PIERSON BUILDING CENTER presents DELL’ARTE’S 27th ANNUAL
Welcome from Board Chair Bonnie Neely
Welcome to the 27th Annual Mad River Festival! As Dell’Arte’s Board President, I am honored to be a part of this dynamic, international organization. Pierson Building Center is a generous executive producer of the Festival, and with other great sponsors and supporters help us bring unique theatre, music and family events to our community. Dell’Arte is an international trailblazer in Theatre of Place, which are works of performance inspired by (and for) the Bonnie Neely communities in which they are created. What put this company on the national map was original works about the issues, the people, and the other living creatures of our unique part of the planet. Performances at a worldclass level made our local stories accessible and appealing from L.A. to Baltimore and beyond. Works like the Korbel series, The Scar Tissue Mysteries, Wild Card, and Mary Jane: The Musical built a loyal regional following and international recognition. Mary Jane is one of the most popular and politically current productions in Dell’Arte’s history. And the movie version—Mary Jane, A Musical Potumentary—is on a threshold toward international distribution! This year, The State of Jefferson Picnic brings political satire to the funniest level. Bring your own picnic, laugh loudly, and sing along. Make sure to also see the new, experimental works in our Mad Lab, or clowns making magic in the Pierson Big Hammer Tent! Karen Quest’s Cowgirl Tricks are back again this year. And don’t forget to get your tickets to Red Light in Blue Lake—as these performances always sell out! With the support of the James Irvine Foundation, Dell’Arte has been able to expand their community engagement programs. Further in the program, please see the interesting descriptions of the Wiyot Partnership, work with the RAVEN Project’s Queer Coffee House, the collaboration with the Blue Ox Veterans Program, and a Year of Theatre at Pelican Bay Prison. Dell’Arte’s graduate students have residencies in Spring Valley, and at the Wiyot Tribe Reservation at Table Bluff this year. Comedy, drama, satire, music—this year’s Mad River Festival truly has something for everyone. Come early and often!
Bonnie Neely
President, Board of Directors, Dell’Arte
2017 Dell’Arte Board of Directors
Bonnie Neely, Chair · Gene Brundin · Michael Fields · Stephany Joy · Lew Litzky Frank Onstine · John Bartholomew · Chris Bowman · Elissa Rosado· Peter Pennekamp Joan Schirle · Lauren Wilson
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PLEASE
the amphitheatre. — No smoking of any kind in roval. ng without prior Dell’Arte app tapi o vide or hy rap tog pho No — L L A ng F e container, includi TURN OF — Put recyclables in appropriat ms. gra pro unwanted s get long. LIKE! — Arrive early to get tickets, as lineeach show & the backyard E H T D N re A befo r hou S 1 ns E ope ON — Box office CELL PH 1/2 hour before each show. all e Lake Post Office & observe — Don’t park in front of the Blu ‘No Parking’ signs. of an emergency. — Make note of all exits in case k alcohol. drin to r . — You must be 21 or ove es within Dell’Arte boundaries erag bev ic hol alco all p — Please kee . ors Blue Lake neighb — Please be courteous to our — No dogs. love your neighbors & — Leave room for all patrons, squeeze in! hes daytime shows and warm clot — Bring sunscreen and a hat for for potentially chilly evenings. put chairs along the back. — To avoid blocking sightlines, s $3 at concessions. Your Driver’ — Blankets can be rented for d. rne retu is ket blan the il License will be held unt
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! l a v i t s e F Enjoy the
CALENDAR SUNDAY
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PIERSON BUILDING CENTER PRESENTS THE 27TH ANNUAL
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MAD LAB I
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JUSTICE 8PM C
HUMBOLDT FOLKLIFE FESTIVAL • JULY 10 THROUGH 15TH
TICKETS
JEFFERSON PICNIC: $18 adults | $15 student & senior | $10-12/under BIG TOP: $10 adults | $5-12/under MAD LABS: pay what you can RED LIGHT: $20 advance | $25 at the door JUSTICE: TEA TIME & BROKEN!: $12 adults | $10 student & senior
JEFFERSON 8PM A
RED LIGHT
10:30PM C
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JUSTICE 8PM C
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ALL DAY FREE DAY downtown Blue Lake
July
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JUSTICE 8PM C
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JUSTICE 4PM C
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RED LIGHT
10:30PM C
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JEFFERSON
July
BIG TOP II
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BIG TOP I
THURSDAY
LOCATIONS: A: Dell’Arte’s Rooney Amphitheatre C: Dell’Arte’s Carlo Theatre PBHT: Pierson Big Hammer Tent Humboldt Folklife Festival: visit: Humboldtfolklife.org/tickets 707.836.FEST
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are
Proud Sponsors of the
Mad River Festival
www.suddenlink.com 5
THE TEAM 2017 Founders: Carlo Mazzone-Clementi & Jane Hill Founding Artistic Director: Joan Schirle Producing Artistic Director: Michael Fields School Director: Lauren Wilson Executive Director: Fran Beatty Community Arts Director: Zuzka Sabata Alumni Director/Associate Admissions Director: Janessa Johnsrude Admissions Director: Matt Chapman Chief Financial Officer: Stephanie Witzel School Administrator: Sarah Peters Production & Stage Manager: Caitlin Volz TCG Leadership U Fellow Mentee: Jamie Van Camp Marketing Director: Alexandra Blouin Box Office/Housing Manager: Lynne Owens Bookkeeper: Lezley Troxell Lighting Designer: Michael Foster Technical Director: James Hildebrandt Musical Director: Timmy Gray Archival Video Recording: Gene Brundin 2016-2017 Faculty: Lauren Wilson, Laura MuĂąoz, James Peck, Sayda Trujillo, Leira Satlof, Zuzka Sabata, Janessa Johsrude, Sarah Peters, Alyssa Hughlett, Michael Fields, Joan Schirle 2016-2017 Guest Faculty: Bruce Marrs, Evamarii Johnson, Matt Chapman, Stephanie Thompson, Joe Krienke FOR THE 2017 FESTIVAL: Production Manager: Caitlin Volz Box Office: Lynne Owens Box Office/Housing Assistant: Eric Jones Technical Director: James Hildebrandt Technical Assistant/Board Operator: Olivia McGahan Technical Assistant: Chase Perkins House Manager/Volunteer Coordinator: Jordan Rosin Concessions Manager: Evan Grande Poster/Promotional Design: Judith Lambert Program Design: Meghan Frank
Dell’Arte is funded by: California Arts Council, The James Irvine Foundation, The Jane Hill Fund, The Nancy Jacobs Lafrenz Memorial Scholarship, Theatre Communications Group, William James Association and the National Endowment for the Arts, among others.
Special Thanks to: Catherine Brown & HSU Costume Shoppe Chuck Ellsworth Lynnie Horrigan Chris Justesen Kokotat Kit Mann & Rebecca Zettler Terrance McNally Sienna Nelson Gary Sommers Harriet Old Crows Natalie Williams & Fine Arts Center Bill Witzel Lorraine Wolff-Miller Rosanne Zuber & Eric Kaplan 6
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La Famiglia
DELL’ARTE THANKS THE FOLLOWING INDIVIDUAL DONORS FOR SUPPORTING OUR WORK THIS YEAR Cynthia & Jon Forsyth Dr. Jennifer D. Franz Julie Fulkerson Gary & Christine Garcia Michael Griggs Larry & Janice Hand Robin Hashem Martha Haynes David Hitchcock David Holzman Lisa Hoover Tax-deductible gifts Stacey Houdek can be sent to: Ken Houldsworth Will Huddleston Dell’Arte Ken Johnson & P.O.Box 816 Tami Moore Blue Lake, CA, 95525 Art Jones Melanie Kasek For more Jeff Kelley information about Andrea King making a donation, James Kiniery please call (707)668-5663 Willie & Vicki Knapp Ingrid Kosek Joe Krienke & Mindy Anderson Stephanie Thompson Anonymous Joan Levy Celestine Armenta Lime Arts Productions Daryl Arrance Tom & Peter Lisle Hugh Atkins Byrd Lochtie BJ Avcollie Alan & Mary Lowry Barbara Barratt Kit Mann & K.C. Bell Rebecca Zettler Pat Bitton Elizabeth & Michael Breslin Shelia Marks Pam Mendelsohn Barbara & John Brimlow Lorraine Miller-Wolf Monica & Frank Bumb Mariel & Keith Morison David Callow Linda & Doug Mortenson Wesley & Cindy Chesbro Mike Nagler Michael Christian Fred Neighbor & Jenny Cranston Joyce Hough Stephen Cross Lois Nipkau Jeff DeMark & Felicia Oldfather Gayle Shackelton Frank Onstine Marjorie Fay Kevin Fischer Willa Owings
Aaron & Jacqueline Preusse Glenn & Gloria Ray Peter Reimuller & Leslie Lindborg Lauri Rose Dianne Rosser Suzanne Samberg Sherman Schapiro Erich Franz Schimps George Schmidbauer Howard & Rebecca Stauffer David Taft Fred & Joan Tempas Norina Vaira Jaffa Wahlberg Neil & Cindy Watter Bob & Lynne Wells Kathleen Worley David & Chris Young Jane Hill Scholarship Donors
Eric & Mary Almquist Jennifer Dojka Martha Haynes Japhy’s Ken Johnson & Tami Moore Willie & Vicki Knapp Karen Levin Larry Luttrell Sheila Marks Pam Mendelsohn Richard & Joan O’Brien Betty Ann Osborne Mike & Charlotte Plantz Dianne Rosser Fred and Eve Simon Charitable Foundation Patricia Smith James Stephenson Alexandra Stillman Norina Vaira Belva Vukovich Trust David & Chris Young 8
s e r o v a c o L t d l o Humb We’re reaching out to our local food & beverage artisans! IN DELL’ARTE CONCESSIONS YOU’LL FIND: Lost Coast Roast Iced Coffee Mad River Brewing Beer Trinity River Vineyard Wines Humboldt Bay Coffee Los Bagels Cookies Sistah’s Vegan Cookies We extend special thanks to these foodies who made our opening night Sponsor Reception exceptional!
Beck’s Bakery Brio Breadworks Cypress Grove Tofu Shop Loleta Cheese Factory
Natural Decadence Nonna Lena’s Tomaso’s Diane’s Sweet Heat Jam
Have a look around Dell’Arte. NJ JOURNAL AD Can you locate these seven signs? Box Office = Gou Duvatsuvigou’y (‘where something is sold’) Concessions (“food/drink”) = Viwi’ (‘food’, ‘what is eaten’, ‘fish’) Dell’Arte = Tsawitsguquk Hougawuqu’l (‘the work of being comical’) Mad River Festival = Baduwa’t Gutsuvigulou’weda’l (‘Mad River Gathering-of-many-people’) Men = Gouwi’ Theatre = Diqa’ Dalouluwouy (‘white man’s dance house’) Women = Guvouch
Dell’Arte International is located on the ancestral territory of the Wiyot Tribe. In 2015, Dell’Arte staff and Tribal administrators met to discuss ways we can share knowledge between the two entities. Sign painters Chuck Ellsworth and Lynnie Horrigan created signage for the building from Wiyot translations provided by Wiyot Tribe linguist, Lynnika Butler.
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Did you know? Humboldt County is the home of more artists, per capita, then any other place in California.
Wildberries Marketplace is proud to support the local arts in Humboldt. CHoose Good COmmunity!
THE DELL’ARTE COMPANY IN
The State of Jefferson Picnic: This land is your land, but mostly my land June 15 - July 2 in Dell’Arte’s Rooney Amphitheatre Written by Michael Fields, Janessa Johnsrude, Zuzka Sabata, Jamie Van Camp, with additional material by Jeff Kelley
Music by Timmy Gray and Jeff Kelley Directed by Michael Fields Musical Director & Sound Designer: Timmy Gray Scenographer: Lynnie M. Horrigan Lighting Designer: Michael Foster Assistant Director: Roman Sanchez
CAST
(in order of appearance) The Boomers: Marla Joy, Bass Jeff Kelley, Guitar Tim Randles, Keyboards Mike LaBolle, Percussion Mac MacBurn—Donald Forrest Carls Jr. MacBurn—Jamie Van Camp Forrest Field—Lucius Robinson Mary MacBurn—Sarah Peters Wendys MacBurn—Rebecca Finney Grandma MacBurn—James Peck Bob—Bob Wells Brad—Tushar Mathew Bumfal—Pratik Motwani Anemone—Zafiria Dimitropoulou Pazvakavambwa—Tafadzwa Bob Mutumbi A Bear—Teddy Mangawa
PRODUCTION
Production Manager: Caitlin Volz Technical Director: James Hildebrandt Assistant Technical Director: Gary Sommers Stage Manager: Kaitlyn Samuel Rosin Technical Assistant/Board Operator: Olivia McGahan Technical Assistant: Chase Perkins Props Designer: Camille Borrowdale Drop & Tree Design: Jerry Lee Wallace Stitcher: Sherri Green Hang & Focus Assistant: Sydnee Stanton
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THE State of Jefferson Picnic Song Credits
THE STATE OF JEFFERSON IS EMERGING Music by Bob Dylan Lyrics by Jeff Kelley PROTEST Music and Lyrics by Zuzka Sabata ODE TO HOPE: THANKS OBAMA Music and Lyrics by Jeff Kelley and Zuzka Sabata IF I HAD A HAMMER MASH UP Music and Lyrics by Pete Seeger and Lee Hays Additional Lyrics by Jeff Kelley GRANDMA’S BBQ SONG Music and Lyrics by Tim Gray THIS LAND IS MY LAND Music by Woody Guthrie Lyrics by Anonymous and Jeff Kelley THE GLORIOUS GLOBAL GRUNT Music and Lyrics by Tim Gray WE SHALL OVERCOME Music and Lyrics by Zilphia Horton/Traditional Additional Lyrics by Jeff Kelley I SEE THE GLORY Music and Lyrics by Jeff Kelley
A Note from the Director... Born in 1850, the proposal to create the actual “State of Jefferson” was a dream, an idea, a movement, a symbol of geographic alliances that perceived injustice based on place. It almost happened. Someone wrote that it should have been called THE STATE OF GARBO, as at the heart of it, is the sentiment of Garbo’s famous line “I want to be left alone.” Kathleen Holt frames the question well, “In this America that is moving from a benign fairy tale to a petri dish of a devolving dream, how can we live well alone, together, or at all, in this place?” 13
I read Peter Laufer’s THE ELUSIVE STATE OF JEFFERSON last summer. He writes, “We all seek borders. Most of us want to surround ourselves with the familiar and with people who share our philosophies. It is easy to feel as if those who are not familiar dismiss our needs and desires. It is easy to fear them as the “Other”. Borders can provide us with a real and imagined sense of security--
Armed State of Jefferson supporters seen in a file photo from 1941 searching for Chemtrail chemicals
but always only temporarily. The Great Wall of China is a tourist attraction and the Berlin Wall is an eradicated vague memory.” We have been partnering with the Wiyot Tribe here. The Wiyots suffered one of the worst massacres in this region on Indian Island. And Ted Hernandez the tribal chair talked to us about the importance of “healing”. How do we meet each other and come together as a community on these Wiyot ancestral lands in which we live? And healing does not mean accepting or forgiving an unjust world. It means working to change it. It is our intent to be true to what we say we do, create a theatre of place, that tells the story of the place to itself, as painful, as provocative, as even funny, as that can sometimes be. We intend to give voice to this place and to do our part to be part of the uprising and uplifting to come. So we give you the State of Jefferson, and a Mad River Festival full of provocations, laughter, folk music, cowgirls, cheap magic, hot cabaret, spectacle and stories from Zimbabwe, India, Republic of Georgia, Puerto Rico and McKinleyville. It is a festival that is truly from “around the world and down the block”. And we want to thank all of the amazing people and the businesses who so generously support us. We, especially, want to thank Pierson Building Center who believes in this work and stands behind us as the main “producer” of this festival. You can find the names of festival sponsors in this program and we encourage you to support them. And thank you for coming to this work. Without you it would not be possible. Enjoy! Michael Fields Producing Artistic Director
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Dell’Arte Passport Club Your Passport Club membership gives access to the fun, food, & laughter that brings us together. This year’s Club offers three avenues to enter our State of Jefferson:
Small Biz Club Member Premium Individual Club Pass Individual Club Pass PERKS INCLUDE: Complimentary tickets to MRF shows of your choice Tickets to the pre-show reception + opening night performance of The State of Jefferson Picnic Backyard early access to the amphitheatre Drink tickets
The 2017 Passport Club
Mindy Anderson Barbara Barratt Pat Bitton Cindy & Wesley Chesbro Artie Skeeter & Julie Jonte William & Nancy Dean Jan Dooley Martha Haynes Lisa Hoover Willie Knapp Ann Lindsay
Patricia-Anne & George WinterSun Martha & Lawrence Lowry Mariel & Keith Morison Sheila Marks Gail Narum Felicia Oldfather Frank Onstine Belva Vukovich David & Chris Young
! s k n a h T
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To join, please mail your tax-deductible donation to: Dell’Arte International P.O. Box 816 Blue Lake, CA 95525 Call 707-668-5663 to make a payment over the phone. Visit dellarte.com to pay by credit card.
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son Pier
P BIG TOLY FAMIES SERI y Sunda m. 8 2 p. 1 e n u J
Get yer’ horse and giddy-up to Blue Lake to see “America’s Funniest Cowgirl” in the Pierson Big Hammer Tent! Karen Quest is back in Blue Lake and has been blazing a trail since 1998 with her one-woman awardwinning original comedy act, Cowgirl Tricks. Skillful trick roping, wild whip cracking, and cowgirl shenanigans await audiences of all ages! A former circus girl with a B.A. in Theatre from California State University at Northridge (CA), Karen also spent a memorable summer session training at Dell’Arte International School of Physical Theatre. Her skills include juggling, clowning, acrobatics, fire-eating, unicycling, and stunt work. Karen brings with her years of experience at state and county fairs, festivals and more in 25 states and 10 countries. “Like” her page and learn more by visiting the Cowgirl Tricks Facebook page. 17
THE MYSTERIOUS MAGICAL BRANDISHERS OF MAGIC ! 2 p.m. Sunday, june 25
PHOTO BY TERRENCE McNALLY
A dangerously funny magic show by a hysterically mystical clown trio. The Mysterious Magical Brandishers of Magic! is a 45-minute show packed with hilarious physical comedy that uses the ancient art of sorcery as means to tickle your funny bones! A magical world in which both success and failure have only one purpose â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the laughter and entertainment of the audience. The show involves amusingly bemusing mass hypnosis and precariously hilarious audience participation in acts such as Disappearing Digits, The Board of Doom and The Bed of Nail.
SPRING /SUMMER EDITION
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MAD LAB
evenings two mad ss in progre y of works e alumni & facult t r a ' by dell
eatre In the Carlo Th
June 21 mad lab one 8:00 p.m. Win The War or Tell Me A Story Created and performed by Sayda Trujillo
The piece is about war/occupation and the power of story. It explores both the effects of war on a people; and it looks at the body as a carrier of stories, asking where do vast stories live in the body? What does it take to hold such stories? What does it means to win war? Do we ever win war?
Photo by Alexandra Blouin
Wolves in the Shadows Created and performed by Alyssa Hughlett
Photo by Alexandra Blouin
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Jail time was rough for Gloria Winthrop, yet she succeeded in getting back home again. Nothing will stop her from regaining her place in society, not snow, wolves, or a locked doorâ&#x20AC;Śbut can she mend her broken marriage?
Pacific Gas and ® Electric Company PROUD SPONSORS OF THE 2017 MAD RIVER FESTIVAL
Welcome to the
James Irvine Foundation
Dell’Arte and our thirteen cohort members are all supported by the New California Arts Fund. This fund provides multiyear grants for each participating organization to build professional arts capacity and arts engagement programming, with the purpose of encouraging participation in the arts among California’s diverse and low-income communities. Dell’Arte International celebrates our colleagues at the 27th annual Mad River Festival! Alliance for California Traditional Arts California Shakespeare Theater Cornerstone Theater Company La Jolla Playhouse Movimiento de Arte y Cultura Latino Americana Oakland Museum of California Pacific Symphony Riverside Art Museum San Francisco Shakespeare Festival Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History The Music Center/ Performing Arts Center of Los Angeles County The Old Globe Yerba Buena Center for the Arts 21
S K N A H T our
ort p p su sses! e s e a ple Busin al loc
Pierson Building Center Pacific Gas & Electric Company Wildberries Marketplace Stephany Joy of RE/MAX Realty Coast Central Credit Union Suddenlink Communications The Mad River Union KEET- TV KIEM-TV Channel Three Lost Coast Communications (KHUM,KSLUG,The Point) KHSU-FM Emerald Magazine The North Coast Journal KBEA RADIO 95.5 The Insider Magazine Los Bagels The Alibi Ramone’s Bakery and Cafe Lauren Sarabia & Comfort of Home Catering The Logger Bar Mad River Brewing Company Jewell Distillery Harper Motors Sjaak’s Organic Chocolate Sistah’s Vegan Restaurant Humboldt Bay Coffee Lost Coast Roast Blue Lake Chamber of Commerce Humboldt Creative Alliance Powersville Market Runaway Kite Victory Signs
DELL’ARTE’S PROGRAMS ARE MADE POSSIBLE IN PART BY THE SUPPORT OF THE FOLLOWING FOUNDATIONS:
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Mad lab two
June 28 8 p.m.
When I Die, Leave the Balcony Open created and performed by laura muñoz
The color of everything is rubble, and plaster and dust. The body remembers the animal, who remembers her humanity. A lone woman walking the open road. She is not her, but that one that walks with her, that she visits at times, and that at times she forgets. Will she find herself, or the other? Photo by Alexandra Blouin
#//< Embedded >//#
created and performed by pratik motwani A peek into the broadcasting room of a youtube cyber celebrity – A personification of a digital account/identity trapped in technology and floating in the interwebs of cyber space and time. This is both a world from which it is impossible to disconnect and a world in which all connection/communication happens only via a Wall. This piece questions notions of identity and image, reality and perception and explores our need for real connection coupled with our inability to disconnect from the virtual world.
Photo by Pratik Motwani
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1061 I St. Arcata, CA 822-3150
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403 2nd St. Eureka, CA 442-8525
THE PRIZE OF HOPE “The Prize of Hope is awarded to the person or theatre who has worked for the hope of humankind; daringly, lovingly, vulgarly, seriously, poetically…with sparkling energy against conventional thinking, which is the greatest threat to our culture.” Institut for Folkeligt Teater & Dell’Arte International awarded the Prize of Hope at Aasen Theater in North Jutland on Sunday, June 4, 2017 to C:NTACT and Henrik Hartmann of Denmark. Henrik Hartmann
C:NTACT is a theatre based in Frederiksberg, Denmark and an organization committed to changing lives. C:NTACT is now Denmark’s largest youth theater and also conducts projects in Egypt, Lebanon, Palestine, Ukraine, Greenland, and other global locales. C:NTACT was founded by Henrik Hartmann shortly after the turn of the millennium in partnership with Peter Langdal. They constantly challenged the status quo with the motto: “If the theater does not set an agenda, we are not worth a bean.” C:NTACT insists on giving voice to vulnerable populations: the homeless, immigrants, refugees, inmates, children of divorce, at-risk teens, among many others. While participating in C:NTACT programs, participants find connectivity and think, “I’m not alone. I stand with someone else who has the same problem as me.” C:NTACT programs have a positive impact. For example, at a theater camp in Aarhus Musikhus in 2016, a Vietnamese boy suddenly said, “I’ve been so lonely and you’ve become my family.” He had felt isolated as a refugee without linguistic contact in a foreign country, but finally found a common language through theatre. Other refugees from the camp (who speak many different languages) and many Danes from the Aarhus area are currently devising a performance, The Waiting Room, which includes personal stories from the participants’ lives. The Hope Prize is an international prize, awarded in Denmark since 1989 and in the USA since 2008, when it was given to Tim Robbins and the Actors Gang. The prize is awarded every second year in Denmark’s Aasen Theater and every other year in Blue Lake. Founding Artistic Director Joan Schirle joined Prize founders Lars Olsen and Birthe Rosenfeldt at Aasen to present the 2017 award to Hartmann.
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VINTAGE RETRO
Victory signs SIGN MAKER TO THE STARS
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CONTEMPORARY ARTISTIC VictorySignsVeterans@gmail.com
June 3
0 & Jul y 10:30 p 1 .m.
RED
light ADU
IN BLU E LAKE
LT C A ’Arte’s BARET Carlo T
in Dell
Drinks from our FULL BAR served at your seat.
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Cabaret for adults 18+ years of age
heatre
Get your feathers ruffled with the
Mad River Festival’s tantalizing late-night-adults-only cabaret.
Vampy vignettes and sizzling hot acts are sure to tickle your fancy and your funny bone. Comedians, music, and sexy chorus girls were the historical formula for burlesque, which comes from “burla,” the Italian word for ‘prank.’ Beguiling burlesque, lively comedy, and marvelous music by our HOT-AS-HELL house band await you along with potent cocktails.
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JUSTICE
JULY 6 , 7, 8 at 8 P.M . JULY 9 at 4 P.M .
TEA TIME PHOTO BY TERRENCE McNALLY
Supported by the 2017
Nancy Lafrenz Memorial Scholarship
TEA TIME
By Buba Basishvili (Republic of Georgia) Yan Christian Collazo (Puerto Rico)
Under the watch of an omnipotent, unseen authority, two men are imprisoned for eternity. Their dreams and imaginings are the closest they can come to liberation; their confinement becomes the most powerful companion in their resistance as they escape into a world of their own creation. Dancing for freedom and dancing for life, these two idealists find a way to subvert their oppressors despite their intransigent circumstance. A sublime comedy that explores power, submission, and the folly of hope; as one prisoner said to the other, “It is prohibited to forget!” And the second replied, “Let’s have some tea first.”
BROKEN!
Co-created by Everson Ndlovu & Tafadzwa Bob Mutumbi (Zimbabwe)
What do justice, redemption and absolution mean for the victims and perpetrators of heinous crimes? What does it take to make the lacerations of trauma disappear from their hearts, minds and souls? Broken! is a meeting point between the Broken past and the Broken future. It is a journey into the world of Zimbabwean ritual tradition and Greek tragedy. Special thanks to Natalie Williams and Fire Arts Arcata: www. fireartsarcata.com. 29
PHOTO BY TERRENCE McNALLY
T
Nancy Jacobs Lafrenz 1974-2005
he Nancy Lafrenz Memorial Scholarship funds an original work created by alumni of the Dell’Arte International School of Physical Theatre to be performed during the annual Mad River Festival. Nancy’s classmates, the Dell’Arte graduating class of 2002, set up the scholarship to keep her memory alive forever. Donations to Nancy’s scholarship enable young theatre artists to begin their professional careers. Tax-deductible donations can be made through the Humboldt Area Foundation. For more information, call (707) 442-2993.
bravo! khsu is a proud sponsor of the Mad River Festival
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HUMBOLDT
Creative Alliance
The Humboldt Creative Alliance is a collective of Humboldt County artists and arts organizations. We formed with the intent of promoting visibility of the arts and their impact in our communities. Join Us! Arcata Playhouse Dellâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Arte International Envision Prosperity Equinoss Consulting Ferndale Repertory Theatre Greenway Partners The Ink People Center for the Arts North Coast Repertory Theatre Persimmon Graphics Redwood Curtain Theatre
Established in 2017 Humboldtcreativealliance@gmail.com 31
HOW WELL DO YOU KNOW DELL’ARTE ?
BUE LAKE RISING PARADE, 2014
One of Dell’Arte’s deepest values is engendering the relationship between art and place, artist and community. In 2015, the James Irvine Foundation recognized us as one of 14 state arts organizations to receive multi-year funding from the New California Arts Fund (NCAF), for connecting theatre and community via a regional arts center and community partnerships. Founded in 1971 in Berkeley, California, Dell’Arte settled in Blue Lake in 1974 to establish a theatre company and a training school. The founding resident actor ensemble—The Dell’Arte Players—mounted their first tour in 1977. By 1980, Dell’Arte developed an annual four-week Holiday Show tour to bring dynamic professional theatre to underserved rural communities. In 1990, we launched our annual fiveweek Mad River Festival to present performing arts—by Dell’Arte and others—“from around the world, and down the block” to Humboldt County audiences.
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PROGRAMS
Dell’Arte’s Community Engagement Program is a theatre-driven collaboration with a local community group. As active participants, the partner shapes the cocreative processes and the work. The idea is to give voice to a group or an ideal via the medium of theatre and through a deep interactive process of collaborative ideation. The project culminates in a presentation or performance. Our partnerships are generously supported by the James Irvine Foundation. Take a look at these outstanding programs!
“The River, Our Home” Wiyot Tribe Partnership
In 2016, the California Arts Council partially funded the project The River, Our Home, including the creation of a shadow play with Wiyot youth entitled: The Stolen Salmon. It is based upon an ancient story of the Wiyot Peoples collected in their written archives, but not typically shared verbally. Devised by Wiyot youth with Dell’Arte artists Zuzka Sabata and James Hildebrandt, this shadow play adaptation introduces the Wiyot language in the story line and harnesses the play as an interactive teaching tool for youth and adults alike. The play was featured at Wiyot Days on the Table Bluff Reservation in September 2016 and subsequently at Bear River Rancheria and local schools. Dell’Arte’s Odd Fellows building is now populated 32 with signage in the Wiyot language.
Giving Voice to Local Veterans
Blue Ox Replica of Lincoln’s Hearse PHOTO COURTESY OF BLUE OX WEBSITE
With support from the California Arts Council, Dell’Arte collaborated with the Blue Ox Veterans Program to bring local veterans’ stories into the public. Zuzka Sabata and our TCG Fellow Jamie Van Camp are leading this program. The specific dialogues will be with veterans that built a historically accurate replica of Lincoln’s hearse for the 150th anniversary ceremonies in Springfield, Illinois. Jamie will be capturing the work on video.
A Year of Theatre at Pelican Bay Prison
A new partnership between Dell’Arte and the William James Association (WJA) has led to the first-ever theatre program at Pelican Bay State Prison. In April, faculty members Janessa Johnsrude and Zuzka Sabata wrapped up their first year of teaching at Pelican Bay. WJA serves PHOTO BY PETER MERTS California communities in a variety of ways including their Prison Arts Project, contracting with professional artists to provide in-depth, long-term arts experiences for incarcerated men and women. In this inaugural theatre program at Pelican Bay, Sabata and Johnsrude worked with students in four different weekly classes focusing on play, ensemble dynamics and creation, physical characterization and expression, writing for the stage, and introducing mask work via classes in Commedia dell’Arte. In the course of the year, Dell’Arte’s teaching expanded from one class with five students to four classes with over 35 students! As part of the project development, Dell’Arte faculty also gives feedback on scripts and dramatic writing to prison playwrights taking theatre classes. In partnership with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, the California Arts Council has contracted with ten organizations to provide rehabilitative arts services in state correctional facilities, including the William James Association. The WJA is funded by the California Arts Council’s Arts in Corrections Program.
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Empowering Queer & Transgender Youth through Theatre With the support from the California Arts Council, Dell’Arte partnered with the RAVEN Project of the Youth Service Bureau, a program of the Redwood Community Action Agency, which serves local homeless and at risk youth. Dell’Arte’s Community Arts Director Zuzka Sabata invited youth from the Queer Coffee House (QCH) at the RAVEN project to participate as creators and performers of theatrical material that was inspired by and envisioned by PHOTO BY ZUZKA SABATA them. In early June, the QCH youth debuted Checked-In: A Queer Cabaret, which featured poetry and songs in celebration of empowerment and visibility of queer and transgender youth in Humboldt County.
OF PHYSICAL THEATRE DELL’ARTE INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL Our graduate school offers a one-year Professional Training Program, a one-of-akind three-year accredited MFA in Ensemble Based Physical Theatre for advanced students, a summer three-week intensive, and study abroad programs in Bali and Sauve, France. The foundation of Dell’Arte training—and our theatre practice—is the work of the creative actor, whose imaginative command of space, gesture, dynamics, and an articulate body/voice gives expression to passions, characters, relationships and worlds. The training is founded on observation and identification with nature, the physical investigation of the body and its poetry, and an imaginative inquiry into the forms of culture and theatre. Our students from across the US and from around the world live and train in Blue Lake, bringing their languages and cultures into our community. We have over 1000 alumni from 41 different countries! Two components of our training connect our international students with rural communities.
HOLIDAY SHOW
With the generous support of local businesses, we create and produce our annual Holiday Show to tour for four weeks throughout Northern California: Orick, Point Arena, Redway, Scotia, Bridgeville, Hoopa, McKinleyville, Trinidad, Eureka, and Arcata. We also travel as far north as Cave Junction, Oregon! The show opens and closes in our Carlo Theatre in Blue Lake. Dell’Arte Alice in Wonderland, 2016 ARNISTA PHOTOGRAPHY makes family holiday entertainment available to both rural and urban communities that rarely see live professional theatre. The Company creates original adaptations or new pieces for family audiences. Venues range from large, lofty theatres to local elementary school cafeterias. We’ve been producing this tour for 36 years, and reach underserved communities in our rural region, and reach approximately 3,000 – 5,000 people each year, including school age children. Audiences are encouraged to bring canned goods in lieu of paying; we collect these for distribution by Food for People.
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RURAL RESIDENCY
Established in 2006, this program reaches underserved north coast communities to develop artistic exchanges that are rooted in a particular region and culture.
Two isolated rural communities are chosen each year to host students from our one-year Professional Training Program for a 10-day residency. The RURAL RESIDENCY IN ORLEANS, 2013 students camp, offer workshops, and co-create a unique show with and for the community. This year students will be in residencies at the Wiyot Tribe Reservation at Table Bluff and Spring Valley in Lake County. Other communities that have benefited from this innovative and unique program are: Bridgeville, Petrolia, Forks of Salmon, Orleans, Rio Dell, Orick, Whale Gulch (Mendocino County), and Takilma, Oregon. Community feedback affirms that this program creates extended meaningful community dialogue, intergenerational exchange, increased confidence and joy in local children, and strengthens cultural heritage through the sharing of stories and history.
The COMMUNITY-BASED ARTS PROJECTS
Since 2006, MFA students spend seven weeks of their 2nd year serving local non-profit organizations by developing theatre projects in non-traditional venues. Their service may take the form of workshops, performances, story collection, street interaction, and more, all with the goal of assisting local non-profit organizations serve their constituents. Over 30 local groups have benefited from our MFA’s participation: The Silvercrest Senior Residence; The Brainstormers: Making Headway (brain injured adults); Pelican Bay Speaks/KHSU; The Emma Center, for survivors of trauma and abuse; Timber Ridge Senior Center; Blue Lake: A Last Resort An evening of storytelling, 2014 HCAR (Humboldt Community Access & Resources); “Rails to Trails” Project; CAFF (Community Alliance with Family Farmers); HSU Student Health Center; RCAA (Redwood Community Action Agency); Humboldt County Youth Services Bureau; “Launchpad,” a temporary shelter for homeless youth; MARZ Project, an after-school program hosted by The Ink People; Humboldt Childcare Alliance, Healthy Families; Hospice of Humboldt; Humboldt Coalition for Compassionate Care; Food For People; The Blue Lake Museum; The Girl Scouts; The Mad River Alliance; California Conservation Corps; The RAVEN Project, Eureka; CASA of Humboldt; EPIC; Humboldt Literacy Project; and Humboldt Domestic Violence Services. 35
All the wo,ld's a Stage
Atid All the MeTI & WomeTI Me,ely 1'laye,s The words of Jacques in As You Like It are still as true as ever. It's also true that we love theater and appreciate talent. That's why News Channel 3 has been sponsoring the Mad River Festival for 14 fun years. Our hats are off to Dell'Arte for bringing the North Coast incredible entertainment from "around the world and down the block" !
Now, that's what we call spirit!
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humboldtfolklife.org
For more details, visit:
Part of the Dell’Arte Mad River Festival
Dell’Arte - Blue Lake, California
JULY 8-15 / 2017
F E S T I VA L
HUMBOLDT FOLKLIFE
39th Annual
Dell’Arte Carlo Theatre 7:30PM
Dell’Arte Carlo Theatre 7:30PM
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Workshops 11AM
Dell’Arte Street Stage 10:45AM
Dell’Arte Amphitheatre 11AM
Wildberries Marketplace
and at
brownpapertickets.com
TICKETS available ONLINE at
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All Day SAT FREE Festival
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Barn Dance FRI Arcata Vets Hall 7:30PM
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Bluegrass Night THU Dell’Arte Amphitheatre 6PM
{Nightly Music at The Logger Bar}
Dell’Arte Amphitheatre 6PM
WED Under the Stars
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TUE Songwriters Night
10
Perigot Park 12PM - 5PM
MON Jazz Night
9
SUN Annie & Mary Day
8
Mad River Brewery 6PM
SAT Festival Kick-Off