ArtsEmerson Presents SHADOWS CAST

ArtsEmerson, Boston's leading presenter of contemporary world theater and film and the professional presenting and producing organization of Emerson College, will welcome back visionary director and performer Raphaëlle Boitel with her newest piece Shadows Cast which will run five performances only from March 30 - April 2, 2023 at the Emerson Paramount Center Robert J. Orchard Stage. A potent mix of dance, circus and cinema, Shadows Cast is a journey into one's most intimate thoughts, highlighting the perilous dangers of secrets too heavy to bear. Drawing inspiration from cinematic visionaries like David Lynch, Fritz Lang, and Alfred Hitchcock, this triumphant return to Boston from Boitel promises to find light in the shadows and the truths in the unspoken, all while delivering a visual feast for the eyes.

Boitel brings her spellbinding visual storytelling back to ArtsEmerson after premiering her show When Angels Fall in Boston in 2019, which became a word-of-mouth sensation, with audiences spellbound and jaws dropped as her surreal, beautiful world darkly bloomed on stage. Joyce Kulhawik of Joyce's Choices called When Angels Falls "a mesmerizing 70-minute existential odyssey." Boitel returns with a brand-new vision, exploring the human psyche with Shadows Cast.

Shadows Cast plunges audiences into the heart of the unspoken. Family represents the ultimate cocoon where we seek protection from a very young age. But what if this cocoon is also where we find trauma? What goes unsaid? These secrets and unspoken truths become like ghosts hiding in the shadows of ourselves and our families. Shadows Cast tells us about the story of a young woman who wants to escape familial silence. What if exploring shadows would allow us to find the light?

"I wanted Shadows Cast to be a complete theater experience," explains Raphaëlle Boitel. "Where physical performance, acrobatics, theater, dance, cinema, laughter, and cries are combined to tell a powerful story in a highly visual universe, carried out by endearing characters. Following When Angels Fall, I wrote the story as a combination of drama and comedy, going through many different emotions, using the body of the acrobats with extreme virtuosity and extraordinary abilities to highlight the Psyche of human beings. I deeply believe in our capacity to change things, to fight against fatalities, in the strength of surpassing oneself. And I try to convey these ideas in my pieces. Meeting ArtsEmerson audiences in 2019 was love at first sight and I am particularly proud and happy to come back and share these thoughts here, in what I hope will be a moment of shared emotions and humanity."

"Our audiences have been asking about the return of visionary creator Rapahaëlle Boitel ever since her last visit with us four years ago," says ArtsEmerson Executive Director David C. Howse. "We are so ready to celebrate her artistry on our stage again with her deep and delightfully dark piece Shadows Cast. It's an honor for us to welcome Boitel back and we are excited for audiences who did not see When Angels Fall to come experience this mesmerizing show."

Tickets for Shadows Cast may be purchased 24/7 at ArtsEmerson.org, or by calling 617-824-8400 (Tue-Sat from 12:00PM ET - 6:00PM ET). The Paramount Center Box Office (559 Washington Street, Boston) is open for walk-up service Thu-Sat from Noon - 6:00 PM ET. Tickets start at $25. Groups of 10+ attending a performance save up to 30%.

Thanks to generous support from Rockland Trust, a limited number of $10 Mobile Rush tickets will be available at 10:00 AM ET each performance day on a first-come, first-served basis, exclusively through the TodayTix mobile app. For more information, please click on "General Public'' when you visit ArtsEmerson's Offers web page.

To post a comment, you must register and login.