From the puckish mind of Nick Gillette, winner of the 2021 Philly Fringe Festival audience choice award for best comedy.

RECEPTION is your chance to speak to and hear from an alien intelligence, channeled through one of Philadelphia’s most charming improvisers.

In 2014, the first interstellar object ever sighted near our sun mysteriously changed course and tumbled away. Soon after, voices purporting to originate from Vega poured uncontrollably from the mouth of a local performing artist. Probing the intentions of the audience, this channeling walks a tightrope between a supernatural or psychological explanation.
For ages 18+

This show is presented as part of Cannonball Festival, Philly’s artist-centered performance hub, packing in 65+ full length shows and 300 performances in two nearby venues. Discover risk-taking theater, dance, circus, music, and comedy alongside a vibrant garden bar with a free nightly cabaret, pop-up events, workshops, artist talkbacks, and more. September 1–30 at the Maas Building (1320 N 5th St) and Icebox Project Space (1400 N American St). Learn more at cannonballfestival.org.

Content Considerations

This performance contains brief graphic language, brief suggested violence, and references to mental illness.

Health & Safety

Proof of vaccination is required to attend this event, and masks must be worn for the duration of the performance. Audience members will be asked to show proof of vaccination before entering the venue. Both digital and physical proof of vaccination are accepted. Please plan accordingly.

About the Artist

NICK GILLETTE is a physical theatre artist, co-founder emeritus of Almanac Dance Circus Theatre, and for the past ten years an instructor and performer at the Philly Improv Theater. He is a graduate of the Pig Iron School for Advanced Performance Training, a 2014 New York Live Arts Fresh Tracks resident artist, a 2016 Colgate University Christian A. Johnson resident artist, and a former resident artist at the Philadelphia School for Circus Arts. With Almanac he has collaborated to devise and perform Communitas (2014), Nightfall (2014), The Fleecing (2015), Leaps of Faith and Other Mistakes (2015 & 2017), IAMMADEOFSTARS (2016), Exile2588 (2016), Demon Magick Seminar (2017), and J/J/J/J (2018). Co-creator of The Wadsworth Constant, running since 2015. He has performed with Cabaret Red Light, BRAT Productions, Lighting Rod Special, Pig Iron Theatre Co., Alex Bechtel, International Contemporary Dance Festival of Mexico City, Vancouver International Improv Festival’s International Ensemble, and Philly Improv Theater. He lives in Philadelphia with his wife and two children.