Most ballet audiences watch from their seats. At The Rosin Box Project’s “Ghost Light Masquerade,” they roam the stage in masks, wander among otherworldly creatures and sometimes become part of the performance.
The immersive Halloween production returns Oct. 22 with seven performances at The Nocturne Theatre, closing the season for the Liberty Station-based contemporary ballet company.
“I think it’s the dancers’ favorite show,” said Carly Topazio, the company’s artistic director and CEO. “There’s really nothing else like it.”
Topazio founded The Rosin Box Project in 2018 as a creation-based ballet company. Rather than staging repertory classics, it has commissioned more than 60 new contemporary works.
The company serves as a vessel for resident and guest choreographers to explore new ideas and push the boundaries of ballet. That means “peeling away all of the extra fluff and getting back to love of the art form,” Topazio said.
A Boston native, Topazio came to San Diego about 12 years ago to dance with City Ballet. After performing with the company for roughly six years, she decided to stay, saying San Diego “kind of spoils anywhere else.”
“I think it’s always a good sign when you’re excited to go home if you’re on vacation; that means you’re in a good place,” she said.
The Rosin Box Project incorporated as a nonprofit in 2020 and moved into Arts District Liberty Station, sharing the halls with three other dance companies.
“Ghost Light Masquerade” was born from a search for what Topazio called “our annual staple that’s not another ‘Nutcracker.’”
Halloween was “a natural second favorite,” and the concept “just kind of snowballed from there,” she said.
The title refers to the ghost light, a single lamp theaters leave burning on a dark stage. For practical purposes, it keeps people from stepping off the stage at night. According to superstition, it wards off spirits.
“I just started thinking about all of these other superstitions, weird things that we do as performers,” Topazio said. Those became vignettes and the show grew from there.
Guests choose between two mask colors that signal to performers whether they welcome interaction or would rather observe.
“Anonymity emboldens people,” Topazio said. “Putting a mask on, you kind of let the inhibitions go a little bit.”
The performance travels through the venue. Dancers pull audience members onstage, lead everyone in a group court dance and initiate playful encounters. After each show, the dancers trade stories about the evening as no two performances are alike.
“There’s always something funny that happened,” Topazio said.
One incident was harder to explain. The production’s first iteration, in 2020, was filmed with a 360-degree camera at Tenth Avenue Arts Center because pandemic restrictions kept audiences virtual. During a break, the dancers heard footsteps in the supposedly empty East Village building.
A dancer checked on the noise and reported it was just the cleaning crew. As the company loaded out at week’s end, he came clean, Topazio recalled.
“Guys, I never found anyone,” he told the group. “I didn’t want to scare you, so I said it was the cleaners, but there were footsteps that just continued walking up the stairs.”
The story is one of the unexpected moments surrounding a production that typically sells out, Topazio said. Discounts are available for students, seniors, veterans and artists.
The Rosin Box Project usually stages four productions a season, in March, May, August and October, followed by Encore, an end-of-season celebration in November. Next year marks the company’s 10th season.
Reaching that milestone has taken grit.
“Economically speaking, this has been a very tough year for arts nonprofits,” Topazio said, pointing to restrictions on federal and state funding that trickle down to the city level. The company has relied on longtime patrons and donors to help weather the challenges.
What keeps Topazio going is the audience, especially first-time patrons who may never have seen dance or been to a theater.
She said she loves “making someone smile” and watching a newcomer leave “completely blown away by what they just experienced.” Some are so moved they want to talk about it afterward.
She also takes pride in giving dancers a home where they have agency and a voice.
That, she said, is “why this has to continue to exist.”
The Rosin Box Project performs “Ghost Light Masquerade” Oct. 22-25 and Oct. 28-30 at The Nocturne Theatre, 3246 Imperial Ave. Tickets are available at www.therosinboxproject.com.
