Entrapping Our Abundance
April 16 - 19, 2026
A circus confronting the Southwest's climate crisis
About the Production
Santa Fe, NM. Circus enthusiasts, we have an exciting announcement! Wise Fool New Mexico presents Entrapping Our Abundance, a family-friendly circus production premiering April 2026 in Santa Fe’s rapidly developing midtown arts district.
A spectacular homage to our beautiful Southwestern landscapes and what we risk losing to climate change, the show merges a talented cast of professional circus artists with heartfelt storytelling as they fight to protect treasured resources including the Río Grande, White Sands, dark sky sanctuaries, and natural hot springs. Audiences can expect remarkable acts featuring aerial arts, Native hoop dance, acrobatics, juggling, and contemporary dance set against stunning images of local landscapes.
Entrapping Our Abundance is viewable April 16 – 19, 2026 at Aspect Media Village’s Garson building within the Midtown District. Tickets available here.
“We chose this title to highlight the beauty of the ‘Land of Enchantment.’ New Mexico has been entrusted with this nickname because of its stunning landscapes, remarkable national monuments, and, most notably, its cultural wealth of Native American and Spanish heritage,” states Wise Fool New Mexico’s executive director Alishiya Kapoor. “However, its people often feel entrapped in this abundance because of challenging social and ever-worsening environmental issues. We have watched circus bridge cultures without the use of language, alleviate tension through physical theater and comedy, and educate through the sharing of stories. Our hope for this show is to invite audiences to question their role as residents or visitors, and inspire positive change.”
Entrapping Our Abundance follows two mischievous villain characters as they visit New Mexico. After seeing the wealth of natural resources within the land, they scheme about ways to claim it for themselves – but the community pushes back. Directed and choreographed by Pamela Donohoo, an artistic director and choreographer with an international performance career whose credits include Wynn Las Vegas’s “Le Rêve”, BET Awards, and MTV Video Music Awards – to name just a few! Pamela received her degree in Cultural and Social Anthropology from Stanford University and completed field research with nonprofit organizations throughout Africa, India, Latin America and the Caribbean. She utilizes these skills and experiences to help inform her research and creative interests in social justice, peacebuilding, sustainability and the environment, health, folklore, history and culture.
“My goal is to create art that inspires people to think critically and contribute positively to their world,” Pamela explains when asked what initially pulled her towards collaborating with Wise Fool New Mexico. “My productions specialize in being both socially relevant and globally engaged. In Entrapping Our Abundance, we are encouraging action by centering communities affected by environmental harm, showcasing all that is being lost while leading the way toward solutions. With an all-star cast of spectacular aerialists, dancers, actors, and object manipulation artists we are guiding audiences through a wild southwestern adventure sure to enthrall while educating.”
This production marks a return to the spotlight for Wise Fool New Mexico, following a period of transition as the organization spent much of 2025 homeless after losing the studio space they had called home since 2015. Their new location is based out of Aspect Media Village’s Garson building, directly next door to the newly-opened Sky Cinema Midtown. Aspect Media Village is an innovative mixed-use development featuring media, technology, housing, and retail uses in Santa Fe’s new Midtown district. The Midtown District is the arts-inspired redevelopment of the former Santa Fe University of Art and Design campus.
“Aspect Media Village is proud to host Wise Fool’s incredible Entrapping Our Abundance spring show,” commented Phillip Gesue, the developer of Aspect Media Village. “The talent of the performers combined with the show’s important message about resources and social equity will make this a truly compelling event.”
Over the past 25+ years, Wise Fool New Mexico has produced over 38 original performances, including Flexion, which toured throughout the US and Canada with its 25’ tall bow-legged aerial truss structure acting as the centerpiece. Entrapping Our Abundance will feature the same iconic free-standing truss in a new context, bringing it back to center-stage for the first time since 2018.
The organization continues to expand its artistic reach despite suffering from nation-wide cuts to grant funding, and is committed to accessible circus arts education and performances. Wise Fool engages its community year-round by creating numerous opportunities to gather in public spaces for artmaking, idea sharing, and celebratory events. Notable examples include their free 2025 World Circus Day Celebration at Santa Fe Railyard Park, and continued participation in IndigenousWays Festival, Sol Sunday, Santa Fe Pride, and The Burning of Zozobra.
Photography by Court Kessler 2026
Behind the Name
We chose this title, ENTRAPPING OUR ABUNDANCE, specifically to highlight the beauty of the “Land of Enchantment.” New Mexico has been entrusted with this nickname because of its stunning desert landscapes, breathtaking snow capped mountains, bubbling hot springs, remarkable national monuments, and, most notably, its cultural wealth of Native American and Spanish heritage. However, its people often feel entrapped in this abundance because of challenging social and ever-worsening environmental issues.
In our production, we will utilize the words enchantment and entrapment in a positive light and educate the audience that entrapping our precious resources is crucial since we care about our environment and want to build a sustainable future. We will also highlight the enchanting nature of our land and people so that we all can celebrate the wealth we all feel so proud of.
Circus as a Vehicle for Social Justice
Wise Fool has utilized circus performances for social change, to educate, and to raise awareness. As a Social Circus organization, we have observed how circus acts can bridge cultures without language, humor can alleviate anger, and our giant puppets make issues more visible. In unison, Social Circus educates, and through a creative process, the audience will be encouraged to question their role as conscientious residents and inspire them to stimulate positive change.
ENTRAPPING OUR ABUNDANCE will elaborate on the ideal future for the Southwest, not blame others for these troubles, but explore how we all can commit to helping achieve this ideal.
This production will follow ReUnite: Enter the Mycroverse‘s blueprint. The show director, Dr. Christina Castro (Taos & Jemez Pueblo), was hired through a transparent RFP process. Castro conceived a creative story that wove through incredible circus arts performances, dances, dramatic costumes, and giant puppets. Intentionally she applied the absence of verbal communication to distance the production from the English language, the language of colonization, and drew attention to the movement, costuming, and dramatic music mix. The performance took place in a Mycroverse that was a powerful metaphor for the impact of colonialism on Indigenous people. Through storytelling, it explicitly emphasized nuclear colonialism in New Mexico and ultimately focused on cultural reconciliation.
ReUnite: Enter the Mycroverse, offered in May of 2023, was our first original production since November 2019. The following year BEYOND THE BINARY explored gender stereotypes and how binary assumptions can lead to misunderstandings and aggression.
Where We'll Be
This performance will debut in April at Aspect Media Village’s Garson building. Our stunning custom-built aerial truss that hasn’t been used in a performance since Flexion in 2019 will be the highlight of the set!
After the initial debut weekend, we will integrate the narrative and acts into repertory shows that can tour anywhere within New Mexico. Subscribe to our newsletter for news on touring shows!
Let Our Show Come To You
Wise Fool is committed to reaching the underserved by the arts, and strive to offer free or low cost performances to cultural centers, schools, Pueblo communities, and more.
Please reach out if you’d like to bring this show to your city: alishiya@wisefoolnm.org
Production News
View recent blog posts related to this production – including director and cast calls, show dates, and ticket sales.
Casting Announcement Entrapping Our Abundance We are so excited to announce we are casting for our next professional-level circus productions, Entrapping Our …
Request For Proposals: Show Director Entrapping Our Abundance – Spring 2026 Wise Fool New Mexico (WFNM) is a nationally recognized social circus …
2025 annual production funding at risk! NEA Grant Funding Terminated This year, Wise Fool was awarded funding from the National Endowment for …
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