HYDE
From the creative team who brought you the multi-award-winning Off-Broadway sensation “Generic Male” comes PUSH Physical Theatre’s new show:
It's Jekyll & Hyde with a twist. Meet Edward Hyde. He has rented a theatre, put on his fanciest suit and hired a couple of actors to tell his side of the story. His lofty ambitions to be a superstar careen off the rails when his special guest is late and his actors go off script. Can he keep his emotions in check and pull off the greatest event of the century? It’ll be hilarious, acrobatic, and for the audience, maybe a little dangerous.
Don’t be a stranger now - :
All About HYDE:
PUSH’s “HYDE” was made possible by generous grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, New England Foundation for the Arts, New York State Council on the Arts, the Rochester Area Community Foundation, and a growing list of people like you!
The physical theatre art of PUSH is a multi-disciplinary form of physical storytelling—using dance, partnering, athleticism, acrobatics, mime and artistry—to express what it means to be human. The classic R. L. Stevenson tale The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, also takes as its theme the question of what it means to be human.
Why is a re-interpretation of a 19th century story important now? Our fascination with the duality of human nature continues to resonate in the 21st century, as human nature is enhanced—for better and worse—by the technologies we create. The internet has empowered Hyde, freeing him from the restrictions imposed by being physically face to face with another person as he indulges his dark side. The internet allows Hyde to reach us in our homes and hearts. Jekyll is left wondering what happened—and how to contain what he has unleashed with his “magic elixir.” His good intentions are hijacked by Mr. Hyde—not a separate being, but the duality existing inside a single human being.
The seeds of ‘Hyde’ were planted several years ago when PUSH undertook a “proof of concept” experiment as a re-telling of the famous story of Dr. Jekyll and his evil counterpart. Trying out these early ideas in front of a small live audience revealed both the potential for such a show and its serious challenges ‘Hyde’ is an entirely new devised work, one which creates a Hyde for the 21st century.
All of PUSH’s projects and programs inform one another. Our work with at-risk students at the Villa of Hope and at schools throughout Rochester was a major motivation for our commitment to developing ‘Hyde’ as a performance.
As artists we are frankly a bit terrified to take on the challenge of presenting the subject of violence in a meaningful way. Most people are afraid to talk about the acts of violence we are all aware of, because words can be so polarizing. Yet while we all as a society are afraid to talk about it, it keeps happening. Physical theatre is a largely nonverbal form of storytelling that works on a primal level. As artists we are in a position to start a cultural conversation which might be meaningful. Are we willing to take this risk? Let this be the time we choose to be courageous enough to talk about it.
Our ideas for characters and themes have been inspired by the lightning-speed changes of technology and also by current events. For example, as part of our research and initial creation of ‘Hyde’ the collaborating artists discussed the mothers of young men who commit terrible crimes. We rarely hear anything about them. What would meeting Hyde’s mother do to the ‘story’ we are being told? PUSH Artistic Director Heather Stevenson, as a mother who has raised teenage boys, brings a weight of authority to the telling of this story. We need to hear all of these voices on stages.
In so many ways, the core company of PUSH Physical Theatre is the perfect cast for this show. Ashley Jones brings European clowning experience that is ideal for the way Hyde presents at the beginning: the clown is always on stage, figuring out what is the game and how do I play? He’s very improvisational and also disarmingly pleasant. The training of Darren and Heather Stevenson is more stylized, and in this production will deliberately be less naturalistic in presenting Hyde’s parents and other characters. The audience starts out rooting for Hyde, relating more readily to him. But Hyde is playing a deadly game.
Phase 1 of ‘Hyde’ included a month-long residency working with theatre arts students at the University of Arts & Science of Oklahoma. The expertise of resident dramaturg and professor Katie Davis and her considerable experience in devised productions and experimental theatre was invaluable, as was working with these ‘Gen Z’ students, who have never known a world without the internet and social media, and for whom news reports of mass shootings and other forms of violence are becoming regular events.
The world is reeling with growing anxiety about the power and unpredictable influence of AI, the spreading threat of war and conflict, and the increasing prevalence of mass shootings, often fueled by social media. We cannot know how these will affect our creative development of the show, or the community conversations that will arise from our performances. Perhaps the best time for ‘Hyde,’ a show that confronts what happens when millennia-old human instincts meet cutting-edge scientific developments, was 20 years ago at the dawn of the internet’s influence on human experience. The next-best time is clear: Right. Now.
Praise for PUSH:
“By far, their performances were the highlight of the entire season. Superb people, superb artists, and superb collaborators. They are a treasure.”
– Mark Cuddy, Artistic Director, Geva Theatre Center
“Amazing...the star of the night!”
– Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas, TLC
“...perfect metaphor-in-motion...myth and magic...super-strong acrobatics...”
– City Newspaper
“That was epic, man...you guys are super-human.”
– Harry Shum Jr, Glee
“...emphasis on the awe.”
– New York Theatre Guide
“The most fantastic, emotional event I have ever experienced. Absolutely remarkable”
– Audience rave
See PUSH-in-Action:
PUSH on TV and Stage
PUSH Collision with Grammy-Winning Ying Quartet
PUSH’s “Dracula”
THANKS:
PUSH’s “HYDE” was made possible by generous grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, New England Foundation for the Arts, New York State Council on the Arts, the Rochester Area Community Foundation, and a growing list of people like you!
Use these buttons to tell your friends about the show!