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With an award-winning creative team, Dark Night invites visitors to encounter, reflect, and honor the enduring spirit within us all. The live event features a 12-hour improvised solo tap dance performance by Andrew Nemr, direction by Tony Award nominee Tony Yazbeck, and immersive projections by Stephen Proctor. Visitors take in the performance as they freely walk around the space, engaging with ideas, prompting contemplation on the choice to endure.
The dark night of the soul is that experience of life when the things we use to orient ourselves to the world are stripped away. Often without warning or preparation. What happens next is found in the mysteries of the spiritual life.
This is where our journey begins. We have preferences, desires, and dreams we are pursuing. We have habits of thought and action that we are cultivating and curating. At our core, we have a spirit that is being formed.
We journey through our days, excited for what we find to be good. We do what we can to achieve our goals…to get what we want. We gain the joy of consolations upon achieving even the smallest gain. We land that job, maintain a loving relationship, or earn a good reputation. Upon entering the night, it is the joy we derived from these good things that is stripped from us. Often without warning.
We experience disorientation, disillusionment, grief, and overwhelm. We are lost, even blind, in the darkness. We have gone from what we thought we knew to something completely different. The spirit rails. The soul aches. The darkness has come.
In the darkness we are not in charge. We can’t even see, let alone direct ourselves toward a particular goal. St. John of the Cross writes about a soul that is at peace in the dark – one open to the effect of the darkness upon it. How is this possible? We ache at the separation we experience. We grieve the loss of our former world. We are disillusioned by the shift. We are disoriented in our new position. Our ability to hope and dream seems lost, along with our ability to see.
We have two choices.
We can reach back for the life we had known before the darkness came or we can look forward into the dark and choose to endure the night. Many will reach back for the consolations they had known, to no avail – finding bitterness where there once was sweetness. Those who choose to endure the night will press forward, not knowing when the night will end – honoring the enduring spirit within them.
We don’t know when the night will end. Nor can we will the sun to rise. Yet there is a promise of completion, of fulfillment of the work, that was begun in us even before the darkness came. If we choose to endure we might come to experience this completion. We might become the kinds of people that are not moved by the push and pull of our senses, desires, or even our own lives.
Exiting the night is yet another shift. To hope and dream again may feel foreign. Experiencing the lifting of the night may feel disorienting.
However, the spirit that has endured the night has come to rest. It has been shaped by holding onto love, even in the dark. Now in the light, the path of love is found and walked with ease.
Andrew’s own experience of the dark night of the soul began when, in a single moment, his relationship to his craft, work, family, and friends all shifted. Experiencing severe burnout, he was confronted with the reality that how he had approached his life had landed him in this challenging situation. This was not something he could patch up, fix quickly, or even ride out. Something had to change. Through counseling, listening groups, coaching, and the work of Dallas Willard, Andrew began to turn. He then found St. John of the Cross, and the proposition of the dark night of the soul as a normal and necessary part of the spiritual life. Even something given in love that provides a unique opportunity for the formation of the spirit. There were many questions, of course.
How could something so painful be framed in love? How could something so hard be for the good?
Not everything that is painful can be framed in love. Not everything that is hard is good. In Andrew’s case, though, this all made sense, and spurred on his willingness to endure the process of the dark night.
Dark Night is an immersive experience. When you arrive you will be greeted and checked-in. As you enter the space you can expect to immediately experience sound, lights, and visuals designed to create an environment of reflection and contemplation. Stations in the space will offer prompts (statements and questions designed to inspire reflection) that you may respond to by contributing your thoughts at the station. You will be free to walk around and take in the experience at your own pace.
Regardless of the time you visit you can expect to see Andrew dancing. He will be dancing throughout the 12 hours, improvising his performance. Notably, the space will be illuminated primarily by natural light, so as the sun sets (approx 9:50pm) the space will darken, and projections will illuminate the space. The reverse will happen at sunrise (approx 6:45am).
Consider arriving 15 minutes early. Visitors will be welcomed and checked-in on a first come first served basis with preference given to those with reserved tickets for a specific time slot.
A full experience of the space will likely take 30-60 minutes. You may want to stay longer, walking through the space a few times, pausing to take in more of the dancing, or reflecting more on one of the prompts. Feel free to do so. Visitors are also welcome to leave and return. Preference for entry will be given to visitors who have reserved for the specific timeslot.
Yes, a handful of seats will be available – with priority given to those needing to rest from standing.
Yes, Dark Night will be live-streamed onYouTube. The stream will feature a single camera and live chat, allowing viewers to take in the presentation and interact with prompts for reflection. Reserve a Live Stream Ticket to receive a reminder email with a direct link to the live stream. The live stream will be viewable here.
We are happy to partner with the Inn at 500 to provide a special discount rate for visitors of Dark Night with available airport pickup and guest transportation to the venue.
TRICA is located in the North End neighborhood at 1406 W Eastman St, Boise, ID 83702 – on the corner of Eastman St. and 14th St. To get step-by-step directions, find TRICA on Google Maps or Apple Maps, or your favorite map.
TRICA is located in a residential neighborhood without its own parking lot. Free street parking is available, but please consider using a ride-sharing service, as the number of spaces may be limited, especially in the later hours.
TRICA is fully ADA compliant. An entrance on the ground level on Eastman St leads to an elevator that will take you upstairs to the lobby.
The North End has a wide variety of food and drink options just blocks away from TRICA in Hyde Park. Restaurants, coffee shops, and pubs, line 13th street and make for a great stop before or after your time at Dark Night.
Accessible public restrooms are available at TRICA, as well as drinking water/water filling stations.
The recording of any aspect of Dark Night by visitors is not allowed. We encourage you to consider turning your phone off as you take in Dark Night or leaving it behind altogether to help you be more present at the event.
Downtown Boise area has a large selection of hotels and is a 7 min drive to TRICA. We are happy to partner with the Inn at 500 to provide a discount rate for visitors of Dark Night with available airport pickup and guest transportation to the venue.
TRICA is located in a residential neighborhood without its own parking lot. Free street parking is available, but please consider using a ride-sharing service, as the number of spaces may be limited, especially in the later hours.
The North End has a wide variety of food and drink options just blocks away from TRICA in Hyde Park. Restaurants, coffee shops, and pubs, line 13th street and make for a great stop before or after your time at Dark Night.
The recording of any aspect of Dark Night by visitors is not allowed. We encourage you to consider turning your phone off as you take in Dark Night or leaving it behind altogether to help you be more present at the event.
Dark Night is an immersive experience. When you arrive you will be greeted and checked-in. As you enter the space you can expect to immediately experience sound, lights, and visuals designed to create an environment of reflection and contemplation. Stations in the space will offer prompts (statements and questions designed to inspire reflection) that you may respond to by contributing your thoughts at the station. You will be free to walk around and take in the experience at your own pace.
Regardless of the time you visit you can expect to see Andrew dancing. He will be dancing throughout the 12 hours, improvising his performance. Notably, the space will be illuminated primarily by natural light, so as the sun sets (approx 9:50pm) the space will darken, and projections will illuminate the space. The reverse will happen at sunrise (approx 6:45am).
A full experience of the space will likely take 30-60 minutes. You may want to stay longer, walking through the space a few times, pausing to take in more of the dancing, or reflecting more on one of the prompts. Feel free to do so.
TRICA is located in the North End neighborhood at 1406 W Eastman St, Boise, ID 83702 – on the corner of Eastman St. and 14th St. To get step-by-step directions, find TRICA on Google Maps or Apple Maps, or your favorite map.
TRICA is fully ADA compliant. An entrance on the ground level on Eastman St leads to an elevator that will take you upstairs to the lobby.
Accessible public restrooms are available at TRICA, as well as drinking water/water filling stations.
Consider arriving 15 minutes early. Visitors will be welcomed and checked-in on a first come first served basis with preference given to those with reserved tickets for a specific time slot.
Yes, but only a handful of seats will be available – with priority given to those needing to rest from standing.
Yes, Dark Night will be live-streamed on YouTube. The stream will feature a single camera and live chat, allowing viewers to take in the presentation and interact with prompts for reflection. Reserve a Live Stream Ticket (LINK) to receive a reminder email with a direct link to the live stream.
