Festival of Fools
August 5–8, 2010
CONGRATS FESTIVAL RAFFLE WINNERS!
$100 Gift Certificate to Burlington City Arts– Caitlin Littlefield
$50 Gift Certificate to Leunig’s Bistro & Old World Cafe– Brenda Balon
Pair of mugs created by Burlington City Arts potters – Jane Nicolay
Festival of Fools is a curated festival of street theater devoted to community engagement through the celebration of circus arts, music and comedy for family audiences. The festival features the best international street performers from around the globe. Audiences of all ages will feast their eyes on some of the zaniest comic performers as downtown Burlington becomes an epicenter for laughter and spirited entertainment! Four main stage locations on the Church Street Marketplace and in City Hall Park will feature continuous street theater each day Friday - Sunday.
Festival Schedule
Thursday, August 5th- Kickoff at Dusk (approximately 8:30pm) with film in City Hall Park: Charlie Chaplin’s Modern Times.
Friday, August 6th -
2pm - 7pm: Continuous performances on Church Street and in City Hall Park.
7pm - 10pm: Continuous performances at the Church Street Upper and Center Pitches.
Saturday, August 7th -
12pm - 7pm: Continuous performances on Church Street and in City Hall Park
3pm: Contois Auditorium performance: Circus Minimus- Are We There Yet?
7pm - 10pm: Continuous performances at the Church Street Upper and Center Pitches.
Sunday, August 8th -
12pm - 6pm: Continuous performances on Church Street and in City Hall Park
2pm: Contois Auditorium performance: Circus Minimus- Are We There Yet?
6pm: “2010 Best of the Fest” in City Hall Park
PERFORMERS
SPONSORS
MAP
PERFORMERS
Rob Torres - Funeeestuff !!!
"A masterful blend of stunning skill, humor, and humanity."
New York City
-Celebration Barn Theatre"Perpetually jubilant."
-NY Theatre.com
With 17 years of experience, Rob has performed his way through 43 countries, across six continents (He believes his comedy will even work for penguins). With a training in theatre and circus arts, Rob Torres has blended his talents to create incredible international comedy shows guaranteed to leave audiences laughing long after he's gone. Rob Torres has performed in large theatres, variety show rooms, circus, television, film and festivals.
Whether he's changing his clothes, setting the table, or just sitting down, Rob Torres has a unique way of finding absurdity in everyday tasks. His award winning international comedy has made Rob Torres one of the foremost visual comedians in the world today. See for yourself why Rob Torres has been in great demand by top venues worldwide for the past decade, and why he is renown around the globe as the International Man of Mirth!!!
el Gleno Grande
West Virginia"A consistent and winning crowd pleaser, topping audience surveys as a favorite entertainment."
-Ted Killmer, Lower Manhattan Cultural Council"Unique, captivating, and really,really funny. Truly I have never seen people laugh that hard!"
-Erika Wollam, Nashville Summer Lights FestivalGlenn Singer specializes in visual comedy using hilarious optical illusions, a dry delivery, and a warm conversational style. His spoof of a circus equestrian act will have your audience laughing again every time they think about it. Appeals to all ages, all around the world. Guaranteed to delight, touring at major International Festivals, Corporate Functions, and theatres.
ALAKAZAM
Australia“Al is the greatest street performer I’ve ever seen.”
-Bruce Springsteen
“Incredible, absolutely amazing.”
-StingAn International street, circus theater performer, Australia’s Al Millar presents a 100% high-energy show that will have you reeling with laughter and squirming in your seat. Audiences worldwide have been breathless by Al’s incredibly freaky body contortions, cheeky comedy and ridiculous sky-high feats of danger. A mix of traditional vaudeville, circus sideshow and twisted comedy, The Human Knot is a self contained freak-show suitable for the whole family.
Waldo & Woodhead
Vermont“Hilarious…delightful…energetic fun.”
Children’s Bookwatch“Woodhead is a winner…An expression of happy confusion…An actor who lives for laughs.”
Burlington Free PressThe Waldo & Woodhead Show is a character-driven show of theater, music, comedy and juggling that visually demonstrates the power of cooperation between people with vastly different dispositions. For the past twenty years Waldo & Woodhead have performed for audiences all over the world. Their show has been broadcast on television in the U.S., Canada, France, Japan, Chile, Switzerland, and throughout the Middle East. Waldo & Woodhead have collectively appeared in seven feature films and star in four family videos. The late Gregory Hines called Waldo & Woodhead, the funniest and most original act he’d ever seen.
Hilby The Skinny German juggling Boy
New York"It's not often that I come across a variety artist of his caliber and it was indeed a delight for me to see him..."
-Emile Jean Trimble, Theatre Director, Busch Entertainment Corporation"What a treat!"
-Rick Mc Keel, Director of Marketing and Public Relations, The Virginia Hospitality and Travel CenterHilby is the living proof that being German doesn’t mean you can not be funny. While being an expert in juggling all sorts of objects and subjects as well as countless circus and variety skills (Unicycling, ropewalking, unsupported ladder, fire manipulations and eating, balancing stunts and the list goes on and on), he really gets his audience involved and creates magical and hiliraious moments through their participation. Hilby has training in modern dance and mime and his body is as expressive as the spoken words he speaks. Poetry in motion, a fusion of an epeleptik fit, and .... Yes all that and more..... the long and short of it is that you will love this Skinny German Juggling Boy!
The Yo-Yo People
Boston"Man! Whoa! That was unbelievable!"
-David Letterman"The Yo-Yo People took an ordinary child's toy and turned it into a stunning acrobatic delight."
-Jack Williams, CBS News Anchor, BostonWho would have thought you could make an entire show out of yo-yos? John and Rebecca Higby are The Yo-Yo People and they have been performing their finely tuned feats of yoyos, hula-hoops, and unicycle since 1993 in 18 different countries, from as far away as New Zealand and Japan. The Yo-Yo People bring back that nostalgic toy, reminding you of old favorite tricks such as Walk the Dog and Rock the Baby, then amazing you with new and bizarre tricks, such as Boingy-Boingy and Iron Whip. Yo-yos attached to bouncy balls, yo-yos with 10-foot strings, and multiple yo-yos looping while hula hooping and unicycling are just some of their finely tuned feats. Consummate skill and deft timing to swingin' music coupled with high energy and sarcastic humor make the Yo-Yo People a favorite for every age. The Yo-Yo People have been featured on The Late Show with David Letterman, The Guinness World Record Show, a Volkswagen Beetle Ad, America's Got Talent, FETCH on PBS, The Slammer, and Good Morning Dubai.
The Daredevil Chicken Club
San Francisco"The audience find it hilarious...the applause is almost deafening."
-The Gisborne Herald"...a stand-out act...They were truly outstanding for sheer entertainment, dazzling skills, belly laughs and bizarre entertainment."
-The New Zealand PressThe Daredevil Chicken Club is a Theater Company that creates cabaret acts, clown shows, street theater and performs them around the world. Since 2001, Jonathan Taylor and Anne Goldmann have entertained audiences with their innovative performances in over 34 countries. Combining comedy with absurd characters and circus skills they are modern comic Vaudevillians. Their shows have been seen in Off Broadway NY theaters, Berlin cabarets, Dubai malls, European street theater festivals, and featured on the Discovery Channel. Standing in the waters of classic cabaret and cresting the wave of in-your-face interactive madness, our goal is to challenge and push the medium of live performance and search for the line between reality and absurdity, comedy and taboo.
Lady Circus
New York"…independent circuses … continue to push the envelope with inventive shows… "
-The Brooklyn Paper"...women of Lady Circus add a touch of glamour..."
-amNewYorkBorn in the Brooklyn underground, Lady Circus have burst out of the gritty, grimy, glossy cocoon that birthed them to display a devastating combination of skill and spectacle for the new millennium. The next generation of circus has taken hold in this troupe of femmes fatales, who are taking circus arts to new heights. Mixing culturally relevant narrative with blindingly gorgeous costuming and interactive improvisation, Lady Circus both pierces and transports. Although sometimes, they just like to rock out.
Aardvark Malarky
VermontImagine six Vermont teens, percolating with comic energy and acting on their own uninhibited imaginations. And channelling everything funny they've ever seen, from Charlie Chaplin to Zach Galifianakis--with Monty Python, Tina Fey, Chris Farley, Steve Martin, and Duck's Breath Mystery Theater thrown in for good measure. Aardvark Malarky is just that. It's aard. And malarkey - plenty of
It. You'll laugh.
Circus Minimus – Are We There Yet?
Vermont“The program’s variety was wonderful and very funny. Amazing what you do in two weeks!”
-Emily McCully, author, NYCWitness a special circus performance by local kids! During a special 2-week Burlington City Arts camp entitled “The Circus Kids Create,” camp-goers aged 7-13 worked with master circus artist WT McRae from Circus Minimus and these performances are the culmination of their hard work! Marvel at how far they've come just this summer -- as clowns, acrobats, jugglers, unicyclists, and tight-rope walkers. The operating philosophy of Circus Minimus? "Any kid can do it."
And, "it's a chance to run away and join the circus--and still be home in time for dinner." Come see the results for yourself. Great for kids and families.
Ambidextrous
ChicagoLaura Left's background in gymnastics, dance and flying trapeze combined with Helena Right's degree in Dance from North Carolina School of the Arts, creates a unique quality and style you can see throughout their duo work. Laura Left and Helena Right have studied aerial under Shayna Swanson, the Gemini Twins and Fred Deb'. Currently, they are working with Shayna Swanson in the Chicago based aerial company, Aloft. Most recently, Ambidextrous performed in Portland, Maine for Acorn Productions' "Phyzgig: A Festival of Physical Comedy" and went on tour with Aloft's "El Circo Cheapo Cabaret: Get Rich Slow Tour".
SPONSORS
Festival of Fools is sponsored by Merchant’s Bank, Lake Champlain Regional Chamber of Commerce, Ben & Jerry's, Blue Cross/Blue Shield Of Vermont, American Flatbread Burlington Hearth, Eyes of the World, and Church Street Marketplace. Media sponsorship by The Point - FM, WPTZ TV, and The Burlington Free Press.
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