PUSH RETURNS TO FRINGE WITH AWARD-WINNING SHOW
Generic Male: Just What We Need, Another Show About Men
After Rochester debut & input, show took Fringe circuit by storm
“…Like Cirque du Soleil meets Samuel Beckett with a dash of Monty Python...”
--Orlando Weekly
Rochester, NY – Rochester’s internationally renowned PUSH Physical Theatre will bring its award-winning, two-person Generic Male: Just What We Need, Another Show About Men to the 11th annual Rochester Fringe Festival for three performances in Hart Theatre at the JCC: Saturday, September 17 at 7 PM; Wednesday, September 21 at 7:30 PM (ASL-interpreted); and Saturday, September 24 at 8:15 PM. The 60-minute show is recommended for ages 13 and over*. General admission tickets are $20 ($15 for students with ID), and are available via the Fringe website here.
The official show description reads: “Explosive, athletic, visceral physical theatre ruined by a tragic lack of understanding! Three “Best of Fest” awards, “Critics’ Choice Best Show” at Orlando Fringe plus “Outstanding Production” at Ottawa Fringe have made PUSH Physical Theatre’s masculinity satire an international sensation. Two well-meaning fools begin a serious journey with a comically absurd premise: men apologizing for the show you’re about to see. Hilarious hijinks ensue as they examine assumptions that go unquestioned until spoken aloud.”
Before scooping up armfuls of awards for the show during their whirlwind summer tour of fringe festivals that included Orlando, Ottawa, and Winnipeg Fringes – with Edmonton Fringe coming up this week – PUSH Founding Artistic Co-Director Darren Stevenson and Creative Director Ashley Jones debuted the work at last year’s 10th annual Rochester Fringe. The sold-out performances garnered great reviews from audience members as well as from WXXI’s Arts & Life Editor Jeff Spevak: “Generic Male is loaded with comedy…yet strong messages begin creeping into the loose narrative…The Generic Male has been shattered. To a standing ovation.”
Audiences and critics in other cities agreed:
“I can pretty much guarantee you’ve never seen an acrobatic clowning show as cleverly complex as Generic Male…This pair doesn’t merely break through the fourth wall; they tear it down entirely and dance merrily on the rubble.” (Seth Kubersky, Orlando Weekly, full review here.)
“This is the type of inventive, thought-provoking, relevant art the Fringe was made for… Darren Stevenson and Ashley Jones of PUSH Physical Theatre combine playfulness, theater of the absurd, social commentary, strength and grace to create a mesmerizing look at nothing less than the patriarchy. But this is no rant; this is true art.” (Matthew J. Palm, Orlando Sentinel)
“Macho competition, absurd immaturity, touching emotion, all displayed through incredible movements…This show stays with you – you’ll find yourself turning over moments in your mind hours or even days later… it’s no wonder it’s award winning and has already traveled to other Fringes around the globe.” (Samara Caplan & Laura Gauthier, apt613.ca)
But Stevenson and Jones credit Rochester input for allowing them to polish the show to its current, award-winning state – both before and after its debut. Like all of PUSH’s work, Generic Male began as an improvisation and progressed through years of refinement and audience input, much of it from very non-generic males.
“Getting feedback from audiences is a very important part of our creative process,” explains Jones, who – like Stevenson – hails from the U.K., where physical theatre is much more prevalent. “Our entire process is collaborative rather than the more common practice of a choreographer “setting” their work "on" a company.”
For their honest and insightful interviews starting in 2019 when this project was a mere idea, PUSH would like to thank: Thomas Warfield, Vicki Duval, MacClurg Vivian, Desire Stevenson, Frank Staropoli, Mike Bucher, Dr. Fahad Saeed, Penny Sterling, Gerald Coleman, Linda Chaudron, Katie Davis, Hassiem Muhammad, Dominic Moore-Dunson, Bill Wade, Steven Jarose, Tanya Bakhmetyeva, and the University of Rochester Office of Diversity and Inclusion
“I’m very grateful for all the people who have helped in the evolution of this show,” says Stevenson. “We're proud of what it has become and hope it will empower people to speak up and begin to have the conversation that our characters can’t quite seem to engage in.”
*From PUSH: “Can you bring kids? Probably. There are some swears and one awkward conversation about consent. If it were a movie, it would probably be a PG-13. The underlying message for boys and girls is positive and thoughtful. There will be lots to talk about on the ride home.”
More about the performers:
Darren Stevenson (Founding Artistic Co-Director, PUSHer), born in England and now a proud U.S. citizen, met PUSH co-founder and wife Heather Stevenson during their studies at The Center in St. Louis. Both went on to study with Several Dancers Core in Atlanta and The Goldston & Johnston School for Mimes at Kenyon College. “Darren Stevenson has developed a physical ability that makes the art look easy,” remarked Greg Goldston. In Atlanta, the Stevensons founded The Studio School of the Arts, a community training center. In 2000, they relocated to Rochester, NY, where PUSH Physical Theatre was born. Rather than relying on their trained movement vocabulary, PUSH was formed from a shared belief that each performer should bring their unique life experiences to the stage. Darren has also spoken about PUSH’s unique creative process at TEDx Rochester.
Ashley Jones (PUSHer) is a physical actor, deviser, and director. He trained at Rose Bruford College and Academia Teatro Dimitri before going on to train with Phillipe Gaulier and Angela De Castro in theatrical clowning. As a physical performer, Ashley has worked and trained with international theatre companies Gecko Physical Theatre, The David Glass Ensemble, Nonsuch Theatre, and Frantic Assembly. His recent devised work includes: LifeHack (2019), Intotheclouds (2018), The Party’s Over (2017), Eclipse (2017), and The Russian Play (2017). Directing credits include Rite of Passage (2015, 2016), EnCircled (2019), and TILT (2019). Ashley would like to thank the generous support of the Genesee Valley Council on the Arts.
About PUSH Physical Theatre: Founded in Rochester, NY in 2000 by husband-and-wife team, Darren and Heather Stevenson, out of a desire to “push” the boundaries of conventional theatre, PUSH Physical Theatre has since earned an international reputation as one of the U.S.'s leading physical theatre companies.
Recently featured in acclaimed collaborations with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, the Ying Quartet, Pulitzer Prize-nominated composer Ricardo Zohn-Muldoon’s two multi-media operas (Comala and No Se Culpe with fellow composer Carlos Sanchez-Gutierrez) and storyteller Penny Sterling, PUSH has also produced its own full-length works including DRACULA, Jekyll & Hyde, Arc of Ages, Generic Male: Just What We Need, Another Show About Men. Additionally, its wide-ranging repertory includes many shorter works such as “Red Ball,” a hilarious take on the interplay between the real and virtual worlds using iPad technology.
Known for intense athleticism, gravity-defying acrobatics, and soulful artistry, PUSH has been called “a perfect metaphor-in-motion” by CITY and “a rare treat” by NY Theatre Guide. PUSH was a season finalist on TruTV’s national series, Fake Off, a competition/reality show featuring what producers dubbed “the captivating art of ‘faking’” – a mix of theatre, acrobatics, and illusion. Their performances caused judge and Glee star Harry Shum Jr. to exclaim: “You guys are superhuman!”
These masters of physical storytelling have received the Community of Color/Anton Germano Dance Award, the Performing Artist of the Year Award from the Arts & Cultural Council for Greater Rochester, and the University of Rochester’s Lillian Fairchild Award. In addition to a busy touring schedule, PUSH is passionate about arts-in-education programs and runs a summer intensive for adult students from all over the world.
