Featured Friday: Sisters star in Cirque Arqadia
Cirque Arqadia performances will be held over February 13-15 with the Coppage sisters Cydni '20 and Peyton '21 who perform together as rivals in the show.
In just under two weeks, sisters Cydni and Peyton Coppage will take the Rearden Stage as rivals in Rabun Gap’s production of “Cirque Arqadia.”
This year’s show, scheduled for February 13-15, is more student-driven than ever before. Arqadia is a deconstruction of some classic fantasy elements. Audiences will see hints of Alice in Wonderland, Labyrinth, The Longest Journey, Lord of the Rings, I am Legend, and hints of many more influences all patch-worked together and reimagined as an original story that the students built the framework for.
“We began conceptualizing this show last year at this time, starting with some general concepts and slowly narrowing in to the show we are about to perform,” said Fine and Performing Arts Department Chair Mr. Sean Lakey. “Students were put together into groups to piece together whole sections of the show this year and there is more of a sense of ownership.”
The day students from Sky Valley, GA star in opposing roles in this year’s performance - Cydni playing the heroine and Peyton the villain. Arqadia will be Cydni’s fourth Cirque show and Peyton’s second. The two, who are very close, have been enjoying the opportunity to channel sibling rivalries in their performance.
“Being in shows with my sister is always fun, but this show is especially exciting because we play enemies, so it has been really fun to channel our sisterly disputes into our acting,” shared Cydni.
“I love working with my sister and of course we have our casual sibling fights, but she is one of the most amazing people to watch perform and I love getting to see her do something that she loves,” said Peyton. “I'm also having a lot of fun with the idea of this show because my sister and I get to bring our sibling rivalry on stage, which makes for a lot of good laughs.”
Cydni and Peyton have been involved in the Cirque program for most of their time at Rabun Gap. Cydni joined in her freshman year and Peyton in sixth-grade. They are grateful for the experiences they have had in the distinctive program at Rabun Gap.
“In the middle of Rabun Gap, Georgia there is this amazing teaching-learning opportunity for something that you don't see around this area,” said Peyton. “The thing that's really special about it is how the seniors and juniors teach the sophomores and freshmen. The skills are passed down and prepare lower classmen to be the next upcoming Cirque stars, and you get to see really great bonds form.”
“The Rabun Gap Cirque program is unique because of the originality and student involvement,” said Cydni. “Every Cirque show that I have been in at Rabun Gap has been written by Mr. Lakey with the help of the Cirque Planning Committee, a group of students that help create the Cirque shows. The opportunities that we have to design such creative and beautiful shows makes Cirque an amazing experience for all students and faculty involved.”
The Coppage sisters are a part of a Cirque legacy that began at Rabun Gap almost 20 years ago. It started in 2001 when Larry Smith and his Gap Players performed the first Cirque show with a handful of dedicated students. Cirque combines theatre performance, acrobatics, and dance. Students perform on apparatuses including the Spanish web, aerial silks, trapeze, German wheel, and aerial lyra.
Today, Cirque has morphed into a full-scale program that involves more than 50 students performing on stage and working behind the scenes. The program is led by our arts faculty and draws on the expertise of regional cirque trainers and performers. More than ever before, the annual cirque show has become a full performing arts endeavor, showcasing the best in theatre, instrumental music, and dance at Rabun Gap.
Today, Cirque has morphed into a full-scale program that involves more than 50 students performing on stage and working behind the scenes. The program is led by our arts faculty and draws on the expertise of regional cirque trainers and performers. More than ever before, the annual cirque show has become a full performing arts endeavor, showcasing the best in theatre, instrumental music, and dance at Rabun Gap.
This year’s show particularly reflects a commitment to cross-curricular learning, says Director Sean Lakey.
“The show this year is written and performed in iambic pentameter and pulls in references from all manner of mythologies and classic works. We have students using Arduino boards to program fog machines and creating a full plumbed piping system for CO2 fog,” said Lakey. “Students are designing the set pieces, the costumes, the lighting and even how rigging flies away. Every day of rehearsal, we are pulling in electronics, physics, math, literature, history, music editing, dance, film and so very much more into a giant collaborative creation that only exists for a single week.”
Cirque Arqadia is appropriate for all ages, although small children need to be accompanied due to possibly scary content. Playing for four performances only, this show runs February 13-15 at 7:30 with a special matinee performance on February 15 at 2:30. Tickets are $10 and can be reserved here.
Cirque Arqadia is appropriate for all ages, although small children need to be accompanied due to possibly scary content. Playing for four performances only, this show runs February 13-15 at 7:30 with a special matinee performance on February 15 at 2:30. Tickets are $10 and can be reserved here.
Rabun Gap-Nacoochee School
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Rabun Gap-Nacoochee School is a private, coeducational day and boarding school for grades Pre-K through 12. Centrally located between Atlanta, GA, Greenville, SC, and Asheville, NC, we prepare young people for college, career, and a lifetime of leadership and service.
