You're Invited: Happy Hour at Pecado Bueno Eastlake!

Join a cadre of Moisture Festival producers, board members, and Moisture makers for a fun happy hour at the newest location of our wonderful sponsor, Pecado Bueno! The first round of drinks is on us, and Pecado Bueno will provide a tasty spread. Come hear what's new in the world of Moisture and stay connected with us over the summer. 


WHEN: Mon June 27 5-7pm
WHERE: 2356 Eastlake Ave E


Pecado Bueno translates roughly to “sin well”. Taking taqueria to a new level, they buy high quality ingredients, using organic and local whenever possible, and make everything in-house. Their business philosophy also has a strong focus on community involvement, and we are so lucky to have them as part of our family!

This is the first in a series of almost kind of monthly happy hours, so if you can't make it in June, stay tuned for future events. Planning is in the works for a few more Happy Hour events over the summer, so even if it's the dry season, you can have a little Moisture in your life!

New Events: The Trongate Tribute to Britannia Panopticon

Moisture Festival is going to Scotland!

The Britannia Panopticon in Glasgow, Scotland is the oldest surviving Music Hall. It is the theater where Stan Laurel, of Laurel and Hardy, first performed in 1906. One element of the festival's mission is to educate the public about the rich history of the variety arts. Music Halls were a major part of that history. To help with this restoration project is the chance of a lifetime.

We have four shows planned in the Panopticon and two other venues - The Oran Mor and The Briggait, the last weekend of Merchant City festival August 4 - 7. It is the hope of the good people of Glasgow and of the folks at Moisture Festival that this will become an annual visit and a wonderful point of connection with the fascinating wild history of Music Hall, Vaudeville and the variety arts!

Seeking funds! We will use the funds to provide transportation for artists (some from North America and some from Europe). The funds will cover per diem for the artists while in Glasgow for 10 days. We will perform in 3 venues while in Glasgow and donate the ticket money to the trust that is in place to restore The Britannia Panopticon! Thank you for any amount you can contribute. Every penny will be used wisely.

Britannia Panopticon - The World's Oldest Surviving Music Hall

By Steve Wacker

Imagine, if you will, what life was like for the population of Glasgow, Scotland in the mid-19th century. Living conditions were awful, at least by contemporary American standards, but two basic needs were provided for: entertainment and communal laughter. The Britannia Music Hall (as it was then known) provided four variety shows a day, primarily featuring dancing women and ballad crooners. Some 1500 attendees would pack themselves into the hall to be entertained and find a bit of escape.

According to Moisture Festival co-founder and current Artistic Director Ron W. Bailey, music halls flourished during the Industrial Revolution when populations in cities like Glasgow practically tripled overnight. Over time, the Britannia's bill was expanded to include novelty acts, child performers, acrobats, comedians, high-wire artists, and trapeze artists. Stan Laurel worked there as a janitor while his father performed on stage. Stan was encouraged to try his hand at performing, he made his first public appearance after the hall was rechristened the Grand Panopticon in 1906 and the rest is history. He eventually went to Hollywood with his friend Charlie Chaplin. There, Stan partnered with Oliver Hardy to become Laurel and Hardy, the well-loved comedians of silent film

Bailey recently returned from a tour of Scotland and Ireland. "My mother, Sadie Bailey, was born just outside of Glasgow and I always treasured visits there." While in Glasgow, he saw a poster for a fundraiser for the hall's current incarnation - now known as the Britannia Panopticon Music Hall. "I was immediately intrigued, because I knew that the entertainment style in music halls led to American vaudeville and eventually to The Moisture Festival," said Bailey.

During his tour Bailey met many other vaudevillians, and he also spent some time researching the history of music halls and those theaters that inspired this art form. Many Moisture Festival artists share in the fascination of the history of the art form, and it wasn't very long before a plan was hatched to help the Britannia Panopticon in its restoration efforts. And you, dear Moisture Festival supporter, can help by making a GoFundMe donation at www.gofundme.com/glasgowmusichall.

 "One element of the Moisture Festival's mission is to educate the public about the rich history of the variety arts, and music halls were a major part of that history," said Bailey. "To help with this restoration project is the chance of a lifetime. We will use the funds to provide transportation for artists (some from North America and some from Europe) and per diem for them while in Glasgow for 10 days. We will perform in three different venues, and then donate the ticket money to the trust that is in place to restore the Britannia Panopticon Music Hall!"

The shows are planned in the Panopticon and two other venues - the Oran Mor and the Briggait - for the last weekend of the Merchant City festival, August 4-7, 2016. Moisture Festival hopes, along with the good people of Glasgow, that this will become an annual visit and a wonderful point of connection with the fascinating wild history of music halls, vaudeville, and the variety arts!

Seattle's Moisture Festival of Comedy/Varietè, founded in 2004, is the largest and longest running comedy/varietè festival in the world. Learn more at www.moisturefestival.org/.

Thanks to Kirby Lindsay and Judith Bowers for background information.

GiveBIG for Moisture on Tuesday, May 3!

On Tuesday, May 3, you will have the opportunity to make a BIG impact on your community! By donating on this day, The Seattle Foundation will stretch your dollars by contributing a percentage of matching funds, increasing the impact your donation will have on our organization.

We want to continue bringing 200+ talented performers from across the globe to Seattle with your dollars covering what matters: augmenting the daily meal provided to 80-90 performers/technicians/volunteers; paying artists a modest compensation for their talent and time; and a small but passionate staff to hold the festival together and keep everything running smoothly.

Help us reach our goal of $15,000 by donating any amount you are able to give. A generous donor has provided us with a $1,000 matching gift fund. New this year, you can schedule your donation TODAY for processing on Tuesday, May 3. To GiveBIG for Moisture Festival, go to our donation page and enter your gift today! We thank you so much for supporting our mission to enrich the community by presenting an affordable annual festival showcasing the art of live comedy/ variete performance.

Artist Reflection Series: Bond Street Theatre Creates Joy Through Performance Art

Bond Street Theatre is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting peace and cultural understanding through theatre arts. Since 1976, they've been to various conflict areas, bringing their theatre-based programs for education, healing, and empowerment to people experiencing poverty and oppression.

The Theatre for Social Development project helps arts organizations use their creativity for social improvement by partnering with Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) to help bring their services to the public. Bond Street has been working in Afghanistan since 2002, partnering with local theatre groups to create peace building projects for youth and adults. They have been to over 40 countries worldwide, including Pakistan, India, Kosovo, Bosnia, Albania, Colombia, Brazil, Venezuela, Haiti, Indonesia, China, Myanmar, Turkey, Israel and Palestine.

We are excited to have them here in Seattle as part of our Moisture Festival Artist Reflection Series. On Monday, April 4, they will be here to present about the work they do to bring joy and happiness through theatre to countries experiencing poverty, war, and conflict. This informative presentation will be free, with donations suggested. Please join us to learn more about this amazing group!
Important Details:
WHEN: Monday, April 4, 7:30 PM
WHERE: Hale's Palladium
Free, donations suggested, all ages.

ASL Interpreted Show

We are excited to once again offer ASL interpretation at Moisture Festival! Many thanks to Paula for helping us organize interpreted shows over the years, and thanks to Deaf Spotlight and TADA (Theaters, Allies, & Deaf Audiences) for helping us make shows accessible!

The variete show at 7:30 on Thursday, April 7 at Hale's Palladium will have an ASL interpreter. We are working hard to add more interpreted shows, and will let you know if we are able to add more to the Moisture Festival lineup.

At these shows we will have a reserved section for our deaf patrons and their parties. When you arrive at the theater for the show, let the Box Office manager know your party should be seated in the ASL section. Our House Manager will show you to your seats.

Hangin' Tough

Every year, Moisture Festival brings high-quality aerial acts to the stage, showcasing physical strength along with beauty and charm. There are many different types of acts that fall under the "aerial" umbrella, such as trapeze, tissu, hoop, and swing. With so many different options, it is likely that even the most stoic of audience members will submit an "Ooooh" or "Aaaah" at one of the acts! Here are a couple new aerialist additions to this year's lineup that we think you might enjoy.

Eve Diamond Warren Zelman Photograpy

Eve Diamond was introduced to the circus arts through Circus Smirkus at the age of 13, and found herself mesmerized enough to keep it up through high school and college. Combining beauty and brawn, Eve has been all over the country as a student, performer, and teacher. She has performed and taught classes with Circus Smirkus and Emerald City Trapeze, trained at SANCA, and also trained at Ecole Leotard in Montreal with Victor Fomin. Her specialty is in aerial rope and cloud swing (both static and dynamic), but is also well-versed in trapeze, hoop, tissu, and partner acrobatics. Eve recently moved to Seattle, and we are happy to welcome her to our local Moisture Festival family. Her festival performance dates are available here.



Cassie Cutler also started performing at a young age, practicing and competing in the gymnastics world until the age of 16. After that, she found circus arts and discovered that she loved being upside down! With her specialties of aerial, hand to hand, and tumbling, Cassie has bounced all over the place, including Great America Theme Park, Knotts Berry Farm, Costa Rica, and Mexico. Alice, her trapeze, has gone on these adventures with her. Like Eve, Cassie has also taught classes at Emerald City Trapeze and trained at Ecole Leotard! We are so glad that she will be joining us for Moisture Festival this year. You can see her on the Broadway Performance Hall stage for burlesque and variete performances.

If aerial is your interest, make sure to also check dates and times for Camille Swift (especially if you missed her stunning performance last year!), Duo Rose, Nikole Gramm, and Duo Revê to name a few!