Interdisciplinary artist and award-winning filmmaker Charli Brissey presents the premiere of a new dance theater performance, FAWN, at the Ypsilanti Freighthouse March 13-15, 2026. This 75-minute solo show is directed and performed by Brissey and includes an original 5.1 surround sound score and lighting design by UM faculty Jess Fialko. Showtimes are 8pm Friday and Saturday and 6pm Sunday, with doors opening 30 minutes before showtime each night. Tickets are sliding scale, free for Ypsilanti residents.
While the word “fawn” is most commonly used to refer to a baby deer, another meaning of the word describes a trauma response in which someone tries to appease a threat and/or ensure survival through flattery or cringing. The word “fawn” is also commonly confused with “faun,” a human-animal deity and the protagonist of Nijinsky’s famously controversial ballet “Afternoon of a Faun.” This performance weaves these various etymological and mythological lineages of “fawn” and “faun” into an inherently queer dreamscape built at the intersections of grief, resilience, desire, power, and vulnerability in a precarious ecosystem.
Direction and Performance: Charli Brissey
Lighting Design: Jess Fialko
Sound Design: Charli Brissey
Dramaturgical Support: Scott Crandall
Show Duration: 75 minutes, no intermission
Ages: 14+ for language and references to sex/sexuality (please email cbrissey@umich.edu for further details regarding content and age appropriateness)
The Ypsilanti Freighthouse is ADA Accessible
