Alicante-born artist Lucas Escobedo leads a bold artistic project that lands at the Max Awards for Performing Arts on June 6. Ahead of that milestone, his company debuts a new piece at the Circus Price Theater in Madrid, with a premiere set for May 21 and 22. The performance features the virtuoso talents of Raquel Molano, Alfonso Rodríguez, and Marta Sitjà, joined by Escobedo himself as the guiding presence on stage.
In the language of clowning, the show blends humor with live circus accompaniment to explore themes of horror, theater, and concert-like storytelling. It aspires to find poetry and laughter within fear, acknowledging that every person carries a different shape of fear. The company’s aim is not to catalog every fear but to use them as springboards for levity, allowing humor to take flight and carry audiences into a shared, imaginative space. Fear exists in everyone, and while many wish it away, it remains a part of the human experience.
This emotion seldom serves as a guide, yet it can prompt action and creativity. The performers greet fear as a collaborator in a natural journey, crafting a tragicomedy or melodramatic-inflected comedy that emerges from a collective outpouring of ideas. The show traces the everyday life of fear, the anticipation of what lies ahead, and the longing to return to normalcy before fear begins to dominate one’s existence.
“Paura” by Lucas Escobedo from Alicante, a 2022 Max Awards finalist
Paura dives into the world of comedy to examine horror from a fresh angle. It fuses genres born from the depths of the human psyche, where tears and laughter coexist and mutually illuminate each other, constantly surprising audiences with their intertwined rhythm.
The Lucas Escobedo company has quickly become one of today’s most vibrant currents in contemporary circus. Following the success of yolo, which earned multiple accolades (FETEN Award 2019, Best Large Format Performance Award, Best Sound Field Award; Best Circus Performance at Valencia Performing Arts 2019; Max 2020 nominations for Raquel Molano as best show and for best musical composition for family audiences), the troupe returns with a production that unites music, humor, and inventive circus artistry.
Audiences can expect a performance that melds fast visual storytelling with live music and physical wit. The show invites spectators to laugh through fear, to witness how humor can soften the sharp edges of anxiety, and to experience a shared sense of wonder as performers ride the edge between danger and delight. The production has been crafted to resonate across cultures, inviting viewers to reflect on their own fears while enjoying a rich, collaborative spectacle. This momentum positions the company at the forefront of the contemporary circus scene, where tradition and innovation fuse to create memorable, immersive experiences. Attribution: festival program notes and press materials