Parallel Exit
featuring
Mike Dobson and Joel Jeske
Cordova High School
Wolfpack Playhouse
1800 Berryhill Rd. - Cordova TN
January 19th, 2013
12:30 P.M.
IT AIN'T WHAT YOU DO, IT'S THE WAY YOU DO IT
Physical Theater artists Mark Lonergan and Joel Jeske take on the age-old axiom that has been the centerpiece of all live performance: It ain't what you do...it's the WAY you do it. In this fast-paced one hour show, the team takes on through music, circus skills, and physical comedy the glory that is LIVE performance and what makes it the most powerful and unique form of entertainment. Show contains audience participation and is fun for all ages.
What is Parallel Exit?
Parallel Exit is one of the leading physical theatre companies in New York City. Their productions have earned the company critical acclaim and two Drama Desk nominations for Unique Theatrical Experience. Parallel Exit creates physical theatre inspired by the films of Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin. Their work blends theatre, dance, and music into productions that transcend age, language, and cultural barriers.
Parallel Exit was launched in 1997 when their production White/Noise/Jump received "Best in The Fringe Festival - Excellence in Theatre" at the inaugural New York International Fringe Festival. Since then, Parallel Exit’s work has explored a wide range of physical forms, from dance (Powerhouse, 2005), to vaudeville (Cut To The Chase, 2007 and Exit Stage Left, 2009), to live-action silent film (Velocity, 1999 and This Way That Way, 2005), to tap (Time Step, 2008). In addition to their annual New York City season, Parallel Exit travels throughout the United States and the world to present their work to as wide an audience as possible.
Parallel Exit is dedicated to preserving and promoting the variety arts for diverse and underserved communities of children and adults.
Mike Dobson -- Composer/Creator/Performer
Percussionist Mike Dobson enjoys a career of highly diverse performance opportunities. Classically trained with degrees from Mannes College and The Hartt School, Mike has performed with orchestras such as the Westfield Symphony, New Haven Symphony, Waterbury Symphony, and Bridgeport Symphony. Mike has also toured with Circus Smirkus as percussionist and music director. Other circuses include the Big Apple Circus and the Bindlestiff Family Cirkus. With Parallel Exit, Mike has performed in Time Step, Exit! Stage Left!, and Cut to the Chase. He received a Drama Desk nomination for co-creating Parallel Exit’s ROOM 17B, for which he also created the original score. He has also played percussion in off-Broadway productions of Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris, Target Margin’s The Old Comedy, and Political Idol. Mike’s versatility is revealed in the multi-genre list of outstanding and unique artists he has performed with, including master percussionist Glen Velez; jazz virtuosos Ira Sullivan, Nester Torres, and Dave Samuels; soprano Dawn Upshaw, comedian Mike Myers; and pop icon Paul Anka. He has been heard on NPR radio as well as CBS, MTV, and NBC television. Mike has also appeared on the Late Show with David Lettermen.
Visit www.mikedobsonmusic.com.
Joel Jeske - Creator/Performer
Joel Jeske is a physical comedian, director, teacher, and creator of his own theater shows. He has appeared in major feature films including Two for the Money with Al Pacino and Two Weeks Notice with Sandra Bullock. On television, Joel was featured in Sex in the City, The Late Show with David Letterman, Live with Regis and Kelly, and with partner Barry Lubin in Italy’s Circo Massimo. Internationally, Joel starred with Peter Shub at the Apollo Variete in Dusseldorf, Germany and was the headlining show at Festival Der Traume in Innsbruck, Austria, the COS Festival in Reus, Spain, and the AEMI International Clown Festival in Shanghai and Hangzhou, China. Joel is a creator and performer for the physical theatre company Parallel Exit. He created and starred in Parallel Exit’s Off-Broadway hits THIS WAY THAT WAY, CUT TO THE CHASE, and ROOM 17B. Joel was nominated for a Drama Desk award in 2008 and 2010 for creating the Off-Broadway hits CUT TO THE CHASE and ROOM 17B. As a clown, Joel toured and created clown acts for Ringling Bros. & Barnum and Bailey Circus, Cirque Du Soleil, hosted The Big Apple Circus 2006-07 production of STEP RIGHT UP!, and tours with fellow clown Chris Lueck as the slapstick duo The HeyYa Brothers. Joel teaches circus and clown with Parallel Exit, The Big Apple Circus, and Cirque Du Jour both internationally and at home in New York. Joel was honored as Clown of the Year 2007 won the Audience Choice Award for best clown act in 2009.
Visit www.joeljeske.com.
