THEATER: TRACES (March Issue)

I’ve been writing about my experience with the theater for a while now, but this is the first time that I’m writing “post-production.”  There’s a lot that goes into a show before it hits that stage and I love being a part of it.  However, sharing my experience with this particular show had to be after seeing it.  Traces is like nothing I have ever seen before.  It’s almost difficult to describe, but I will give it my best shot.

Have you ever been to a big city and stopped to watch the street performers?  I’ve seen children doing back flips on Beale Street in Memphis, artists on Jackson Square in New Orleans surrounded by painted live statues, New York dance crews in Times Square and of course lots and lots of singers in Broadway shows  in Nashville.  Imagine the best of all types of street performances that you’ve ever seen channeled in to seven performers, train them to be in the circus and give them access to the greatest theaters in the world with all the props, lighting, music and everything else that entails and you’ve got Traces.

This 7 Fingers Production could be called an “Urban Cirque de Soleil,” but there’s just more to it.  The performers are acrobats, singers, musicians, dancers and artists, but they let you know who they are as people and what they are about.  They’re not actors.  They’re on the stage as themselves.  It’s emotional, funny, intimate and exhilarating, maybe even a little confusing at times.  Not everyone will “get it”, but ALL will be entertained.   To find out more, go to www.tracesusa.com