Cirque Mechanics Brings BIRDHOUSE FACTORY to Pepperdine This Month

High-flying acrobatic troupe Cirque Mechanics brings their mechanical-inspired show Birdhouse Factory to the Smothers stage at Pepperdine University in Malibu on Wednesday, October 27, 2021 at 7:30 p.m.

Tickets, priced starting at $22.50 for adults, $22.50 for youth 17 and under, and $10 for full-time Pepperdine students, are available now by calling (310) 506-4522 or visiting the event page. More information about Cirque Mechanics is available at cirquemechanics.com.

Enter the most unlikely setting for a circus, a factory. One where the workers are acrobats and the machines are circus props. Welcome to Birdhouse Factory!

See a contortionist perform on a turntable powered by unicyclists. Be captivated by the trapeze artist powered by the spins of an acrobat inside a giant wheel. Be stunned as the trampoline wall artists defy the laws of physics.

Giggle at the antics of the characters, be impressed by the acro-dancing and enchanted by the story of laughter, love, flight, and birdhouses.

Birdhouse Factory was inspired, in part, by the masterful industry murals of Mexican artist Diego Rivera, the outrageous illustrations of cartoonist Rube Goldberg and the slap-stick humor of Charlie Chaplin's film Modern Times. While these inspirations make Birdhouse Factory artful, nostalgic and funny, the true essence of the show comes from the circus.

Birdhouse Factory is a simple story of daily life in a "widgets" factory circa 1935 as workers are brought together by the most unlikely of events, a bird accidentally injured by the main steam boiler. The accident and caring for the bird, brings the workers closer together and inspires them to break away from the monotony of the assembly-line. They showcase their true inner talents and abilities by using their bodies and machines to build birdhouses in a more joyous and soulful way.

Cirque Mechanics was founded in 2004 by Boston native and German Wheel artist Chris Lashua after the success of his collaborative project with the Circus Center of San Francisco, Birdhouse Factory. Cirque Mechanics quickly established itself as a premiere American circus, with its unique approach to performance, inspiring storytelling and innovative mechanical staging. Spectacle Magazine hailed it as "the greatest contribution to the American circus since Cirque du Soleil."

Cirque Mechanics, although inspired by modern circus, finds its roots in the mechanical and its heart in the stories of American ingenuity. The shows, rooted in realism, display a raw quality, rarely found in modern circus, that makes their message timeless and relevant. The stories are wrapped in circus acrobatics, mechanical wonders and a bit of clowning around. The troupe has created four extraordinary productions; Birdhouse Factory, Boomtown, Pedal Punk, and 42FT-A Menagerie of Mechanics Marvels.

The Lisa Smith Wengler Center for the Arts at Pepperdine University provides high-quality activities for over 50,000 people from over 800 zip codes annually through performances, rehearsals, museum exhibitions, and master classes. Located on Pepperdine's breathtaking Malibu campus overlooking the Pacific, the center serves as a hub for the arts, uniquely linking professional guest artists with Pepperdine students as well as patrons from surrounding Southern California communities. Facilities include the 450-seat Smothers Theatre, the 118-seat Raitt Recital Hall, the "black box" Helen E. Lindhurst Theatre, and the Frederick R. Weisman Museum of Art.

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