Speakeasy with - Jessica Unker

Not all performers could put “trapeze training” on their résumés, but circus arts are a major interest for Jessica Unker (pictured, halfway up the ladder) and her fellow members at Atlanta’s fledgling Fish and Bicycle Theatre. Co-founder and co-artistic director with Nathan Green and Andrew McGill, Unker plays one of the title roles in The Adventures of Jesitha and Andronikis: The Search for Love! at 9 p.m., June 16-21, at an unconventional venue: the top of an Emory University parking deck.

To what extent do you apply circus arts to your shows?

We use large props like spools and hammock-style netting that we can swing on. We’re a small company, though, so we can’t afford to use gigantic trapezes or huge sets. Partly we think of “circus” as dealing in illusion and spectacle, and pushing ourselves past our limits. Also, we create shows that can travel around, so like a circus can pop up a tent anywhere, we can perform them anywhere.

Can you give an example from Jesitha and Andronikis?

It’s a futuristic adventure tale set in outer space. We have big, apocalyptic battle scenes, but we don’t have weapons – we fight with our bodies, so we use movement and dance to create images. For example, use weight-sharing so three people together can convey a bird. Also, since we’re performing it on top of the Michael Street parking deck at Emory University, having the CDC building and the Atlanta skyline in the background help create a futuristic backdrop.

Does doing shows outdoors involve more complications?

It is Atlanta, so you always have to deal with the weather. We did our first show, The Life and Death of Pan, outdoors in Sandy Springs last year, and it rained almost every single time. Some nights, there were thunderstorms and tornado warnings around us. We don’t mind getting wet, so we just give the audience umbrellas or put up a tent for them.

Is it true that you use the training methods of Olympic athletes?

Before we rehearse, we go into boot camp method. We train as athletes with circus training, karate, tai chi, yoga, pilates, trapeze and suzuki, which involves using your lower body strength. We train as gymnasts do.

Since most of you are recent college graduates, what do you do in your day jobs?

We rehearse seven days a week so we have jobs in the morning. Every single one of us is either a camp counselor or works in a coffee store. So we work with either coffee or babies.