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THE DANCE ENTHUSIAST ASKS: 3AM Theater's Kyle Driggs and Ellie Steingraeber on Their Family-Friendly “Mindful Manipulations”
By Theo Boguszewski
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Published on November 3, 2023
The Cast of "Mindful Manipulations." Photo by Maike Schulz
The Strange and Magical World of Circus Comes to Long Island City
Mindful Manipulations
Sunday, November 5th at 11 AM and 2 PM
Sunday, December 10th at 11 AM and 2 PM
Tickets and Directions: Click here.
It’s tough to find programming for children, let alone affordable live performance that is also engaging for a non-diapered crowd. But “Mindful Manipulations,” which premiered in September as part of 3AM Theater’s inaugural season in its new space in Long Island City, is up to the task. The joyful creativity of the show is born from the eclectic backgrounds of its creators, Kyle Driggs and Ellie Steingraeber, whose diverse careers in theatrical circus have brought them across the world, from underground to corporate spaces and everything in between. Equal parts immersive and impressive, "Mindful Manipulations" promises to captivate kids and adults alike.
The Dance Enthusiast’s Theo Boguszewski spoke with Driggs and Steingraeber about the history of 3AM, the evolution of "Mindful Manipulations," and what’s next for both.
Theo Boguszewski for The Dance Enthusiast: I’m so excited to chat with you both! Can you start off by explaining what your relationship with 3AM Theater is? How did this production come to be part of 3AM’s inaugural season?
Kyle Driggs: 3AM Theater is a company that I co-founded in 2018 in Philadelphia, and for the past year we now have this physical location in Queens, which is a studio and a small venue performance space. The company itself makes all sorts of different work, ranging from theatrical productions to outdoor shows to corporate events, and we also teach classes. "Mindful Manipulations," a 3AM Theater production, is a collaborative project between Ellie, myself, and (husband/wife duo) Musiquita.
Can you share a little about how you both met, and how the concept for Mindful Manipulations was developed?
Ellie Steingraeber: Kyle and I have known each other for a few years running in similar circles, and the time just seemed right for us to make a kids show. I’m a new mom, and there’s just not a lot of stuff to take little kids to in Queens or in the city in general, which is affordable and fun for both kids and their parents. So we got together and the project just seemed to fit, right off the bat.
Can you share a little more about the show itself? It sounds like there’s a lot of really interesting interactive components.
KD: We wanted to make a live experience, with a tangible element for the children and families to be a part of with their bodies, to get up and do things with us. We wanted to showcase the circus talents that we’ve cultivated over the years, and also incorporate Musiquita’s great original music. Bringing in all these elements felt like the perfect ingredients to make a show. We’ve tried to come up with a very simple but powerful show concept in terms of the narrative, something that you can grasp right away and just go along for the ride.
Is there a story?
ES: There’s a loose idea that we follow; when the kids are entering the theater they are given a coloring book that is blank with a crayon, a color of their choice, and they’re told to get involved right away and start putting some color on the page. We are in an office setting, and we’re finding out that it’s kind hum drum, and the kids help us find the color in our hum drum lives. That’s the loose idea.
KD: And then we go on this big cosmic journey with the audience, and we discover color, and we get in all these different situations, and take the children with us to this really colorful, kaleidoscopic world.
How did the first two shows go? Was there anything that surprised you?
ES: It was great! So much fun. I think all the parents were probably a little surprised. We have a pretty high level circus skill. At first it seemed like people were a little unsure, like is it ok to jump onstage and interact, but everybody got on board, and by the end it just felt like a party. It’s a really special experience that we’ve created.
You shared that there were some more impressive performance components of this as well, can you tell us a little more about what those look like?
KD: Well, without giving the whole show away, there’s a moment where Ellie does an aerial piece, and it’s quite high in the air, I think that’s a big surprise moment, There’s a moment where I do one of my specialties, which is juggling umbrellas. I think our use of light and set as well, are quite a surprise; what we’re able to do with the space is unexpected.
Do you have a production team that you work with on that?
ES: You’re looking at it. (laughs). It’s called 3AM for a reason.
How were you each first exposed to circus? What was it that drew you in?
ES: For me personally it kind of felt like a series of accidents, I was working for La Hoya Playhouse, I ran their dye and paint department, and somebody came through who just thought, “Wow, you would be great in the circus!” So I took a job with the circus and escorted the bearded lady in the circus day parade. I was just with my people, you know? That was 20 years ago.
KD: I was a little more the young boy seeing the circus and dreaming of running away and joining. In particular I was drawn to juggling. I started teaching myself and I learned pretty quickly. Then I started complimentary dance and acting training. That carried through to me going to circus school in Montreal.
Have you thought about where the future of this work is? Do you want to present it in other locations?
KD: Making a theatrical touring version of the show is a big goal of the team. We'd like to take this to other cities, other countries, other theaters, and re-adapt or reimagine the show in a more touring-based model. Also, there’s a community aspect we’re interested in pushing via community centers or school programming. Younger audiences are so integral to the show.
As you’re thinking about what a touring version looks like and how you scale, do you feel that the two of you as individuals are integral to the show, or is the show more of a template that other people could step into?
ES: Initially, when we were talking about the project, we thought we could build this and have other people step into our roles, but as the show is revealing itself, it’s feeling more and more like the two of us are a really good pair and it would feel pretty tough to swap one or the other out.
You’re going to have to figure out how to clone yourselves! I know that you have to be absolutely fearless as circus performers. Is there anything that you’re afraid of?
ES and KD together: Oh, so many things!
ES: I would say that’s a myth. A lot of us are ,maybe, adrenaline junkies, but we are very rehearsed and practiced.
KD: The parts where we take actual physical risks are calculated and rehearsed. So when it comes time to execute them, we’re actually focused and calm.
What is the strangest show you’ve ever been part of?
ES: Wow. How much time do you have?
KD: I was part of an immersive show where I had to play a werewolf who slowly transitioned into my character throughout the course of the night. There was a moon that slowly grew more and more vibrant, and I had to do circus as a werewolf. Off the top of my head, that was one of the more strange ones.
ES: I don’t even know where to begin to answer your question, because … I do nightlife. I’ve done a lot of weird stuff in nightlife. It’s interesting to pair that with the kids shows because… the audiences are really similar.
That’s so funny.
ES: Tonight for example, I’ll be onstage dressed as a six -foot-tall air dancer, you know the wacky suit man (waves her arms), with an actual air dancer next to me, and that will be my contortion act.
KD: I’ll get requests to juggle odd things. If there’s a corporate client and with a theme for their party or a logo that’s representative of their brand, they might say “Can you make a juggling act with lobsters and golden apples?” And I’ll say, "Yes, I can. Let me get to work on that!"
ES: The corporate world is how we afford to do theater.
KD: As a performing artist, I value the full spectrum of performances we do. So nightlife, corporate, family shows, and more contemporary, theatrical shows -- we both enjoy that full range.
Can you share just a little bit more about where the name 3AM Theater comes from?
KD: It has dual meaning. One is an inside joke; when I first formed the company, the team always found ourselves working until 3am, there was just so much work to do to birth this entire project. And then a more serious sentiment revealed itself, something about the twilight zone aspect of 3am. Our logo for the company is an archway, and we use archways in most all of our pieces. At 3am an idea or feeling presents itself, and you can choose to walk through the imaginary archway towards it. Once you pass through, you become part of an evocative, aesthetically specific dreamworld.
