Seattle Public Library
Passengers Media List
Librarians at Seattle Public Library created this list of books, films, and music to enhance your experience of Passengers, playing at Seattle Rep form September 22 - October 15, 2023.
Les 7 Doigts De Le Main
"Freedom"
Streaming Video - 2004
Get a taste of The 7 Fingers' unique blend of circus performance, acrobatics and modern dance with this short streaming video, an episode of "Freedom," a documentary series on modern dance, directed by Bob Barrett.
Ailey
Streaming Video - 2021
"Alvin Ailey was a trailblazing pioneer who found salvation through dance. AILEY traces the full contours of this brilliant and enigmatic man whose search for the truth in movement resulted in enduring choreography that centers on the Black American experience with grace, strength, and unparalleled beauty." —publisher's copy
Alfred Hitchcock's Strangers on a Train
DVD - 2010
The classic adaptation of Patricia Highsmith's novel of the same name features a chance meeting of strangers on a train, resulting in a twisted murder plot.
American Circus Educators: "Black Circus Stories and History American Circus Educators: Black Circus Stories and History"
Web Resource
From the American Circus Educators comes a resource guide compiling Black circus stories, including films, troupes, podcasts, and more.
Martha Graham - When Dance Became Modern: A Life
By Baldwin, Neil
Book - 2022
Trailblazer Martha Graham revolutionized dance and choreography when she founded her female dance company in 1926. Baldwin's well-researched biography will delight both dance aficionados and newcomers.
Kurios: Cabinet Des Curiosités
By Beau, Raphaël
Music CD - 2014
The music for Cirque du Soleil's Cabinet Des Curiosités will transport listeners into a world of wonder.
Cirque Du Soleil: LeVar Joins the Circus
Streaming Video - 2014
Ride alongside LeVar Burton as he meets with members of Cirque Du Soleil's Mystére, learns about their acts, and gets to try some himself!
Geek Love
By Dunn, Katherine
Book - 2002
This list wouldn't be complete without Dunn's cult classic. GEEK LOVE is a rich and strange family drama starring the Binewskis, a "circus-geek" family. Drugs, cults, psychic abilities, and sibling rivalry: step right up for a truly unique literary experience.
The First Bright Thing
By Dawson, J. R. (Omaha teaching artist)
Book - 2023
In the aftermath of World War I, Rin and her wife Odette run a circus and safe haven for magical misfits known as Sparks. When the troupe travels through the Midwestern United States, Rin's past comes back to haunt her in unexpected ways.
Freeload
Streaming Video - 2012
"Director Daniel Skaggs spent eighteen months documenting the people riding America's freight trains. What he brings to the screen is FREELOAD, a story of adventure, class disparity and the survival of youth." —publisher's copy
Talking to Strangers: What We Should Know About the People We Don't Know
By Gladwell, Malcolm
Book - 2019
Gladwell explores the strategies we use when assessing strangers, then critiques how those strategies lead to trouble, working towards interactions with strangers that successfully balance safety and trust.
Tell Everyone on This Train I Love Them: Essays
By Higgins, Maeve
Book - 2022
Irish comedian Higgins pens a series of essays on being an outsider in America, what's broken in our society, and connections with strangers.
Introduction to Modern Dance Techniques
By Legg, Joshua
Book - 2011
This helpful guide maps the historical development of modern dance while also providing in-depth instruction on modern dance techniques.
Train Man: The Novel
By Nakano, Hitori
Book - 2007
Supposedly based on true events, this novel begins with a shy boy defending a girl from a bothersome man on a Tokyo train. The ensuing love story blossoms through Internet chats, as Train Man grows increasingly confident he has something to offer.
Born to Fly: Elizabeth Streb vs. Gravity
Streaming Video - 2014
"Elizabeth Streb and the STREB Extreme Action Company form a motley troupe of flyers and crashers. Propelled by Streb's edict that "anything too safe is not action," these daredevils challenge the assumptions of art, aging, injury, gender, and human possibility." —publisher's copy
Riding Jane Crow: African American Women on the American Railroad
By Thaggert, Miriam
Book - 2022
Thaggert's "fascinating hidden history of gender and race is based on diaries of Black female passengers, court transcripts, and the archives of the Pullman Company maids, illuminating the discrimination Black women faced while traveling and working on trains." —Library Journal
Shanghai Acrobat: A True Story of Courage and Perseverance From Revolutionary China
By Xue, Jingjing (Acrobat)
Book - 2021
Born in China in the 1950s, world-famous acrobat Jingjing Xue's memoir chronicles his rise from poverty to success during the Cultural Revolution. His storied career as a performer, coach, and developer of cutting-edge acrobatic techniques makes for a fascinating read.
Passengers runs at Seattle Rep from September 22 - October 15, 2023.
