Frank Olivier's Twisted Cabaret Opens This Weekend!

Festival favorite Frank Olivier is back in town with Frank Olivier's Twisted Cabaret and Pandemonium Vaudeville Show! This one-man show features a cast of characters each  more demented than the last, guaranteed to make you laugh. Frank has brought this show to literally millions of people all over the world, bringing delight to all with his world-class juggling skills and hilarious brand of mirthful comedy. This show has been described as a "one man Cirque du Soleil meets Penn and Teller" and while mostly designed for adults, kids love it too!

Twisted Cabaret runs weekends Friday, February 5 through Sunday, February 28 (see website for exact dates) at Hale's Palladium. Call some friends and make plans for dinner and a show!

And here's a really great deal... just for opening night (Friday, Feb 5), you can get a $10 ticket! For this offer, just say "MF" at the door.

For more information about Frank Olivier's Twisted Cabaret, check out the website: http://twistedcabaret.com/

The Cheese to My Macaroni: Dynamic Duos in 2016

We're just six weeks away from opening night! It's the most wonderful time of our Moist year... Booking is in full swing, so we can start feeding you some delicious tidbits about the artists performing at this year's festival. For our first artist post of the year, let's talk about some amazingly talented artists with a vaudevillian flair that will be returning to the Moisture Festival stage!

EDIT: Unfortunately, due to scheduling conflicts, The Daredevil Chicken Club will not be able to precipitate with us this year. We hope to bring them back to Seattle in the future!

The Daredevil Chicken Club began one fateful day in 2001... well, maybe it was a combination of days and fates, but they decided to bring their unique brand of modern vaudevillian entertainment to the masses. Since then, they have performed at many festivals and events throughout the world, from Off Broadway theaters to Dubai malls.

Newlyweds Marc and Svetlana Buttersworth will present their "Honeymoon Cabaret" to inspire us all to believe in the magic of love through this tale of romance set to a delusional talent show. The Daredevil Chicken Club aims to "challenge and push the medium of live performance and search for the line between reality and absurdity, comedy and taboo." Do you know where that line is? Come to the Moisture Festival to find out! Show dates and times will be posted here in just a few weeks.

We will also welcome the return of Bindlestiff Family Cirkus. 2012 was the last time we saw them at the Palladium, and can't wait to see them again! Vaudeville East meets Vaudeville West when this family comes to town. Co-founders Stephanie Monseu and Keith Nelson joined together in 1995, and with a variety of outrageous talent, have brought an unparalleled combination of Vaudeville, Circus, Wild West, Burlesque, and Sideshow to venues and festivals worldwide. What you see depends on who they've gathered for the show, so keep your eyes and your mind open! Below is a video clip of the Cirkus in action. Their show dates and times will be posted here once our game of artist Tetris reaches its climax!

2016 Workshop: Hilary Chaplain Presents Physical Comedy from a Clown POV

Did you make a resolution that 2016 will be the year to really work on your clowning skills? We can help you with that! Moisture Festival is excited to announce that we'll be offering a workshop on physical comedy from a clown's point of view, hosted by Hilary Chaplain. This interactive event will be held on Saturday, March 26, at 12 pm. We are very delighted to be partnering with West of Lenin again this year for the use of their studio space to host this awesome workshop! They are just down the street in Fremont, at 203 N 36th Street.

What makes it funny? What makes it repeatable?
This class will tackle those two questions while we explore physical comedy from a clown point of view. Expand your physical vocabulary, develop tools for playing comedy using the techniques of slapstick, improvisation, partnership, comic timing, and accidents in solo, due and group exercises. Through active games and dynamic exercises we will build short pieces of material using these skills. Performers of all levels and disciplines are welcome! There are only 12 spots available, so buy your ticket today! 

Hilary Chaplain is one of the founding members of the New York Goofs. They performed together in New York’s Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and Symphony Space. She has gone on to be recognized as one of America’s foremost professional physical comediennes performing throughout North and South America and Europe. Revealing the humor in everyday life, she has been called “ferociously talented”. Read more about Hilary at www.hilarychaplain.com.

WHEN: Saturday, March 26, 12 pm
WHERE: West of Lenin, 203 N 36th St, Seattle, WA 98103
TICKETS: Only 12 spots available!  

2016 Educational Series: Rob Mermin and the Circus Experience

We are excited to announce the first events of our 2016 Educational Series! Moisture Festival veteran Rob Mermin will be presenting two amazing talks about his experiences in the world of circus, described below. These events are free, though we suggest a donation towards the costs of putting on the series. Rob trained in classical mime with Etienne Decroux and Marcel Marceau and has performed in European circus, theater, TV and film for forty years.  He is an author, director, university lecturer, former Dean of Ringling Bros. Clown College, and founder of the award-winning international company Circus Smirkus. 

On Monday, March 21, Rob will present "Circle of Sawdust", a multi-media one-man show featuring personal anecdotes and rare film clips that bring alive the mud, myths, mayhem, and magic of traditional tenting circus from someone who has lived the life and returned to tell the tales! Rob's own historical films, wacky adventures and engaging stories of wild characters he has known vividly recreate what life is truly like under the big top. This picturesque history illuminates the relevance of circus culture to rural life in America over the past 200 years.

Monday, March 28 brings us "Adventures in Mime & Space: The Legacy of Marcel Marceau". Rob Mermin, founder of Circus Smirkus, and student of the legendary French mimes Marcel Marceau and his teacher Etienne Decroux, presents his memories of training with the masters. Rob explores the metaphors of mime technique and shows rare film clips of Marceau and Decroux performing and teaching, bringing to life the essence what Marceau called “the eloquent art of silence.” The legacy of Marceau encompasses not only his virtuosity in mime, but also his work in the French Resistance saving Jewish children from the horrors of WWII. Marceau’s life as artist and humanitarian earned him the respect of the world.

Both presentations will be hosted at Hale's Palladium, and are appropriate for all ages. Presentation starts at 7:30 and lasts approximately 90 minutes. We'd love to see you there!

Precipitate With Us... Volunteer Orientation Feb 22!

Have you considered running away with the circus, but the pull of responsibility keeps you at home? We have a compromise! Moisture Festival is a festival powered by volunteers, and we have a lot of fun opportunities available for you to join us in creating another fabulous year of the world's largest and longest running comedy/variete festival.

Our motto “Laughter is the key” emphasizes that our volunteer team’s main mission is to have fun while we work together. Each year we seek new volunteers to join our returning teams who take care of greeting patrons at the door, box office, bartending, backstage hospitality, transportation, artist accommodations, set building, data management  – to name only a few of the areas necessary for the continued success of this annual springtime festival.

To learn more about the various roles available before, during, and after festival, we are hosting a FREE volunteer orientation on Monday, February 22. Whether you've volunteered with us since the beginning or are brand new in 2016, we would love to see you and celebrate the kick-off of the 2016 festival season! You can meet team leads, our tiny but powerful staff, the producers, and other volunteers. We'll have delicious pizza, and all those of legal drinking age can enjoy a frosty Hale's beer on us!

photo by Michelle Bates

WHEN: Monday, February 22. Doors at 6 for mingling and drinks, meeting at 6:30.
WHERE: Hale's Palladium, 4301 Leary Way NW (behind Hale's Brewery & Pub)

If you cannot attend the meeting but still wish to volunteer for the festival, fear not! While the meeting is the best place to learn about the festival and meet the team leads, we'll send a recap after the meeting with info you need to volunteer.  Be sure you are signed up on Moisture Festival's Shiftboard: www.shiftboard.com/moisture. This is our volunteer mailing list and all shifts are scheduled through Shiftboard.

Friends of Moisture: Evan's Family Variety Show!

If you're ready for some Moisture but feel like March is an eternity away, you can get your pre-festival variety fix with Evan's Family Variety Show! Presented by Angel Productions, Inc, the show features Moisture Festival's own Armitage Shanks as the MC, with performances from many talented local and national acts that are fun for the whole family. This all ages performance will be held Sunday, January 24 at 3 pm at the Phinney Ridge Neighborhood Center. Tickets are only $10 for adults and $5 for children under five if you buy them in advance!

Are You Covered? Healthcare Happy Hour for Artists, Musicians, and Performers!

Calling all artists, musicians, and performers! Do you need help navigating the sometimes murky waters of signing up for healthcare? Public Health Seattle King County is hosting an event to get you covered! Monday, January 25 will be Healthcare Happy Hour at Fred Wildlife Refuge. There will be people on-site from 4 to 8 pm to answer your questions and walk you through the sign-up process. Open enrollment ends January 31, 2016.