Jennifer Miller on Playing the Parks, 20 years of Circus Amok in NYC
Lecture at ArtEZ studium generale program ‘ U staat hier’ (You are here) on 10 November 2016 in Zwolle, The Netherlands
Jennifer Miller (playwright/performer/professor of performance)
Circus Amok is a one ring, no animal, queerly situated, political circus spectacular that has been touring the parks of New York City for free since its founding late in the 20th century. In this talk its founder Jennifer Miller will look at the specific approaches that Circus Amok uses to create a theatrical language that speaks to wildly diverse audiences across the city. You’ll look at how they choose their theme, use of audience plants, playing with scale, publics and counter publics, negotiating the weather and notions of queering public space. The ring master is a women with the beard, the lions are training the trainer, and the acrobats are discussing police brutality. There is something for everyone!
