Dmitri

in the

DARK

Дмитрий во Мраке


facebook | instagram

[ classical music storytelling + stirring circus feats ]

“Real music is always revolutionary.”

Dmitri Shostakovich









About Dmitri in the Dark

Dmitri in the Dark is a unique theatrical experience intertwining a string quartet with contemporary circus arts.

First, dedicate your attention to Dmitri Shostakovich's beautiful and scathing String Quartet No. 6, performed in nearly complete darkness. Then listen again as acrobats and aerialists weave the composition into a story.

The production was hatched by graduate students of the Boston University School of Music seeking to bring classical music to life. Winners of a 2018 BU College of Fine Arts Spark Grant, the artists will share their work with students of CircusUp! and the Roxbury Youth Orchestra, two non-profit organizations that bring circus arts and classical music to under-served youth in Boston.

You can help support our project by purchasing a T-shirt!


Shows

Saturday, May 4, 2019

2:00pm and 7:30pm


Boston University Dance Theater

915 Commonwealth Ave. Boston, MA 02215

The entrance to the theater is on Buick Street.

Students of the Roxbury Youth Orchestra and CircusUp! have been invited to a special performance on Friday, April 26 at the Commonwealth Circus Center. For more details and to RSVP, please Contact Us.


Artists

Amy Meyer, Director

Director

Amy Meyer

Amy Meyer (Director) is a theatre artist, circus arts practitioner, historian, and teacher. She has acted professionally in Boston for a decade, and is an Artistic Associate with the IRNE-award-winning physical theatre company imaginary beasts. She is also a PhD candidate in Theatre and Performance Studies at Tufts University where she specializes in circus history, gender and risk in acrobatic performance. Amy spends her free time finding new ways to defy gravity on aerial silks and flying trapeze.

Leah Abel & Molly Baechtold, Acrobats

Acrobats

Leah Abel & Molly Baechtold

Leah Abel and Molly Baechtold are two talented circus performers who have joined forces to create dynamic duo acts on trapeze, silks, the cube and other innovative apparatus.

Their expertise in aerial acrobatics combined with their alluring stage presence makes for dazzling shows, guaranteed to captivate the audience. With their feats of strength, balletic choreography, and death-defying acrobatics, these two deliver a captivating show.

More information about Leah and Molly can be found at www.baechtoldandabel.com

Rachel Barringer, Acrobat

Acrobat

Rachel Barringer

Rachel Barringer is an aerialist and contortionist who performs around New England with the Boston Circus Guild, Nimble Arts, and Seaside Circus. She is a graduate of the Professional Preparatory Program at Esh Circus Arts and currently coaches circus to youth and adults at Commonwealth Circus Center. When she is not in the air or bending about, she can be found playing cello, teaching yoga, or hanging out with her two chihuahuas and cat named Lisa.

Molly Kimmerling, Actor

Actor

Molly Kimmerling

Molly is a Boston-based performer specializing in and inspired by devised ensemble-driven theater. Molly is a frequent collaborator with imaginary beasts; credits include: Betty Bam, KNOCK: The Daniil Kharms Project, Little Giants: the miniature plays of Thornton Wilder, Coach Rider by Elsa von Freytag-Loringhoven, The Fairy Garden and several Winter Pantos. Select area credits include: Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf and The Kritik (Harbor Stage), Still, Now (Heart & Dagger), Laura (Greater Boston Stage), Splendor (Company One), Rhinoceros (Boston Playwrights Theatre) and most recently Peter and the Starcatcher (Hub Theatre). Molly is a graduate of Cornerstone Theatre Institute under the direction of Bill Rauch and Suffolk University.

William Schuller, Actor

Actor

William Schuller

William Schuller has been performing in local Boston theater since he first appeared in the Independent Drama Society's The Shape of Things in 2009. From 2013-2018 he formed part of the laboratory ensemble Imaginary Beasts as a performer, choreographer, and writer in over a dozen plays, including the IRNE-award-winning KNOCK! The Daniil Kharms Project. Most recently William spent a season with Sh*t-faced Shakespeare, Boston's long-running highbrow theatrical endeavor, as a compère and a Capulet. William is a physically-based theater performer who has trained with artists from across the US and Europe. When not on stage, he likes to read fantastic literature and sing old religious songs.

Alenka Donovan, Violinist

Violin

Alenka Donovan

Boston-based violinist Alenka Donovan is equally at home with Biber and Bartok, and maintains an active performance schedule in orchestral, chamber, and early music. Other recent engagements include the National Philharmonic Orchestra, the Cape Ann Symphony, the Manchester Choral Society, and the Marsh Chapel Collegium. She received her Master’s degree from the Boston University School of Music under the tutelage of Yuri Mazurkevich and Jane Starkman.

Subaiou Zhang, Violinist

Violin

Subaiou Zhang

A native of China, Subaiou came to the US to study the biological sciences in 2006. Instead of going to medical school as planned, Subaiou resumed her violin studies in 2012 and started to pursue music professionally. Currently working towards a D.M.A. in Violin Performance at BU, Subaiou studies with Professor Yuri Mazurkevich and performs actively in the Greater Boston area, including recent solo appearances with the Wellesley Symphony in 2016 and the Brookline Symphony in 2017. When not playing music, Subaiou is happiest to be sewing and making food.

Jessica Cooper, Violist

Viola

Jessica Cooper

Jess is currently a graduate student in viola performance at Boston University, studying with violists Daniel Doña and Michelle LaCourse. In addition to her studies, Jess works as a freelance violist, playing regularly with the New England Symphony and the Cape Cod Chamber Orchestra, also having performed with the New Bedford Symphony, the Cape Ann Symphony, and Music Worcester among others. Jess is also currently an upper strings teacher for elementary students at the Kingsley Montessori School in Boston. When Jess is not spending time with her viola, she enjoys testing out New York Times recipes while pretending to be an expert salsa dancer.

Alyssa Lawson, Cellist

Cello

Alyssa Lawson

Cellist Alyssa Lawson has performed with diverse ensembles, including the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra, the Boston Arabic Ensemble, and The Morning Architect. Alyssa holds a master's degree in cello performance from Boston University, where she studied with Michael Reynolds. She is on the faculty of the Suzuki School of Newton and is a founding member of Cellos on the Charles, a group that supports cello education in Eastern Massachusetts. She enjoys teaching small humans to play large instruments.