Born and raised in San Juan, Jean Carlos honed his physical comedy on the neighborhood streets, turning festivals into impromptu stages. His 15 years of training gave him a signature brand of elastic, fearless slapstick.
Glenna Broderick — "Laura"
A former ballet dancer who traded the barre for the big top, Glenna discovered clowning as pure liberation. Together in 2022, they co‑founded Circo La Vuelta — later reborn as La Vuelta Theatre Lab, a pioneering hub for experimental clown work.
Displacement & Arrival in Evanston
In 2025, a devastating hurricane tore through their home base, leaving Legny and Laura without a stage, a city, or a plan. The Midwest became their unlikely refuge — and Actors Gymnasium in Evanston, a repurposed industrial warehouse, their unlikely new big top.
The Setting
A bleak, steel‑lined cityscape replaces the warm tropics — the stage itself becomes a character, echoing the duo's disorientation and resolve.
The Space
Actors Gymnasium's cavernous hall transforms each night, lit by projected neon shafts that pulse like a city's restless heartbeat.
The Stakes
More than a performance — a real-life story of two artists rebuilding from nothing, channeling personal loss into theatrical gold.
Wordless Storytelling: The Power of Pure Physicality
Aquí o Allá — "Here or There"
The entire narrative unfolds without a single spoken word. Every emotion, every conflict, every breakthrough is conveyed through exaggerated mime, daring acrobatic lifts, and a live score that breathes in perfect sync with the clowns' inner world.
Language becomes irrelevant. Laughter and tears need no translation.
Exaggerated Mime
Every expression amplified to its emotional extreme.
Live Score
Caribbean drums meet industrial synths in real time.
Acrobatic Lifts
Bodies tell what words cannot — soaring and falling as one.
The First Conflict: Setting Up Camp in a Hostile City
Legny wrestles a striped canvas tent into existence on a cold urban stage — only for a security guard's sweeping flashlight to shatter the fragile peace. What follows is a breathless, hilarious, and quietly heartbreaking chase across the warehouse floor.
The Chase
Frantic footwork and tumbling escapes that keep the audience gasping between laughs.
Laura's Cape
Her rain‑coat‑turned‑cape deflects the beam — part magic trick, part act of defiance.
The Red Noses
Flickering like warning lights, they signal danger and humanity in the same instant.
Turning Point: The Moment Hope Ignites
The show's emotional core arrives without warning. Laura begins juggling glowing orbs — one, two, three — and as the third arc completes, a burst of synth music floods the warehouse. In that instant, Legny's oversized red nose lights up for the very first time.
It is a single, wordless gesture that brings entire audiences to tears. A symbol of shared resilience, of two displaced artists daring to believe in light again.
"Balancing Hope"
Legny holds the lantern high. Laura keeps three luminous clubs aloft. The live score swells. The audience holds its breath. This is the image that went viral — 2 million shares and counting.
Climax: The Grand Finale & Standing Ovation
Legny and Laura lead a synchronized tumble through towering cardboard skyscrapers — a cascade of cardboard and confetti that rains down on a cheering audience. The city, once hostile, becomes a playground reclaimed by joy.
3,200
Tickets Sold
Across the full run at Actors Gymnasium
85%
Avg. Capacity
Night after night, a near-full house
4 min
Standing Ovation
The longest in Actors Gymnasium's recent history
Behind the Magic: Creative Team & Cast
Raquel Torre & Sylvia Hernandez‑DiStasi
Creator/Director and Circus Director — the visionary duo who shaped every gesture, every lighting cue, every silence into a statement.
Joerg Metzner — Set Design
Projected shafts of light mimic a city's neon pulse, turning steel walls into living urban canvases that shift with each emotional beat.
Luis Mendoza — Musical Score
A stunning fusion of Caribbean drums and industrial synths — the sonic soul of the show, composed live to mirror every fall, every triumph.
Kat Hoil & Kaitlyn Andrews
Acrobatic lead and musical director — the ensemble anchors who elevate every scene from performance to lived experience.
Critical Reception & Impact
Feb 23 – Mar 22, 2026
"Here or there, up in the air — tragicomic clown vibes that echo the pain of displaced peoples."
— Kimzyn Campbell, Chicago Reader
"A powerful story without words. Legny's red‑nose moment became the night's viral meme — 2 million shares."
— Evanston RoundTable
"Strikingly relevant to climate‑driven migration — and a 30% surge in youth attendance proves young audiences are hungry for it."
— The Daily Northwestern
🎟️ Tickets from $5 to $55 — recommended for ages 5+. High‑art circus made genuinely accessible to every family.
Legacy & Call to Action
Legny and Laura's story doesn't end when the confetti settles. Their journey ignites a new chapter — the "Clown Crossroads" tour, heading to schools in Chicago, Detroit, and New York in summer 2026, carrying the message that art outlasts every storm.
"When the world says 'here or there', we choose 'everywhere.'" — Legny, closing banner
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Watch the Mini‑Doc
Download the behind‑the‑scenes documentary and see the story behind the story.
Book Before March 22
Final shows are selling fast — secure your seats at actorsgymnasium.org today.