#TechTuesday Stay Curious with Circulo/Circle!

Today on the Front Row blog, we’re exploring Encore’s latest show, Circulo/Circle. We had the chance to hear from some of the actors and the director about the production and we’re happy to share their answers with you!

Encore: What would you say is the primary lesson of this piece for our Theatre for the Very Young series?

Rachel Hynes (Director): The primary lesson is for kids is to explore and play! Circles can be anything! I think there’s a lot in the play for adults as well: elements of a STEAM education and the idea that exercise and toys don’t have to be fancy to be fun.

Anderson Wells (Actor): Imagine, explore, and create. A plastic circle can be so many things if you allow yourself to see possibilities. Start discovering and let the ideas flow!

Ruth Elizabeth Diaz (Actor): Always be curious and explore. If you try something and it didn’t work you, try a different way.

Encore: Please describe any of the show’s elements that are specifically designed for preschoolers.

AW: A lot of the discovery that we work with centers on creating ways to have fun with a very simple object. Preschoolers can find ways to make games with friends using the world around them. As our society trends more and more towards getting their entertainment from technology, we forget that there are ways to have fun that don’t involve screens. Our show helps young people see the fun of creating your own entertainment.

RED: We have created the show with minimal language and mostly movement. And the end of the show we invite anyone who would like to, to come play with the hoops and explore.

RH: We love our brightly colored hula hoops! Exploring what these circles can do will exercise your baby’s body and mind.

Encore: What’s been the best part of the rehearsal process? What about the most challenging?

RED: Devising the show has been my favorite and the most challenging for me. I have only experience working on scripted shows before, so getting a chance to create along with other artists this way has been fun. This is also my first show outside of college!

RH: The best part of the rehearsal process is learning to play like children. As adults, we have to pretend that we don’t know what hula hoops are and explore them for the first time all over again. That’s the hardest part has been watching hooping tutorials and trying to learn the tricks. We’ve hit ourselves in the head with hoops more than a few times.

AW: I’ve greatly enjoyed being in a rehearsal room where truly no choice is “wrong.” Rather, due to time restraints we had to simply work with the choices that were strongest. Without the fear of making the “wrong” choice, I felt so much more free to make any choice that came to my mind. I found I was most challenged by the hula-hooping itself as I didn’t know how to before rehearsing this show but with every rehearsal I am getting better and better.

Encore: What do you enjoy most about performing for young people?

AW: It is incredibly rewarding to see moments of discovery or amazement on a young person’s face. Work like this makes stories come to life, which is not something they get every day and I’m so glad to bring something new to them.

RED: I enjoy their honesty. Children have a strong sense of knowing how reality works while still discovering it themselves. When grown-ups try to jump ahead a couple steps, children will always tell you, “That’s not how it works!”

RH: I love creating theatre for young people. It’s a great to get in touch with what is elemental about being human.

Encore: Describe Circulo/Circle in five words or short phrases.

AW: Circus of Creation and Discovery

RED: MAGICAL. ENERGETIC. DISCOVERY. FLOWING. COOL. FUN.

RH: An English/Spanish bilingual hula hooping show.
More fun every time it goes around.
Circles can be anything.

Encore: Any advice for the parents of young theatre-goers?

RED: Enjoy the show with your child. Watch it through their eyes and find the wonderment with them.

RH: Go to as much theatre as possible!

AW: Keep them coming back. Make theatre an integral part of their lives whether they want to be on the stage, behind the stage, or watching the stage. Theatre can change lives in the most spectacular ways so make sure they stay involved.

Many thanks to these artists for taking the time to share with us. Be sure to come see all of their hard work at Circulo/Circle, now playing at Encore’s Main Campus!