Synopsis

The 2025 Dark Sky Percussion production, Fall Awake, is a journey through the mesmerizing yet isolating realm of escapism. At its core, the show explores the delicate balance between reality and illusion, where characters find solace in their dream worlds to escape the harshness of their waking lives. However, as the lines blur, this fabricated sense of bliss begins to tighten its grip, suffocating them with a false sense of security. The show’s choreography uses intricate, dreamlike movements to mirror this emotional conflict, contrasting soft, floating sequences with tense, chaotic sections. Inspired by films like La La Land and Asteroid City, the visuals feature surreal lighting, reflective props, and abstract set designs that immerse the audience in this contrast between vivid dreams and stifling reality. During the trailer, one of the key sequences—where the protagonist ventures through a hidden door into an ethereal space—came to life when the show designers reimagined the entry-way to the dream world as seen in the movies “Coraline”, “Becoming John Malkovich” and the music video “Welcome Home”. This “happy accident” instantly became a defining moment of the show, adding an organic element to the polished design and emphasizing the unpredictable nature of dreams.