ARTFARM offers INSTANT CIRCUS workshop for kids and Environmental Circus performance at December 12 Circus celebration

Imagine a circus in which actors juggle bottled water, polar bears dance on melting ice floes, the props and set are recycled, and the core of clowns are called the Fossil Fools. That’s part of what you get in ARTFARM’s Circus for a Fragile Planet, an hour-long circus performance featuring juggling, clowning, physical comedy, acrobatics, unicycling, stilt dancing and other circus arts built around a strong environmental message.

On Saturday, December 12 at 7 pm Circus for a Fragile Planet will give a rare public performance in Middletown. This family-friendly blend of Circus and Science is part of ARTFARM’s Very Merry Solstice Circus Celebration, which will be held at the First United Methodist Church, 24 Old Church Street in Middletown.

The performance will be preceded from 1 – 4 pm pm by a Circus Arts Class for ages six to fourteen led by ARTFARM Circus Director Dic Wheeler and ARTFARM circus artists. Parents can drop off their children at 1 pm and come back at 4 pm to witness an INSTANT CIRCUS! performance by the students. Young people will be divided by age and learn skills in juggling, balancing, acrobatics, plate spinning and physical comedy. No experience is necessary, but students with some circus experience will be challenged at their own level. Enrollment in the INSTANT CIRCUS! class and performance is limited; please register early to reserve your place.

ARTFARM is a Middletown-based non-profit organization which cultivates high-quality theater with a commitment to simple living, environmental sustainability and social justice. In addition to Circus for a Fragile Planet, which tours schools, colleges, festivals and arts centers throughout New England and New York, ARTFARM annually mounts free Shakespeare in the Grove in Middletown every July. Additionally the company collaborates with schools, colleges and arts organizations on projects involving Shakespeare, Circus and Sustainable Living.

Tickets for the Circus for a Fragile Planet performance are $10 for adults and $5 for students and children. The fee for the three hour Instant Circus! workshop is $45 per student or $75 for two students from the same family. The fee includes FREE ADMISSION to the Circus for a Fragile Planet performance at 7 pm.INFO and registration: (860) 346-4390; info@art-farm.org; http://www.art-farm.org/All events are at First United Methodist Church, 24 Old Church Street in Middletown.