September 9, 2019 | Theatre,

A Hopeful Glimpse of Possible Adventures

As one of the co-founder of The 7 Fingers, Shana Carroll has directed and choreographed several of the ensemble’s productions, including Passengers (SEP 25-OCT 13). Beyond her extensive work with The 7 Fingers, Carroll also was a choreographer for the Sochi Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony, collaborates frequently with Cirque Du Soleil (including choreographing their 2012 Oscar’s performance), and has received numerous awards for her acrobatic choreography on stage, screen, and beyond.

We are delighted to bring her most recent masterpiece to Boston and cannot wait to share this story of transition and travel with you.

It is with enormous pleasure that we bring our newest baby, our Passengers, to Boston! ArtsEmerson has been consistent supporters of The 7 Fingers, and of the entire contemporary circus movement. We are fortunate and honored to have such loyal partners and, as a result, such appreciative circus audiences in Boston.

As for the show itself, when I was growing up there was a train that passed down by the waterfront, about five miles west. We always heard the train pass, no matter what time of day or night. It was so strange to me; we stopped hearing the bus that passed at the corner, or the daily traffic, but the train from five miles away always caught our ears. It called to us — at once a hopeful glimpse forward to remote lands and possible adventures, and a nostalgic trip backwards to forgotten lands and eras.

Each of us follows a track of sorts, twisting and turning through valleys and plains. All the while staring out the window at the reflection of our very own eyes superimposed on the shifting landscape. Confined inside that wagon we are a forced and incongruous community, joined in a moment of suspended limbo between two lives, as we say goodbye to one and prepare for another.

This show was forged with the creative contributions of its talented cast.

Dedicated with great love to the memory of Raphael Cruz.

Shana Carroll, Passengers director/choreographer