Circus in the Woods

        The Circus in the Woods was a response to the COVID-19 pandemic by the Flying Gravity Circus (FGC), New Hampshire’s premier youth circus company. In the spring of 2020, the performing arts sector was shut down -- FGC’s teen troupers could not perform in theaters or schools. In 2021, thinking outside the box, and with a grant from the Cornelia & Michael Bessie Foundation, FGC hired its first artist-in-residence, Rachel Schiffer, to collaborate with artistic director Jon Roitman to create four site-specific performances in partnership with four wonderful organizations: the Harris Center (Hancock), Beaver Brook (Hollis), the Hooper Institute (Walpole), and the Andres Institute of Art (Brookline). The film was shot, edited, and directed by Kirill Bykanov, an independent videographer currently studying and working in NYC. It was shot on location at two of the partner sites, the Harris Center and the Andres Institute. Kirill’s artistic virtuosity shines brightly as he guides us through the story of pandemic-era show-making with FGC’s talented teen troupers in these beautiful spaces.