Almanac Dance Circus Theatre To Present JEANNE/JEAN/JOHN/JAWN In 2018 Philly Fringe Festival

Incarcerated women fight wildfires. History books are whitewashed. Foundations erode. Tiny changes are imperceptible until they reach a tipping point. Jeanne/Jean/John/Jawn picks up at this moment of catastrophic potential to bring Almanac's signature blend of acrobatic flight, dance, live music, and experimental performance to an oasis of beauty among decaying industry and gentrified condos. Featuring live, original music by Philly favorite Martha Stuckey, the 65-minute show will run for 15 performances September 4-16 at the Maas Building in East Kensington. General admission is $25 (FringeArts Members save 30%). Seating is limited; tickets will be available for purchase at fringearts.com. No one will be turned away for lack of funds. Audiences will be asked to move throughout the performance.

Jeanne/Jean/John/Jawn is inspired in part by the story of botanist Jeanne Baret, the first woman to circumnavigate the globe (1766-1769), who did so dressed as a man. Equal parts dance, circus, and storytelling, the show embraces the spirit of fringe, smashing together a mylar shrouded funeral, aerial cargo net, and acrobatic stair dances with surprise appearances from eclectic characters including JeanBenét Ramsey and Jeanne Barét.

During the show, audiences will explore the company's new home at the Maas building, a former candle factory now dedicated to music and performance creation. The show features live electronic and acoustic music by Red 40 and the Last Groovement frontwoman Martha Stuckey and a guest performance from Circadium School of Contemporary Circus acrobatics instructor Aidan O'Shea.

Now approaching its 5 year anniversary, Jeanne/Jean/John/Jawn returns the company to its roots by reinvesting in the fearless commitment to fully trust and support each other in the ensemble devising process. "We threw away more than a year of dramaturgical research and exploration when we all looked at each other and realized the show we were making was not inspiring us anymore," says co-creator and co-founder of Almanac Nick Gillette. "We almost made a historical docu-drama. We felt ourselves treading the safest path, the one we were already well acquainted with. For this show, we're instead setting out towards the unfamiliar and untested. We're excited to see what might emerge."

Almanac is supported by The Philadelphia Cultural Fund and the Wyncote Foundation. Jeanne/Jean/John/Jawn is made possible through residency at the Philadelphia School of Circus Arts.

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