Description: Sometimes the difference between a circus act that’s good and one that’s meaningful and memorable is whether the act (and its tricks) are grounded in human need. First we’ll analyze video clips of circus acts that are meaningful to us, and we’ll discuss what choices make these acts successful. Then we’ll discuss the craft tools that help create meaningful and thematically resonant performance, exploring choices about character, need, actions, stakes, and relationships to time, space, apparatus, and audience. Come hungry to discuss, analyze, and delve. (Each participant will be invited to pre-submit the video link of an act they love and find meaningful and memorable.) Presenter: Lauren Feldman is an internationally produced playwright who teaches theater, holds an M.F.A. from the Yale School of Drama, is an alumna of NECCA’s Intensive and Pro-Track programs, and is passionate about the intersection of theater and circus.