PUSH Physical Theatre Returns To Geva Theatre Center With FLIGHT 1549 5/29-6/7

Rochester's award-winning PUSH Physical Theatre returns to the prestigious GeVa Theatre Center in May with the World Premiere of "Flight 1549," inspired by that miraculous landing in the Hudson River and accompanied by its cockpit audio tape.

"When I heard the audio tape, like everyone else, I was struck by how incredibly calm the pilot (Capt. Chesley Sullenberger) was," says PUSH Artistic Director Darren Stevenson. "Then a pilot friend explained that it's a skill called 'deliberate calm' that pilots practice for emergency situations, and that - to him - it feels like slowing down time. Since manipulating time and space is basically what PUSH does, I was immediately inspired to create this piece."

In "Flight 1549," PUSH Physical Theatre's five members alternately become the birds, the plane, the river, the passengers and more in this riveting "reenactment."

PUSH's Geva program, entitled Time Remix, will feature another World Premiere: "Time," which explores athletes' perception of time during competition, as well as a sneak peek at PUSH's Dracula: The Shape of Evil, a major work in progress. The gravity-defying company returns to Geva's Nextstage May 29 - June 7, 2009 for 11 performances, following its sold-out run in February of 2008. Those Rochester Theatrefest performances featured the World Premiere of -abled, an exploration of addiction using medical equipment such as crutches and walkers.

"By far, their performances...were the highlight of the entire (Theatrefest) season," says GeVa Theatre Center Artistic Director Mark Cuddy. "They are a treasure."

Last month, PUSH Physical Theatre received the "Community of Color" Black History Month Anton Germano Dance Award, honoring advocates for an inclusive and diverse community who continue to effect positive change. The award was a result of Stevenson's performance at Geva on World AIDS Day (Dec. 1, 2008) of "The Soldier," in which he evolves from a young boy playing baseball into a soldier at war.

PUSH Physical Theatre has been called "a cross between fine art sculpture and the hit movie, The Matrix," but its co-founders currently (and with tongue firmly in cheek) characterize it as: "Like regular theatre...but more painful." Founded in Rochester, NY in 2000 by husband-and-wife team, Darren and Heather Stevenson, PUSH represents the couple's desire to "push" the boundaries of conventional theatre. Its physical feats can be awe-inspiring, but the cherry on top of this acrobatic sundae is PUSH's ability to grab hold of audiences' emotions through exceptional storytelling. In addition to a busy school performance and residency schedule, as well as event and concert appearances, the company has toured the U.S. and England and been profiled on PBS and NPR. PUSH is offering a one or two-week Summer Intensive for actors, dancers, mimes and movers (ages 18 and over) in Rochester, NY, July 6 - 18, 2009. Please visit www.pushtheatre.org for more information and registration.

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