POCKET MOXIE: A Happenstance Vaudeville with Happenstance Theater Saturday, July 9th at 11am & 7:30pm at the Waterfront Museum in Brooklyn, New York Tickets & Info: HERE
Happenstance Theater brings old Vaudeville back with POCKET MOXIE!, an homage to the style and spirit of the Great Age of Vaudeville with slapstick comedy, tight harmonies, and celestial charades. Five versatile players breathe new life into classic old routines. From a ventriloquist’s dummy to a magic act that goes awry, from novelty songs and a musical saw to waiters juggling meatballs, all acts are accompanied by live music and “foley” sound effects. POCKET MOXIE video trailer HERE.
BROUHAHA with Happenstance Theater Friday, July 8th at 7:30pm at the Waterfront Museum in Brooklyn, New York Tickets & Info: HERE
BrouHaHa is a comedic, existential escapade inspired by images of refugees fleeing on foot, Edwardian workers, cinematic treasures like Fellini's La Strada and Bergman's The Seventh Seal, and the dark comedy of Samuel Beckett. In this devised, clown-esque piece, Happenstance Theater's troupe of eccentrics walks the precipice at the end of the world. Their play lights up the darkness like a firecracker. BROUHAHA video trailer HERE.
PAST 2022 PROJECTS:
Maya Jackson Photography
Shadow Puppetry Workshop with Alex! for the Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival
Session 2: May 9-15, 2022 Shadow Puppetry 2 (Level 2) with Alex Vernon
Shadow Puppetry 2 (Level 2) focuses on the introduction of different mechanism for shadow puppets beyond the basic jointed puppet. The realization of ideas in shadow puppet form stem from concepts and design.
Jim Henson Foundation Grant Premiere at Baltimore Theatre Project! Alex and Olmsted's Jim Henson Foundation grant awarded MAROONED! A Space Comedy is an innovative new puppet show, featuring music from the Voyager Golden Record, that takes place at the outer reaches of space. An astronaut crashes on an uncharted planet. Will she be able to survive strange creatures, anomalous atmosphere, and isolation in order to find her way home? See for yourself… in MAROONED!
Glenn Ricci Photography
Official Selection! Marianne's Onion, a short puppet film at the Maryland Film Festival in Baltimore, Maryland as part of the UNORTHODOCS SHORTS program: This innovative collection of shorts showcases non-fiction work that is on the cusp of multiple genres. Beyond mere documentary, these works astutely blend aspects of narrative, animation, comedy and the avant-garde into markedly non-traditional frameworks. Thu, Apr 28 at 8:45 PM at the SNF Parkway Theatre 3 Sat, Apr 30 at 11:15 AM at the SNF Parkway Theatre 2 Tickets and more information: HERE
Happenstance Theater's POCKET MOXIE: A Happenstance Vaudeville April 10, 2022 at 2pm Garrett College Auditorium in Garrett County, MD Tickets: $15 HERE
The Jim Henson Foundation Grant awarded Milo the Magnificent at the Michelle Smith Performing Arts Library Collaboration Through Puppetry in the 21st Century University of Maryland, College Park Friday, April 8, 2022 at 10am, 12pm, & 3pm Tickets:FREE. First come, first served. More info here.
Alex and Olmsted's Jim Henson Foundation Grant awarded Milo the Magnificent is a highly engaging puppet show about an aspiring magician. This wordless comedy, inspired by turn of the century vaudeville entertainers, is as highly physical as it is charming. Using stunningly innovative puppetry, Milo presents a variety of magic tricks which don’t always go as planned. Great for all ages! Parking information for this performance can be found here.
Pocket Moxie with Happenstance Theater at Baltimore Theatre Project March 24 - April 3, 2022 Tickets:HERE
A theatrical collage inspired by the Great Age of Vaudeville, infused with the joys and struggles of its performers' lives. In homage to the style and spirit of this immensely popular theatre from the late 19th Century, Happenstance Theater brings old Vaudeville back.
Featuring: Gwen Grastorf, Mark Jaster, Sabrina Mandell, Sarah Olmsted Thomas and Alex Vernon.
The Jim Henson Foundation Grant awarded Milo the Magnificent at Port Discovery in Baltimore, Maryland Saturday, March 19 at 11am Tickets: FREE with price of museum admission.
Alex and Olmsted's Jim Henson Foundation Grant awarded Milo the Magnificent is a highly engaging puppet show about an aspiring magician. This wordless comedy, inspired by turn of the century vaudeville entertainers, is as highly physical as it is charming. Using stunningly innovative puppetry, Milo presents a variety of magic tricks which don’t always go as planned. Great for all ages!
The Jim Henson Foundation Grant awarded Milo the Magnificent at Mayo Street Arts in Portland, Maine Tickets: HERE
Alex and Olmsted's Jim Henson Foundation Grant awarded Milo the Magnificent is a highly engaging puppet show about an aspiring magician. This wordless comedy, inspired by turn of the century vaudeville entertainers, is as highly physical as it is charming. Using stunningly innovative puppetry, Milo presents a variety of magic tricks which don’t always go as planned. Great for all ages!
BAROCOCO dives into the late Baroque and flaunts 18th century finery, wigs, panniers, gestural styling, elaborate ornamentation, and the excesses of Rococo in this unique physical comedy. A charming and charismatic six-person ensemble exposes an indulgent aristocratic lifestyle precariously perched on the edge of its extinction. Happenstance Theater invites you to experience the charade — from parlor games to pantomime, from the exquisite to the revolting — in this delightful comedy of manners.
Featuring Gwen Grastorf, Mark Jaster, Sabrina Mandell, Sarah Olmsted Thomas, Alex Vernon and musician Caleb Jaster.
Official Selection! MARIANNE'S ONION Montréal International Animation Film Festival - ANIMAZE Dec 17, 2021 - Jan 16, 2022
THE JUXTAPOSE TENEMENT with Happenstance Theater! ONGOING: NOW PLAYING ONLINE Happenstance has launched an interactive website called THE JUXTAPOSE TENEMENT. This virtual shadow-box tenement building, inspired by the works of Joseph Cornell, features portals through which visitors glean poetic glimpses of characters, environments, and fantasias.
