Members of the University’s Physical Theatre Club seamlessly fuse skill and spectacle to tell stories through body language. 
They incorporate aerial silk work, trapeze art, dance, miming and even stage combat into their routines, according to Caila Gowland, co-vice president and theater senior.
“The way the club works is kind of free flowing,” Gowland said. “Physical theater really encompasses a lot of things. You go at your own pace and learn what you want, and the officers help you if you need it.”
Founded in 2009 by recent University graduate Ryann Pinkerton, the club itself is motley, too. With more than 60 members, including theater students, English majors and even biological engineering majors, people of any skill level are invited to join. Beginners are often taught to work with silks, which are ultra-strong fabrics fastened to the ceiling that members use to perform acrobatic moves in midair. 
Gowland said the silks can hold up to 2,000 pounds, and the officers take every precaution to ensure no one gets hurt.
“We have two lists, a beginners list and an advanced list, and you have to perform the beginner moves before you can progress,” Gowland said. “The first thing we do is teach you to hold yourself in a ball. Then you learn the eggknot, which is a knot you make with the silks and then flip to sit into.”
Advanced techniques include trapeze work, supervised by instructor Elise Duran, and drops, which involve falling from the silks in a series of elaborate, controlled maneuvers.
“The hardest one is the triple star drop,” Gowland said. “You flip three times sideways and two times downward. It’s crazy.”
More experienced members of the club perform in the Physical Theatre Showcase, an hour-long event held at least once every           semester. 
Mark Gibson, Gowland’s co-vice president, said he incorporates stilt-walking, juggling and even parkour into the routines he performs at the showcase.
“I’m a fire-breather too,” Gibson said, though he admitted he could not perform his craft without a permit.
The routines featured in the showcase are organized by the club’s officers, led by president Matthew Reed. 
“It lets us take something from scratch and create a new work,” Reed said. “The routines are usually three to five minutes long, and you pay what you can for tickets.” 
The club’s current financial goal is to raise $8,000 so they can hang silks in the Shaver Theatre.
The showcase premiered two years ago, and the club has worked to improve it every semester since. 
“It’s crazy the amount of people who are finding out about it,” Gowland said. 
She attributes the club’s growing membership to the success of the showcase.
She may be right, but Gibson’s explanation is a little simpler.
“It’s so much fun.”
The Physical Theatre Club meets in room 160 of the Music and Dramatic Arts building every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 10:30 a.m.
“It’s crazy.”

Gallery • 6 Photos

Taylor Balkom

Theatre sophomore Devin Williams stretches on arial silks Friday, Jan. 17, 2014 in the Music and Dramatic Arts building.