NIGHTSWIMMING
A visually stunning marriage of theater, opera, dance, and circus, NIGHTSWIMMING is an episodic exploration of nostalgia, memory, and the meaning of “home.” As we follow our protagonists (the aerialist and bookkeeper of a defunct circus troupe) on their road trip across 1970s America, we explore venues throughout King County and experience a kaleidoscope of artistic media. Nightswimming feels like a road trip in theatrical form. The story unfolds in seven episodes of about one hour each, with each episode opening two to four months apart. Each episode is presented in a different venue around King County, so the audience experiences both the changes of scenery, and the changes of seasons as the story unfolds in real time -- about two years. We will offer “in the last episode of Nightswimming” updates online so audiences can join the story in any episode. As Nightswimming is a story of outsiders encountering outsiders and re-shaping ideas of Home, it is only appropriate that the story be told through different voices and disciplines. Nightswimming combines theatrical storytelling with dance, opera, and circus arts to provide a broadly appealing and immersive experience for audiences. Nightswimming is the project for I’ve been preparing during my whole professional life. I have worked in theater, dance, and opera, and in many multidisciplinary shows. I am very eager to blend my lifelong love of circus into my storytelling vocabulary.
MEG & SIGGY GO SWIMMING
Meg & Siggy Go Swimming is a short film inspired by the script of Nightswimming and the poem "Zenith" by Morgan Elise Dawson. The film tells the story of two former circus performers who meet years later inside a shared memory, where they try to discover what sent them off in different directions from a love that seemed so total and so complete. It is an attempt at cinematic poetry, with music, poetic language, and resonant imagery meeting non-linear storytelling. Meg & Siggy Go Swimming features Porscha Shaw in the role of Meg. It was written and directed by Jeffrey Fracé, shot and edited by Kwame Braun, with music by Christian Frederickson. Currently submitting to short film festivals, fingers crossed!
THE LIFE MODEL
"The Life Model” is a play that uses multi-media and shifting narrative styles to reflect the various points of view of four international friends who attempt to tell each other’s stories and the story of the Revolution in Cairo in 2011.
Ali is a young leftist revolutionary who sees his dreams coming true as the people take over Tahrir Square, but his family is deeply divided over the future of Egypt. Maha is a video artist and activist who is struggling with the decision between staying in Cairo or leaving for new opportunities in America. Gabriella is a young plastic surgeon from Rio, haunted by ghosts, who comes to visit her cousin Maha in Cairo in hopes of clearing the slate and gaining perspective. Henry is an American artist studying Islamic Art on an expensive commission, whose life and career take a radical new direction soon after his arrival in Cairo. As Egypt works to re-define itself amidst the euphoria of a mass movement towards freedom and self-determination, each of these friends glimpse, in moments, the vision of their own ideals. But what does it take to continue to see clearly, to listen generously, and to live honestly in a world framed by such great cultural, linguistic, and political difference?
Each character’s point of view is reflected by a different medium: Henry’s drawings and paintings, Maha’s video work, Gabriella’s music and dance, and Ali’s graffiti and poetry will strongly infuse the over-arching theatrical event.
Our team of collaborators includes producer/writer/performer Jeffrey Fracé, writer/director Pirronne Yousefzadeh, associate director/writer/dramaturg Julia Sears, performers Gisela Chipe, Maha Chehlaoui, and Ahmad Maksoud; set designer David M. Barber, lighting designer Cecilia Durbin, costume designer Deborah Trout, video artist Zeina Barakeh, choreographer Pavel Zustiak, and composer Christian Frederickson.
“The Life Model” premiered at On the Boards in Seattle in January 2016. Photos and reviews will be posted soon. Please see the Media section for a video. For booking and licensing information, please Contact Jeffrey Fracé.
Ali is a young leftist revolutionary who sees his dreams coming true as the people take over Tahrir Square, but his family is deeply divided over the future of Egypt. Maha is a video artist and activist who is struggling with the decision between staying in Cairo or leaving for new opportunities in America. Gabriella is a young plastic surgeon from Rio, haunted by ghosts, who comes to visit her cousin Maha in Cairo in hopes of clearing the slate and gaining perspective. Henry is an American artist studying Islamic Art on an expensive commission, whose life and career take a radical new direction soon after his arrival in Cairo. As Egypt works to re-define itself amidst the euphoria of a mass movement towards freedom and self-determination, each of these friends glimpse, in moments, the vision of their own ideals. But what does it take to continue to see clearly, to listen generously, and to live honestly in a world framed by such great cultural, linguistic, and political difference?
Each character’s point of view is reflected by a different medium: Henry’s drawings and paintings, Maha’s video work, Gabriella’s music and dance, and Ali’s graffiti and poetry will strongly infuse the over-arching theatrical event.
Our team of collaborators includes producer/writer/performer Jeffrey Fracé, writer/director Pirronne Yousefzadeh, associate director/writer/dramaturg Julia Sears, performers Gisela Chipe, Maha Chehlaoui, and Ahmad Maksoud; set designer David M. Barber, lighting designer Cecilia Durbin, costume designer Deborah Trout, video artist Zeina Barakeh, choreographer Pavel Zustiak, and composer Christian Frederickson.
“The Life Model” premiered at On the Boards in Seattle in January 2016. Photos and reviews will be posted soon. Please see the Media section for a video. For booking and licensing information, please Contact Jeffrey Fracé.