Intense athleticism, gravity-defying acrobatics, and soulful artistry are the trademarks of award-winning, genre-defining 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 has since earned an international reputation as one of the world’s leading physical theatre companies.
Over the last two years PUSH has performed at the International Festival for Jewish Theatre in Jerusalem, appeared Off-Broadway at the Soho Playhouse, garnered multiple awards including “International Fringe Encore Series”, four “Best of the Fest” awards as well as “Critics Choice Best Show” at Orlando Fringe and “Outstanding Production” at Ottawa Fringe, a “Jenny” in Winnipeg and “Media Pick” with a 5 out of 5 star review in Edmonton.
“You guys are superhuman!”
PUSH has also been featured in acclaimed collaborations with the Grammy-winning Ying Quartet, the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, and Pulitzer Prize-nominated composer Ricardo Zohn-Muldoon’s two multi-media operas.
PUSH also produces its own works including RACE or ‘You’ve Seen Me Before,’ in collaboration with artist Hassiem Muhammad (online 2020); Generic Male: Just What We Need, Another Show About Men (2021); Someone No One Can See, a collaboration with transgender artist Penny Sterling (2022); and Hyde (2023).
PUSH has been recognized for service to the community through the Rochester Community Foundation’s 2023 Ames-Amzalak Award for Nonprofit Excellence, University of Rochester’s Lillian Fairchild Award, Performing Artist of the Year Award from the Arts & Cultural Council for Greater Rochester, and the “Community of Color” Black History Month Anton Germano Dance Award, honoring advocates for an inclusive and diverse community who affect positive change.
PUSH engages underserved populations in areas with some of the highest poverty rates and too little access to the arts, and provides workshops for children with disabilities, the National Technical Institute for the Deaf, youth involved in the juvenile justice system, and adults in senior facilities.
To serve historically excluded communities, we are well aware of the need to seek out sources, inspiration and material beyond the lived experiences of our core company. Our creative consultants and focus groups include Black artists such as Thomas Warfield and Hassiem Muhammad, transgender artist Penny Sterling, people from rural areas, people with various disabilities, members of the National Technical Institute for the Deaf, and members of the University of Rochester Office of Diversity and Inclusion.
THE PUSHERS
Darren & Heather Stevenson (Founding Artistic Co-Directors, PUSHers), Born and raised in England, Darren met New Jersey native Heather during their mutual studies at The Center in St. Louis. Their shared love of theatre and performing planted the seeds for their relationship and eventual collaboration.
After completing their studies at The Goldston & Johnson School for Mimes and touring together, the couple founded the Studio School of the Arts in Atlanta, Georgia. They relocated to Rochester, NY with their two children in 2000 and created PUSH Physical Theatre, growing it over the next 18 years into the international touring company that it is today.
Darren and Heather have created many new works for PUSH, including full-length adaptations of Bram Stoker’s Dracula and Robert Louis Stevenson’s Jekyll & Hyde. Shorter works include “Flight 1549,” set to the audiotape of the miraculous airplane landing in the Hudson River; and “-abled,” an exploration of addiction. Heather’s touching look at the elderly in “The Visit” is a thought-provoking counterpoint to Darren’s powerful take on war in “The Soldier.” A grant from the Farash Foundation enabled collaboration with RIT’s National Institute for the Deaf to create “Red Ball,” a study of the real and virtual worlds using iPad technology. They created Arc of Ages, a full-length exploration of Jewish history and culture, which featured an unprecedented 23 physical theatre performers trained by PUSH.
The Stevensons received the 2009 Performing Artist of the Year Award from the Arts & Cultural Council for Greater Rochester, as well as the Community of Color/Anton Germano Dance Award. Darren was awarded the University of Rochester’s Lillian Fairchild Award in 2017 for PUSH’s collaborative work on a multi-media opera that brought together U.S. and Mexican artists for premieres in both countries for the second time.
Cross-genre collaborations with other world-renowned artists are becoming more and more frequent for the genre-defining company, such as its recent partnerships with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra and the Ying Quartet.
The Stevensons have also created a children’s education division called PUSH Pins and are sought-after teaching artists, developing programs that help students connect with curriculum concepts, life skills, and social issues. They also run an annual summer intensive for adults that attracts students from all over the world.
Sydney Burrows (PUSHer), originally from Rochester, NY, earned her BA in Dance and English from Goucher College and studied dance and physical theater at Accademia Dell’Arte in Arezzo, Italy. In addition to working for the University of Rochester as a Digital Strategist, Sydney is a freelance dancer and Assistant Editor for DIYdancer, an international online and print dance magazine. She is thrilled to be performing with PUSH.
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), the Russian Play (2017). As director; Ashley continues to develop and produce collaborative and inter-disciplinary devised work. His credits as director 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 and his previous awards include support from Wilton’s Music Hall and Theatre Delicatessen.
Darren Stevenson, Jr. (Video Projectionist/Sound Engineer) has been working on theatrical productions ever since his first show with PUSH Physical Theatre in 2009 as a deckhand. With hands-on experience in the real world of theatre, he graduated to his present duties, and tours with the company all over the world.
James Cunningham (Lighting Designer/Technical Director) owns and operates Rockshow Lighting, a concert lighting design company providing design and staffing for music festivals, touring acts, and venues. Recent adventures include multiple national tours with folk-rock act Carbon Leaf, international runs with pop-reggae act SOJA, and festival stage designs and staffing for Floydfest and Red Wing Roots. James uses the grandMA2 console line for lighting control, and employs Resolume Arena for video playback and live effects.
Josefina Calzada-Garza (Costume Designer/Fabricator), a native of Mexico, has been a veterinary doctor, a ceramics artist, a jeweler, and now a costume designer. She met PUSH through their work on No Se Culpe, a multi-media opera that was co-composed by her husband, Carlos Sanchez-Gutierrez. “Life is very interesting and takes you on many paths if you let it!”