Frank Olivier's Twisted Cabaret Returns to Seattle!

You've seen the insanely funny antics of Frank Olivier at Moisture Festival, don't miss his one-man-show!

Frank Olivier’s Twisted Cabaret and Pandemonium Vaudeville Show is a one-man show with a cast of a dozen characters, each more talented and demented than the last. Frank Olivier has performed around the globe, bringing his world class comedy juggling act to literally millions of people. In this show, Frank delivers more than just amazing juggling and comedy. Each night Frank takes on a dozen different roles performing a dozen different acts as well as singing and dancing his way into your heart.

Twisted Cabaret opens Thursday night February 5 and runs Thursdays through Sundays in Hale's Palladium for three weeks. 

To learn more about Frank Olivier's Twisted Cabaret, visit the website: www.TwistedCabaret.com
Tickets at:  http://twistedcabaret.strangertickets.com

Fabulous Festival Favorites!

There are some acts that we just love to see return to the festival each year! If you've missed any of these performers before, you can stop kicking yourself and get your tickets now for their 2015 festival performances. The comedic antics of these three performers will have you oooohing, ahhhhing, and making any other sounds of excitement you tend to make when you see impressive feats of physical comedy and dexterous skill.

Henrik Bothe

Henrik Bothe was born in Denmark, but luckily for us, he had access to The Ed Sullivan show. The plate-spinning act set his brain a-spinning, and he began practicing, much to the dismay of his mother's dishes. This led him down the path of performing arts, and he has expanded his abilities beyond plate-spinning to include juggling, balancing, and even escaping a straightjacket WHILE riding a unicycle! Once, he even performed a juggling act on "A Prairie Home Companion". You wouldn't want to miss a performer who is so good that they wanted him to juggle on a radio show! Show dates and times will be posted in late February here.

Lindsay Benner photo by John Cornicello

An act that manages to be both charming and wildly impressive is the talented Lindsay Benner. After receiving her BFA in acting, she continued crafting her talents and expanding her horizons to include solo variety acts. Lindsay has performed at various festivals, college campuses, on television programs such as The Tonight Show and has even appeared in movies! Her unique brand of comedy, juggling, and bringing happiness to audiences all over the world is a must-see. The schedule of performances will soon be updated here, so check back to make sure you get tickets for one of her shows!

Bill Robison

Bill Robison is another fascinating festival favorite that we've enjoyed watching over the years. His high-energy antics will delight everyone in your party, young and old alike. Comedy is an art form, and Bill is certainly an artist! He's been working on bringing laughter and fun to audiences for over 25 years, and some of those audiences have been right here at Hale's Palladium. You may have seen him outside before the festival in his Floaty Boat, playing songs on the ukelele while floating around in his canoe, but if not, check out the video below! You can see Bill's performance schedule on the Moisture stage posted here in late February.

Music Groups at Moisture Festival 2015

Part of the great variety of our variete includes musical acts, and we have some talented artists lined up for you this year! These two bands include strong voices and interesting lyrics, both telling stories of sorts while showcasing amazing aural aptitude.

The Bobs photo by John Cornicello

First, we have an A Capella quartet like no other... The Bobs! This Grammy-nominated group takes what you think you know about music and turns it upside-down, and side-ways, cross-wise... you get the point. Though they started their musical career performing uniquely arranged covers of popular songs, the Bobs have created their own songs over the years and released a number of albums, including 2013's "Biographies", highlighting famous and not-so-famous people throughout history.

It has been over 30 years since the Bobs first sang a note together, and though the owners of the voices have changed, the group remains a strong, cohesive vocal unit that will make you smile with their captivating harmonies and clever lyrics. The Seattle Times once described them as "a musical equivalent of a Gary Larson drawing", but you won't have to go to the Far Side to see them. Just check here for show dates, grab your friends and family, and head on over to Hale's Palladium to see the Bobs!

Uncle Bonsai photo by Michelle Bates

Another band you won't want to miss is Uncle Bonsai. This group adds an acoustic guitar to their three part vocal harmonies, and humorous and sometimes strange lyrics weave stories to entertain you. In 2013, they released a "bedtime book for grownups", The Monster in the Closet/Go to Sleep. This book of 2 songs, illustrated by the band members, also includes a recording of the songs, showing that this band can take it to the next level with multimedia offerings.

Having started performing in the early 80's, Uncle Bonsai has opened for many well known bands, including the Bobs! After an eight year hiatus, they reunited in 1998 to create more sonic stories, and now continue to titillate us with their tales. Chris Lunn with Victory Music Review said Uncle Bonsai "are one of the best things to erupt since Mount St. Helens... as startling as a dog with good breath." We think they are just delightful and are thrilled to have them back at the festival. Check here in late February for showtimes.

Don't Drop the Ball and Miss These New Acts!

Planning for the festival involves scheduling new and old acts alike. We have been juggling these tasks for twelve years now, and think we've become quite good at balancing known crowd favorites with soon-to-be crowd favorites. This year, you'll want to keep an eye open for these stunning performers who are no strangers to catching the eyes of audiences all over the world.

Jay Gilligan photo by Hans Vera

Jay Gilligan has many talents, and juggling is certainly one of them! He has toured the world with various juggling companies and as a solo act, and when he is not touring and showing off his skills, he teaches juggling in Stockholm, Sweden. Over the years, Jay has performed a number of fascinating shows, including Prototype, a unique experience where the act of juggling creates music! If you want to know more about Jay and his juggling history, check out his recently published book 5 Catches. To see him in action, check back here in late February for his performance dates at Moisture Festival 2015!

Steven Ragatz

Another performer who knows how to captivate a crowd is Steven Ragatz. He has been performing for three decades in multiple locations worldwide, and spent ten years touring with Cirque du Soleil. Steven is at home on any stage, from juggling in front of live orchestras to being the opening act for John Mellencamp! He has even performed on ice. Yes, you read that right... Steven has performed juggling and variety acts on ice! Our stage at Hale's Palladium is made of wood, but Steven Ragatz will transform it with his remarkable circus antics that you are sure to enjoy. Check here for updated show dates near the end of February.

Patrick McGuire

 Originally from Pittsburgh, Patrick McGuire was invited to the very first Portland Juggling Festival and eventually made the Pacific Northwest his home. He has toured extensively, including stints with Cirque du Soleil, performing in both Mystere and Quidam. He started work on Mystere just out of high school at the age of 18! Patrick has even appeared on "The Tonight Show" with Jay Leno. Don't miss this talented character on the Moisture Festival stage! Showtimes will be posted here by the end of next month.

Join the Fun! Volunteer Orientation February 9th

Have you ever wondered how such a fun, fabulous festival actually happens? In addition to the talented performers, tireless producers, and amazingly generous sponsors, we have a stellar team of volunteers that help make our Moisture world go 'round! Are you interested in being part of the festival? Come to our Volunteer Orientation on February 9th to find out how you can help! You can meet the festival organizers, chat with returning volunteers, and talk to the team leads about various volunteer positions available.

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, 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.

We have a lot of fun together each and every night of the festival. Be a part of the amazing family that makes this unique event happen!

photo by Michelle Bates

WHEN: Monday, February 9th. Registration begins at 6, meeting at 6:30
WHERE: Hale's Palladium, 4301 Leary Way NW (the Palladium is located behind Hale's Brewery)

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 leaders, 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.

For more information, visit our website or email volunteersATmoisturefestivalDOTorg.

Group Acts Bring More Life to the Party

They say two heads are better than one, so by that logic, groups of three or five have to be even better, right?! We have a couple of group acts that will be gracing the Palladium stage for the first time ever this year, so come check them out!

Gentile5 Photo by Gary G Thomson Photos

Have you ever been sitting around with your family and thought to yourself, "Maybe we should start juggling each other with our feet!"? I'm not sure that's the exact progression that happened in the Gentile family, but that is some of what you will see when you watch them perform at the 2015 Moisture Festival. Parents Carlo and Orlene have been performing all over the world as a duo, and as can happen when you watch your parents do really fun things, their three children (ages three to eight!) joined in on the party. 

The Gentile5 perform the Risely Antipode, which is defined as "any circus acrobalance posture where the base is lying down on their back, supporting one or more flyers with their hands, feet and/or other parts of the body; spinning a person or object using only one's feet". This act was named for Richard Risely Carlisle, who is noted as the first to perform the act in the Guinness Book of World Records sometime around 1840. The Gentile5 will astound you with these "feets", plus many more tantalizing acrobatics! Check this page for show dates in late February. 

Company Cirque en Deroute

Another new circus group for 2015 is Cirque en Deroute. These eccentric, entertaining clowns use comedic acrobatics to bring laughter and delight to audiences all over the world! In addition to acrobatics, these folks tap, juggle, and even do something they call Tappling. Tap juggling... talk about some serious coordination required! The members of Company Cirque en Deroute strive for "art within clown, clown within life, and life drenched with laughter." You will not want to miss the acrobatic antics of this group, so check here for confirmed performance times in the coming weeks.

Blast from the Past!

Sometimes the stars align just right and we get the pleasure of bringing back performers from years past that we haven't seen in awhile. For the 2015 festival, we have two acts that you may have missed in previous years, but will surely want to see this year!

Photo by Michelle Bates

You won't have to stand out in the rain to see the fabulous street performance of Aileen Wilkie. She will once again be bringing her talent to the Moisture Festival stage. Not only can she ride a tall unicycle and juggle, but she can do both at the same time!

Aileen is from Scotland, studied physical theater under the famed Jaques Lecoq in Paris and has performed in festivals in Australia and New Zealand. We are delighted to be able to bring her back to Seattle for another dazzling performance of physical theater! In late February, check here for performance dates.

Photo by David Rose

Have you had the joy of seeing the award-winning magic of Stoil and Ekaterina? Their high-energy quick-change performance, featuring magic, comedy, and stunning illusions will surely delight audiences of all ages. Hailing from Europe, this dynamic duo has performed all over the world, including Hollywood's Magic Castle! 

Their nearly instantaneous costume changes may leave you scratching your head and wondering if you could shorten your morning routine of getting dressed for work. If you haven't seen it, or saw it once and need to see it again to believe it, don't hit the snooze button on this opportunity! Performance times will be posted here by the end of February.