An Urban Contemporary Circus

People in Public

“People in Public explores how humans find brief yet magical moments of connection in an urban landscape.”

There’s a certain magic to living in an urban space. Anonymity and sheer numbers can create loneliness, but also deeply touching moments of connection with people who just as easily disappear. Lets take a deep dive into the instances where you make eye contact with a stranger on the train platform, and have a moment of shared understanding, all presented in the language of physical theatre and circus.

Imagine:

A subway commute where strangers climb and flip atop one another. A laundromat where the washing machines are aerial hoops, and everyone has brought their own emotional baggage.

Trash comes alive, and tries to evade the garbage men. Pigeons making a nuisance from a trapeze high in the air.

A playground where the play is next level and an ice cream seller who hates children but shares their heart’s desire in a dream ballet.

Currently Scheduling Tour Dates for ‘25-’26

Team

This project is the brain child of Danie Kohn, supported by Performance Partner and Technical Director, Rob Williams, and their production company, Casting Shapes. In 2024, Danie was welcomed as an Artist in Residence at Culture Lab LIC and People in Public will be presented in their New Works Festival Nov 7-10.

Previously, Danie and Rob have performed in the Immersive Show “The Tiger’s Bride”, created a bespoke show in the “Van Gogh Immersive”. Danie has also served as the Acrobatic Coordinator for the Tony Award Winning “Illinoise” and “McNeal,” currently in previews at the Beaumont Theatre at Lincoln Center.

”People in Public” is a production of Casting Shapes.

Collaborators

Brittany Posas

Jake Thach Nguyen

Barbara Gentile

Tegan Siobhan

Becca Fox

Medea Exogiinos

Danie Kohn

Rob Williams

Juliana Burkhart

Michael Goldman

Sterling Sanders

Theo Lachman

Duo Elova: Helené + Vova

Sound Design by Julians Evans

Costume Design + Stage Management by Francesca Bonnevie

Additional Support:

This work is made possible in large part by Culture Lab LIC. Danie Kohn is a 2024 Emerging Artist in Residence at Culture Lab LIC, and the inaugural run of People in Public is part of their New Works Festival.

Many thanks to CirqueHaus for being our creative homebase + support.

Videography by Lanny Huang.

Photography by Becca Fox, Mikail Lipyanskiy.

Thanks for Richard and Ashlee, and CirqueHaus for equipment.

Special thank you to Wafels + Dinges for the Ice Cream Cart.

SUPPORT THE SHOW - Culture Lab Edition

There are a lot of costs associated with building an ensemble based circus show - especially one as ambitious as People in Public.

Currently, our development period is unfunded - meaning the artists are giving their time, energy and creativity without pay. It takes years of training, and many hours of rehearsal to build the skills in this show. We are covering expenses related to training space, admin, publicity, insurance, costuming and rigging.

If you’d like to read more about the challenges facing the development of new circus work in the United Staes, please read Danie’s Opinion Piece on the topic (Available Soon!)

Tickets are on sale for $40 - although their true value as it relates to skilled artistic labor and show expense is much higher. We felt it was important to price tickets affordably for this iteration of the project, and thus, need a little support from the greater community.

Please consider making a donation to People in Public.
Every little bit helps!

All donations of $75 or higher will include a ticket.
We are looking for raise at least $2800 to offset equipment costs, development and rehearsal expenses, and to better pay our
artistic collaborators.