The mosquito has a monologue. The bees perform synchronized aerials. And the praying mantises fight to the death.
What’s the Buzz?, the latest production from Payomet’s Cirque by the Sea, opened last week under the big top on the grounds of the Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater. Despite temperatures in the 90s, the performers — Copper Santiago, Gabriel “Teddy” Ment, Trevor Pearson, Caroline Hussey, and Eleanor Getz — put on an energetic 10-act show composed of solo and ensemble pieces featuring acrobatics, juggling, and aerial feats.
The show, which runs through Aug. 28, departs from the traditional storytelling of Cirque by the Sea’s previous productions. This is something more akin to a nature documentary, albeit half PBS and half Saturday Night Live.
In past years, the troupe has taken on such subjects as living wages and sustainable agriculture. “We wanted this year’s show to have an environmental theme,” says Getz, a performer and the director. Bugs became the stars. The goal? “Move audiences from an initial reaction of disgust to one of curiosity,” says Getz. The five performers and the unseen narrator manage to enlighten audiences about the virtues of even the most despised six-legged creatures (or eight-legged in the case of spiders).
The sweat and labor of opening night was only part of what goes into producing the performance, which runs just over an hour. Getting there took months of story development, research, writing, costume sewing, and rehearsing — not to mention trips to the dump and swap shop in search of props. “We don’t have a big budget, so we have to be creative about everything,” says Getz.
Nearly a year ago, “we started with a brainstorming session and a discussion about what subjects might be interesting enough to build a show around,” says Ment. “As a group, we pick the strongest theme, and then Eleanor, who has the final say, writes the script.”
“Of course, we want our shows to be fun to watch, but we also want to inspire our audiences to think more critically about whatever issue we tackle,” says Santiago. What’s the Buzz? delivers on both counts: spectacle and substance. There are the circus acts: a spider dangles from bungee cords, a dragonfly spins in an aerial hoop, and bumblebees buzz on a triple trapeze. But what makes it uniquely Cirque by the Sea is the natural history in the story: the narrator gushing about bees and caterpillars; Zeke the mosquito striving to convince the audience of his merits; and Buzz, a common housefly, eagerly demonstrating some of his more disgusting behaviors.
The story pushed the performers as it pushed them to move like bugs, design a set that feels like a back yard, and sew costumes with removable wings. Each performer brings creative skills beyond the ring: Getz writes. Ment draws storyboards. Santiago designs and sews many of the costumes. Pearson choreographs juggling routines with bug-like qualities.
“We’re making art with our bodies,” says Getz. We need to generate movement that evokes the feeling of insects.” How does a juggler imitate an insect? One way is turning juggling balls into pollen. “It’s not just about doing cool juggling,” says Pearson. “Juggling has to further the story. So, if the balls are pollen, maybe they’re sticking to me and traveling with me.”
“The costumes are the bane of my existence,” Getz admits. “They’re so important, but so difficult. We have to move in them. Trevor as a juggler might be able to have more structure in his costume, but we can’t put anything hard in a costume if someone is rolling around on a bar.”
For one dragonfly costume, Getz wanted large functional wings — but they had to detach when the act moved from floor to lyra, the steel hoop suspended in air.
Cirque by the Sea began 11 years ago when Payomet Director Kevin Rice, exploring ideas for a summer camp, met Ment, then living in Wellfleet. Pearson, a Brewster native, was already performing as a juggler with Payomet. Ment signed on to help launch the circus and brought in Getz, a friend from circus school. For several years, they tried to recruit Santiago, who was touring the U.S. and Europe. She was reluctant at first — but eventually fell in love with the show’s mission, the tight-knit ensemble, and the creative, outdoor life of the Outer Cape. She now lives in Wellfleet. Today, those four are the core ensemble and teach their craft at Payomet’s circus camp.
In the final month before the show opened, the performers rehearsed for eight hours a day, six days a week — often surrounded by a crew of volunteers building sets. They worked out challenges of choreography, like how to fall to the ground while dressed as a praying mantis on stilts, and made some last-minute pivots. The flowers made from free-standing floor lamps were one thing that had to go.
“We invested a lot of time in creating around them, having bugs pollinate the lights,” says Ment, “but they didn’t look organic enough, so we had to move on.”
“The power of circus is that it gets people in the door in ways dance doesn’t do any more,” says Getz, a former dancer. “A circus delivers spectacle that attracts audiences. And if you want to say something meaningful and get people to listen, you need them to show up and watch.
Getz thinks breaking some rules is important, too. “It’s really powerful to do something other than a traditional circus. That way people are surprised. And that’s my favorite thing about any art. I want it not to be what I expected. That’s when I remember it.”
In all likelihood, it’s what audiences will remember, too.
Under the Bug Top
The event: Cirque by the Sea’s What’s the Buzz?
The time: Tuesday and Thursdays at 6 p.m. and Sundays at 11 a.m. through Aug. 28.
The place: Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater, 2357 Route 6
The cost: Children, $20; adults, $30
