Gravity-defying acrobatics meet theatrical ingenuity when Cirque Mechanics returns to the Lake Michigan College Mendel Center with their spectacular new production. On Saturday, Oct. 25, at 7:30 p.m., the Mendel Center Jenkins Theatre audience will be transported into the whimsical world of “Tilt! A Circus Thrill Ride” – an awe-inspiring celebration of mechanical marvels and human artistry that reimagines the thrills and wonder of an amusement park.
In Tilt!, Cirque Mechanics takes you on a journey to the backlot of their inventive theme park, where in the shadow of the roller coaster and under the lights of the Ferris wheel, you’ll meet the operators, carnies, and characters that keep the rides running and the thrills coming.
Cirque Mechanics was founded in 2004 by Boston native and German Wheel artist, Chris Lashua, after the success of a collaborative project with the Circus Center of San Francisco entitled Birdhouse Factory. Cirque Mechanics quickly established itself as a premier American circus, with its unique approach to performance, inspiring storytelling, and innovative mechanical staging. Spectacle Magazine hailed it as “the greatest contribution to the American circus since Cirque du Soleil.”
According to the Mendel Center, Cirque Mechanics, although inspired by modern circus, finds its roots in the mechanical and its heart in the stories of American ingenuity. The shows, rooted in realism, display a raw quality, rarely found in modern circus, that makes their message timeless and relevant. The stories are wrapped in circus acrobatics, mechanical wonders, and a bit of clowning around. The troupe has created six extraordinary productions; Birdhouse Factory, Boomtown, Pedal Punk, 42FT- A Menagerie of Mechanical Marvels, Zephyr, and now Tilt: A Circus Thrill Ride.
Tickets will be available to the public at www.TheMendelCenter.com/events beginning at 8 a.m. Friday, June 6.
In celebration of our community’s love for the arts, generous underwriting from the Gast Young People’s Performance Endowment and Premiere Partners allows the LMC Mendel Center to offer tickets starting at the special price of $10 plus service fee for this performance.
Cirque Mechanics: Tilt! A Circus Thrill Ride is part of the Mendel Center Discovery Series.
