23–27 Sep
ESCAPE
DIAVOLO | ARCHITECTURE IN MOTION (USA)
A boundary-breaking fusion of human movement and physical structures.
Physical Movement
A boundary-breaking fusion of human movement and physical structures. This is a show that will leave you breathless. Visceral and high-octane, ESCAPE blends complex, moving architectural structures with multi-talented performers to create a bloodpumping and emotional multimedia experience. Along with DIAVOLO’s signature athletic movement aesthetic, ESCAPE features a collection of the company’s most famous architectural structures. Each evokes a story unique to its design, echoing themes of exploration, danger, fear, survival, resilience, and connection, all brought to life through a soundtrack spanning decades and genres, from pop and EDM to rock. Interacting with these incredible structures, the performers escape their ordinary lives into a surreal landscape of infinite possibilities, driven by extreme determination, joy, and collaboration.
DURATION 62min
CONTENT WARNING
Theatrical haze and fog, loud noises. Age recommendation: 7+
Director’s Note
The first imaginings of this show came to me during the pandemic. Since then the world has only gotten more chaotic, and our future more unpredictable. I first enlisted my writer and dramaturg, France Nguyen Vincent, to help me translate the images in my head. After many conversations, storyboarding, and writing sessions, we created the bones of the show you are seeing tonight. Then, along with my 22 performers, we decided to create our own environment as a physical escape. We locked ourselves in our studio in downtown Los Angeles, and together as a community – as a family of artists – we created together, collaborated together, and helped one another to cope with the outside world. Three months later, we had created ESCAPE, a piece that reflected our own state of mind. In the show you follow a group of artists through an environment of architectural structures. Each one tells its own story and conveys different emotions. We start with a cage structure, the most literal representation of entrapment. We want to break free... we want to break THROUGH... but we find ourselves back in the cage.
With resilience, courage and commitment we make our way through our ever-changing landscape, ending with an abstract boat-like structure as we sail to new horizons. This structure plays with the concepts of equilibrium and finding your footing. It was important to finish the show with a sense of hope and community. You see the performers taking a leap of faith. They catapult through the air, trusting that someone will be there to catch them. Their community gives them strength through stormy waters, and ultimately they are able to rise. At the end of the day, ESCAPE was a collective project that followed the same trajectory. We don’t pretend to be the best artists in the world. We all come from different backgrounds... dancers, parkour artists, trickers, acrobats, gymnasts, actors. As my performers can tell you, I’m not even a “dancer” at all. I don’t even know how to count music!....But TOGETHER we have found a way to express our passion and our fighting spirit through authentic movement. This authenticity and collaboration is at the heart of what we do. The goal of ESCAPE was not really to create an art piece here, but to use our art to find peace.
JACQUES HEIM DIRECTOR
The Team Creative Director & Choreographer
Jacques Heim
Writer & Dramaturg
France Nguyen Vincent
Associate Choreographer
Kate Dougherty
Cast Performer
Abraham Meisel
Performer / Project & Production Manager
Caribay Franke
Performer
Chadwick Gaspard
Performer / Wardrobe Manager
Chance Becker
Performer
Christopher Borrero
Performer
Claire Schick
Performer
Connor Senning
Performer / Director of Programs & Education
Co-eL Rodriguez
Performer / Technical Manager
Daemion Marcuz
Performer
Emily Grable
Performer
Emrose Seidenberg
Performer
Evan Hernandez
Performer
Gabriela Collazo
Performer
Isabella Reveles
Performer
Jarel Lewis
Performer / Wardrobe Manager
Karah Haug
Performer / Associate Choreographer
Kate Dougherty
Performer
Liana Kulchin
Performer
Madison Moser
Performer
Marcel Abadia
Performer
Nola Gibson
Performer / Assistant Choreographer & Rehearsal Director
Ryan Ruiz
Performer / Sound Designer & Media Specialist
Simon Larson Greenberg
Performer (Understudy)
AJ Guevara
Performer (Understudy)
Matthew Wagner
The Team Creative & Production Team Creative Director & Choreographer
Jacques Heim
Chief Operating Officer
Jose Hernandez
Writer & Dramaturg
France Nguyen-Vincent
Associate Choreographer
Kate Dougherty
Assistant Choreographer & Rehearsal Director
Ryan Ruiz
Lighting Designer
Jean-Yves Tessier
Sound Designer & Media Specialist
Simon Larson Greenberg
Costume Designer (with additional styling by Angelina Gault & Mariah Orneleas)
David Touster
Project & Production Manager
Caribay Franke
Director of Programs and Education
Juan “CoeL” Rodriguez
Technical Director
Mark Baker
Assistant Technical Director
Daemion Marcuz
Structure Designer
Adam Davis
Structure Designer
Daniel Wheeler
Designer / Fabricator / Engineer
Mike McCluskey
Designer / Fabricator / Engineer
Tina Trefethen
DIAVOLO | ARCHITECTURE IN MOTION® DIAVOLO | ARCHITECTURE IN MOTION® is a creative movement production company that uses custom, architectural structures and a unique movement aesthetic to create live, cinematic, and multimedia experiences. DIAVOLO productions explore innovation and celebrate the complexity of the human condition with an undefinable blend of dance, stunt work, acrobatics, circus arts, and pedestrian movement. The work is athletic, captivating, and visceral.
Jacques Heim
Creative Director & Choreographer Jacques Heim is a Creative Director & Choreographer from Paris, France. He founded DIAVOLO in 1992, immediately after graduating from the California Institute of the Arts. With DIAVOLO, Heim cultivated his signature aesthetic: a fusion of dance, acrobatics, athleticism, and pedestrian movement. Since then, DIAVOLO has performed all over the world, including prominent features on America’s Got Talent and the 2024 GRAMMYs. Heim’s other notable credits include: Cirque Du Soleil’s KÀ (Choreographer), Opening Ceremony for the 16th Asian Games (Creative Director), Taurus Stunt Awards (Artistic Director), and BBC America’s Dancing with the Stars (Choreographer).
Kate Dougherty
Associate Choreographer Kate Dougherty has been working with DIAVOLO | Architecture in Motion since 2016. Besides being a performer and teacher with DIAVOLO, Kate has held many leadership roles including Marketing Manager, Education Program Director, Rehearsal Director and Associate Choreographer.
France Nguyen Vincent Writer & Dramaturg
France Nguyen Vincent has been involved with DIAVOLO as writer and dramaturg since 2019, notably as a key driver of its Veterans Program. A performing artist, literary translator, writer, educator and creative consultant, she had a career as a professional dancer with the Nederlands Dans Theater (The Netherlands), Companía Nacional de Danza (Spain), and the Lyon Opera Ballet (France). She also holds a degree in English Language and Literature as well as in translation, and has worked in the administrations of international pedagogical institutions worldwide. France now fully engages in creative collaboration and consultation.
Ryan Ruiz
Performer / Assistant Choreographer & Rehearsal Director Dancer, choreographer, and educator based in Los Angeles, Ryan is the rehearsal director of DIAVOLO | Architecture in Motion. He received his BFA in Dance Theatre and is currently a faculty member at AMDA. He has performed works nationally and internationally for many Directors, Choreographers, Companies such as L.A Contemporary Dance Company, Iker Karrera, Daniel Ezralow, Mike Tyus, JM Rodriguez, Genevieve Carson, Micaela Taylor, Whyteberg, Invertigo Dance Theatre, and Acts of Matter. He is a certified heated indoor cycling instructor, personal trainer and rock climber.
Jean-Yves Tessier Lighting Designer
Jean-Yves Tessier hails from the cold reaches of Canada. Selected credits include: Victory Hill Entertainment’s Jurassic World: The Exhibition with designs and installation in Paris, Madrid, Bangkok and Chengdu. Avatar: The Exhibition for NeonGlobal and Shanghai Disney. Theme Park designs for Knotts’ Berry Farm, SeaWorld, San Diego and Crystal Cruises. Plays and musicals including Dan Castellaneta’s For Piano and Harpo, A Noise Within’s Gem of the Ocean, MacCoy-Rigby Entertainment and 3D Theatricals. Academic and holiday designs for California State University, University of Southern California and Young Americans. Jean-Yves is currently Resident Designer for DIAVOLO | Architecture in Motion.
Simon Larson Greenberg Sound Designer & Media Specialist
Simon Larson Greenberg is a California-born performer, sound designer, and media specialist whose work lives at the intersection of movement, music, and technology. A graduate of California Institute of the Arts, Simon first worked with DIAVOLO in 2016 and joined the touring company in 2017. His background in dance, acrobatics, martial arts, music, and theatre technology has allowed him to contribute to DIAVOLO both onstage and behind the scenes. For ESCAPE, Simon has had the pleasure of bringing these worlds together as a performer and sound designer, continuing his fascination with creating visceral experiences for both performers and audiences alike.
David Touster
Caribay Franke
With ESCAPE, David continues to explore the story-telling vocabulary of costuming created in collaboration with Jacques Heim on their first project together, Existencia. The costumes hope to establish the company as a tribe, parts of a cohesive unit more than individuals.
Caribay Franke is a producer, performer, and educator from Caracas, Venezuela. After receiving degrees in Theatre and Film from the University of Southern California, she joined DIAVOLO’s educational company in 2019 as a dancer and teaching artist. Since then, she has been working alongside Jacques Heim as DIAVOLO’s Project & Production Manager. It has been such a privilege for her to witness Jacques’s brilliance (and insanity) up close, and to contribute to DIAVOLO’s recent projects from their conception. Seeing the work come to life, and sharing the stage with these brilliant performers is a dream come true.
Costume Designer
He has worked previously as an interdisciplinary designer, a set decorator, and a fine artist.
Project & Production Manager
Juan “Co-eL” Rodriguez Director of Programs and Education
Juan “Co-eL” Rodriguez is the Director of Programs and Education for DIAVOLO | Architecture in Motion, where he leads the planning, implementation, evaluation, and growth of the organization’s education and community engagement initiatives. He oversees school and community partnerships, curriculum development, teaching artists, program operations, schedules, and budgets while supporting programs including T.R.U.S.T., L.A. UNITY, DISCOVERY, and Youth Nights. A Hip Hop dance and performance artist from Phoenix, Arizona, Co-eL studied dance at Arizona State University and has performed with DIAVOLO and The Feath3r Theory. He is also an accomplished lighting designer, production professional, and arts educator.
Dae Marcuz
Assistant Technical Director Dae Marcuz is a dance educator and performer with a background in color guard and modern dance. He served in the United States Marine Corps as an engineer equipment operator in Okinawa, Japan, and completed a tour in Afghanistan with 9th Engineer Support Battalion during Operation Enduring Freedom. After his military service, Dae pursued dance at Utah Valley University, earning a BS in Dance Education and a BFA in Modern Dance. He began his journey with DIAVOLO as a guest artist through the DIAVOLO Veterans Project and has since joined the company as a full member, additionally contributing as Assistant Technical Director.
Mark Baker
Technical Director Mark Baker has been working with DIAVOLO since the fortune cookie occurrence of 2002. He provides technical support (and personal encouragement) to maintain, enhance and elevate the artistic expression of DIAVOLO’s repertoire and architecture. When not working with DIAVOLO, Mark designs and programs controls for the AV systems of corporate overlords. To feed his soul, he serves as Technical Director to Invertigo Dance Theatre, General Mischief Dance Theatre and the occasional small theater production. Mark is a proud uncle and the #1 fan of his real life superhero and wife, Scarlet.
Further Reading Broadway World Article: https://www.broadwayworld.com
Acknowledgements Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC) CHAIR
Ian Walker
TRUST MEMBERS Leanne Coddington Dr Sophie Galaise Rebecca Pini Susan Rix AM Patrice Scott
EXECUTIVE STAFF
Rachel Healy Chief Executive Zoë Connolly Executive Director – Philanthropy and Partnerships Gemma Davidson-Butler Executive Director – People and Culture Roxanne Hopkins Executive Director – Marketing and Ticketing Bill Jessop Executive Director – Venue Infrastructure and Production Services Ellen Kavanagh Executive Director – Curatorial Kurt Schulte-Schrepping Executive Director – Venue Services and First Nations Strategy Scott Pugh General Counsel Brett Walker-Davies Chief Financial Officer
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The Queensland Performing Arts Trust is a statutory body of the State of Queensland and is partially funded by the Queensland Government. The Honourable John-Paul Langbroek MP Minister for Education and the Arts Sharon Schimming Director-General, Department of Education
QPAC rests on the lands of the Yuggera and Turrbal peoples. We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of this country and recognise their rich cultural heritage and enduring connection to the land, waters, and skies. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are this country’s original storytellers, and it is our privilege to continue to share stories and be a place of gathering on this land that has been a meeting place for millennia. Thank you to all our donors for their generous support of the QPAC Foundation, which enables us to reach beyond the stage and bring a sense of belonging, community engagement, and joy to all Queenslanders. To find out more about the QPAC Foundation and how you might support its work please email philanthropy@qpac.com.au. We give heartfelt thanks to QPAC’s Principal Partners Hyundai and MinterEllison and we acknowledge the valued support of all our corporate partners who help make our work possible.
Brisbane Festival Team
Ebony Bott
Artistic Director
BOARD OF DIRECTORS Dr Jane Wilson AO Philip Bacon AO Kim Challenor Andrew King Mirusia Louwerse Amanda Newbery Jonathan Perry Sophie Robertson Graeme Wikman
LEADERSHIP TEAM Michael Adams Bella Ford Claire Hooper Tim Pack Justine Robins
DEVELOPMENT Lyndsey Black
Xandy Blue Jared Cameron Jodie Gordon Warrick McDonald
FINANCE
Rhoisin Elwell-Sutton Lorelle Edwards
Charlie Cush
Chief Executive Officer
Chair Deputy Chair
Emily Barclay Kiahna Herbert Persephone Hitzke-Dean Sasha Iwanick Nadia Jade Okorn Mark Sutton Sabrina Ryan Ella Winten
Aunty Bridget Garay Aunty Raelene Rallah-Baker Ben Graetz Danielle Ah Boo Luke Peacock Sharnee Hegarty
Chief Impact Officer Program Director Chief Financial Officer / Company Secretary Technical Director Administration Manager Development Coordinator – Philanthropy Development Administrator Development Coordinator Development Manager – Philanthropy Development Manager – Partnerships Financial Accountant Finance Assistant
MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS Lucy Andrews
INDIGENOUS ADVISORY GROUP
Marketing Officer – Media & Comms Ticketing Lead Ticketing Coordinator Ticketing and CRM Manager Marketing Officer – Content & Engagement Marketing Manager Brand and Content Manager Brand Coordinator Marketing Officer – Digital Lead
Chair; Kemer Kemer Meriam Nation Yuggera, Birri, Girramay Nations Malak Malak, Kungarakan, Muran Clan, and Torres Strait Islands Samsep, Dhoeybaw, Maluligal, Kulkalgal Samsep/Meriam Gunggari, Wulkurukaba
PROGRAMMING Darcy Boyd Stefan Greder Adeline Shaddick Genevieve Trace
TECHNICAL Richard Clarke Andrew Haden Henry Manning
Production Coordinator Senior Producer Associate Producer Program Manager Production Manager Technical Manager Technical Coordinator
GIVING COMMITTEE
The Honourable Justice Thomas Bradley Courtney Talbot Philip Bacon AO Andrew Baker Heidi Cooper Anna Palmer Prue Pateras Paul Taylor AM Dr Jane Wilson AO
NEXT GEN GIVING COMMITTEE Ashleigh Mansfield Alissa Bermingham Xanthe Lowe-Brown Bianca Wylie Phoebe Zavros
Chair
Chair Deputy Chair
Acknowledgements
Presented by Brisbane Festival in association with Queensland Performing Arts Centre. This project is supported through the Giving Program by Tim Fairfax AC and Gina Fairfax AC, I&C George Family Foundation, and Liz Pidgeon and Graeme Wikman.
brisbanefestival.com.au