and collaborative performances that foster connection, shift perspectives, and nurture a deeper understanding of our shared human experience. hannahgaff.com
Nicholette Routhier is a founding core member of UpLift Physical Theatre. She received her MFA in Ensemble-based Physical Theatre from Dell’Arte International School of Physical Theatre in 2010 and is a certified Embodiment teacher by John Wineland and Kendra Cunov. In addition to her work with UpLift, she produced “The Vagina Monologues” in three U.S. cities as a part of V-Day, the global movement to stop violence against women. She is currently based in Salt Lake City and works as an embodied relationship and intimacy coach for people of all genders, sexual orientations, and relationship types.
Juliana Frick is an award-winning physical theatre artist, acrobat, and musician based in Berkeley, CA. She is passionate about the creative process and works to build an environment of wild imagination and fierce commitment among collaborators. She grew up touring with the acclaimed youth-troupe Circus Smirkus from ages nine to fifteen. Juliana received a BA in music and storytelling from Hampshire College in Western, MA, completed the professional training program at Dell’Arte International, and trained under master teachers James Donlon and Leonard Pitt. Her work has been supported by Theatre Bay Area’s CA$H Creates program and the NET/TEN virtual exploration program. Her most recent projects include a solo show about grief and paperwork and “The Unimaginable Code”, an adaptation of Frankenstein exploring the ethical questions surrounding CRISPR Cas-9 gene editing technology. Juliana is a proud Deaf artist who strives to make the creative process and performance accessible to all.