Cirque Mechanics performer Ossie Sanchez does his hat juggling routine as part of ‘Zephyr.’ The tale about the wind and a miller coming to terms will be presented at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 19 at the Ellen Eccles Theatre (Image courtesy of Facebook).
LOGAN – The next attraction in the 2023-24 National Touring Season at the Ellen Eccles Theatre will be Zephyr: A Whirlwind of Circus on Oct. 19.
Presented by the Cache Valley Center for the Arts, Zephyr is an on-stage parable about power, progress and the most reliable of all renewable energy sources – the wind.
The show is the brainchild of Cirque Mechanics, a performing arts troupe that has its roots in mechanical devices and its heart in stories of American industrial ingenuity.
While working for Cirque du Soleil in 1999, Chris Lashua and Aloysia Gavre began experiments using an innovative aerial apparatus. Their success with that device created the inspiration for the development of other machines that showcased the relationship between the acrobatic and mechanical worlds.
Inspired by modern circuses, Cirque Mechanics’ unique trademarks are acrobatics, mechanical marvels and a bit of clowning around.
Those stylistic signatures can be found in its theatrical productions developed over the years, which are entitled Birdhouse Factory, Boom Town, Pedal Punk, 42 Ft. and – the show they will perform here in Logan — Zephyr.
From the Greek god of the west wind Zephyrus, a zephyr has come to mean a gentle breeze. But humans have been harnessing the beauty and efficiency of the wind for thousands of years.
Here in Logan, Lashua explains, the creative team at Cirque Mechanics will harnesses human power, instead of wind, to drive a windmill to serve as the multifunctional mechanical centerpiece of Zephyr.
Inspired by a visit to a working windmill in central England, Zephyr is the story of Nigel, a mill owner and his complicated relationship with wind.
Lured by other fuels in the name of progress, Nigel grapples with tough choices and unintended consequences with humor and optimism, leading to acceptance, coexistence and a new balance with wind.
Zephyr will be performed one night only at 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 19.
Each year, the Cache Valley Center for the Arts brings the best of national and international talent to the Ellen Eccles Theatre as part of the CacheARTS Presents season.
Tickets for Zephyr can be obtained online at https://www.cachearts.org/