Fringe Festival favorite since 1999, Brian Sanders’ JUNK will premiere …strand… opening on September 7th, 2017. The troupe, known for electrifying performances that push the boundaries of our human condition, will feature Forgotten Bottom as its latest alternative venue.
…strand… features a company of seven performers including Artistic Director, Brian Sanders, who, dubbed fearless acrobatic-dance fusionists, lead audiences through time and space on diverging walking tours across multiple eras in Forgotten Bottom’s history. In order to participate, audiences select from a variety of different tours: Rugged Primal; the bare-bones, raw, elemental experience, Nuclear Romance; a neotopic semi-apocalyptic experience, Medieval Revelry; a merry minstrel-led courtly romp, and Future Fancy Ultimate; a suave picnic repast avec fermented ichor. Each performance/tour has a different starting point along the trail. Eras and audiences collide, as each of the adventures eventually intersect in a final spectacle on the crescent.
…strand…is a blend of adventure, immersive performance, and acrobatic dance-theater, a celebration and exploration of shrubs, rivers, and liminal worlds.
The show is built around the malleability of time, of eras, of worlds and how they fold, blend, and impress upon each other. The finale, synchronized at sunset each evening, brings this to a head, emphasizing how the surreality and history become an analogy of dusk and the rift of possibility.
Tickets and Performances
…strand… performances will take place along the DuPont Crescent Trail, Philadelphia, PA 19146 at Grays Ferry Crescent Trail Park:
Thursday 9/7 at 6:32pm Friday 9/8 at 6:30pm
Saturday 9/9 at 3:00pm and at 6:29pm Sunday 9/10 at 3:00pm and at 6:27pm Wednesday 9/13 at 6:22pm
Thursday 9/14 at 6:21pm
Friday 9/15 at 6:19pm Saturday 9/16 at 6:17pm
Sunday 9/17 at 3:00pm and at 6:17pm Wednesday 9/20 at 6:11pm
Thursday 9/21 at 6:09pm Friday 9/22 at 6:07pm
Saturday 9/23 at 3:00pm and at 6:06pm
Rugged Primal and Nuclear Romance tickets are $35 per person, Medieval Revelry tickets are $45 per person, and Future Fancy Ultimate tickets are $75 per person. All tickets can be ordered online at: http://fringearts.com/events/strand/ or http://www.strand.tours or by calling the Box Office at: (215) 413-1318. Future Fancy Ultimate tickets MUST be purchased in advance. All other tickets will be available online and at their respective trailheads.
BYOXYZ: scooters, outfits, libations, headphones, etc. Audiences will be able to “plug-in” to hear unique specialized soundscapes tailored to each tour.
Those interested in amplifying their experience are encouraged to ride our scooters and other mobile devices around the trail.
Snack and drink will be provided for those participating in the Medieval Revelry tour and a special picnic-style catered meal will be provided for those on the Future Fancy Ultimate tour.
The venue will be accessible at trailheads located at three points: at the intersection of Wharton St and Schuylkill Ave, at the FedEx Ship Center entrance next to the Grays Ferry Ave bridge, and next to the Pennovation Center parking lot, which will be available for our patrons’ use.
Since 1992, Brian Sanders and his troupe, JUNK has, as one critic put it “left audiences spellbound by the intricacies and daredevil risks of Sanders’ ingenious choreography”. Media hales JUNK as “accessible, technically flawless and thrilling” and declares Sanders “the city’s most exciting choreographer” and “one of Philadelphia’s greatest cultural treasures.” JUNK is based in Philadelphia, PA offering a regular season that includes a main run during the Fringe Festival in Philadelphia, the winter fantasy-themed fundraising event Snowball, as well as a spring program. The troupe tours nationally and abroad performing for both stage and television. Through its work the company strives to inspire with creativity and serve as a catalyst for generating fresh ideas that encourage audiences to see the world in a new and vital way. For more information on JUNK, visit www.briansandersjunk.com.
