The recently opened Arcadia cultural arts center in Ballard (943 NW 50th St) is hosting their first circus performance in October. The immersive, interactive show will run for ten dates only with limited capacity — only 50 will be admitted for each show.
The performance, “Into the Dark“, is a production of The Cabiri, a Seattle-based cirque-inspired performance troupe. This is the 12th annual performance of the Ghost Game series, which runs through Halloween and plays on all things ghostly.
“It’s based on a Japanese tradition of telling rather terrifying tales, but has evolved into more of an interactive theater,” Arcadia co-founder John Murphy tells My Ballard. “It takes different stories from folklore from around the world, and since it’s Halloween, the tales are dark and scary. In this show we are dealing with the transition into the underworld where people find themselves unfortunately deceased.”
This isn’t your average circus performance — the show will be highly interactive, with audience members expected to be part of the performance.
“You, the audience, will become part of the performance throughout the evening, moving through Arcadia and seeing performances throughout the space,” the directors say. “You will encounter characters from our stories and your actions will influence the course of the performance.”
They ask that the audience not bring bags of any kind (including purses) to the performance, and to wear comfortable, flat footwear, as portions of the performance will require the audience to stand up and move around. The show will include acrobatic theater, aerial dance, live music and puppetry.
Murphy and co-founder Charly McCreary have goals to expand their offerings at Arcadia, hoping to one day become the cultural arts center of Ballard. With that in mind, they’ll be hosting weekly Saturday cultural performances at their events space. They also plan to offer the space for cultural groups’ workshops, classes, rehearsals or community gatherings. To stay updated on their classes and performances, visit their Facebook page.
“Into the Dark” will show October 18 – 20, 25 – 27, and 31 – November 3, with doors open at 7:30pm. Tickets are $35 and available here. Murphy recommends purchasing tickets early — the shows have sold out nearly every year.
Photos by Warren Woo and Witty Pixel Photography