Murder! Under the Spotlights
"You know the war ended over two years ago. We’re in a golden age, at least so they say. Me, I say this age is just as dirty as the last. It’s just a quieter kind of dirty, the kind that leaves blood stains in seedy hotels and bodies in back alleyways. But the Reverie, oh, the Reverie, that place wears that golden facade so well that I’m willing to believe in it for the night. Why don’t you come with me?"
It’s 1947. The war’s been over for two years, the economy is booming, and life is good—or at least that’s what detective Chip Hardcastle tells herself as she downs her third bourbon at the Reverie Club. One more night of drinking her way toward contentment is cut short when a sudden crash shatters the room and the club’s star performer Roxy falls to her death. A freak accident? It doesn’t look like it. Chip wants nothing to do with it, but the club’s bartender and owner make it clear—no one is leaving until the case is solved.
Our story plays out under the glow of the spotlights, told through aerial dance—silks, lyra, trapeze, fly pole, multicorde—alongside contortion, acro, burlesque, dance, and theater. Every act pulls another thread, tightening the knot as the night wears on. Alliances shift, alibis crack, and nothing stays clean for long.
It’s high-energy, a little dangerous, and full of turns you won’t see coming. And before it’s over, when the dust settles and the truth is laid bare, you’ll have to make the call: who killed Roxy?
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Artistic Directors
Andria Rabenold-Seaver (Artistic Director, The Detective) has trained extensively across aerial disciplines since 2017, including lyra, silks, sling, trapeze, corde lisse, and straps. She has studied at leading programs in Colorado and the Northeast, and now teaches students of all ages at Aerial Cirque Over Denver while performing throughout the region.
Katherine Mechler (Artistic Director, Ensemble) is an aerial performer, director, and multidisciplinary artist whose work blends dance, storytelling, and theatrical production. Since beginning her aerial training in 2022, she has performed across the Denver area, with a style rooted in musicality, character, and expressive movement. Her work often explores narrative-driven performance, bringing a strong sense of structure, pacing, and atmosphere to both the stage and the creative process behind it.
Full Cast
Amanda Ireton (The Victim) is an aerialist who has trained for over five years and performed for more than three. Her primary apparatus is rope, and she has appeared in numerous studio-led showcases as well as independently produced performances.
Andy Jump (The Wealthy Regular) discovered aerial arts a year and a half ago and has been hooked ever since. Drawn to straps and silks, they enjoy the balance of strength, control, and storytelling in the air, using each training session to build confidence and expressive movement.
Kimberly Liska (The Bartender) is a Denver-born aerialist, acrobat, and contortionist whose training began in 2017 on lyra. She has studied extensively in contortion, including at the Mongolian Contortion Convention, and performs across Colorado in both ambient and featured roles.
Robyn Harte (The Rival) is a Denver-based aerial performer and coach specializing in dynamic vertical apparatuses. Her work blends athletic movement with theatrical storytelling, often incorporating bold character work, and she performs regularly at festivals and venues throughout Colorado.
Sophie Atkinson (The Club Owner) began her aerial training in 2021 and performs across multiple apparatuses including silks, sling, trapeze, and lyra. Her work emphasizes musicality and storytelling, and she continues to expand her practice through contortion training and performance.
Ana Cruz (Ensemble) is a multi-faceted performer with 10 years of circus experience, performing across Denver, Boulder, and beyond. Her work spans multiple hoops, fire, aerial, bellydance, and burlesque—bringing a dynamic and layered presence to the stage.
Nadja Tizer (Ensemble) has been part of the aerial community for over twenty years, beginning as a student and growing into an instructor and professional performer. Aerial dance has become both her craft and her profession, shaped through decades of experience.
Produce by Aerial Cirque Over Denver
Founded in 2006, Aerial Cirque Over Denver (ACOD) is the Denver area's largest dedicated aerial dance and circus studio and a recognized Denver Legacy Business. As the city’s only nationally safety-certified aerial studio, accredited through the American Circus Educators Safety Network, ACOD leads with excellence in safety and instruction.
Across its Denver, Centennial, and Golden (coming fall 2026) locations, the studio offers classes in silks, hoop, trapeze, hammock, rope, and more for students ages 3 through adult. Programs include youth and adult sessions, seasonal camps, and three performance tracks—the Adult Student Company, Youth Student Company, and Youth Competition Team—providing pathways from recreation to artistry and from first flight to full-stage performance.
ACOD is thrilled to be producing it's first professional production with Denver Fringe!
- Website: aerialcirqueoverdenver.com/#
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/aerialcirque_overdenver/
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/AerialDanceOverDenver/
Cleo - Historic Shorter AME Theater
119 Park Ave W, Denver, CO 80205
Entrance: The main doors are on the southeast side of the historic building
Parking: Parking is allowed in the Safeway parking lot across the street and there is free street parking in the neighborhood.
Accessibility: ADA access via ramp and lift, six (6) ground level seats with access to bathrooms.
Admission: You must show your ticket confirmation or purchase a ticket at the venue; all seating is general admission, audiences will wait in a queue before entry to the show.