MSA Event Calendar

Chamber Series: night sky and the number pi – featuring Michele Kennedy

This concert takes the audience on a journey through a rich tapestry of intense emotional landscapes: relentless determination, the jubilant celebration of true love, the sorrow of forbidden passion, and the searing frustration of being misunderstood. These deeply evocative works are paired with pieces that explore quieter, more reflective themes—visiting a coffee shop, contemplating the intricate structure of an orange, gazing at the night sky, and pondering the endless mystery of the number pi. This deliberate contrast offers the audience both a musical reprieve and a gentle reminder that our emotional experience does not always need to be dominated by extremes. In embracing the mundane with the same reverence as the monumental, these composers invite us to find meaning and vitality in the everyday. Palaver will be joined by acclaimed soprano Michele Kennedy.

Gallery Opening: Friday, February 6 from 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM

On view at performances and other public events until October 23, 2025

FREE to All Ages

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Detritus: A two-woman show constructed from neighborhood trash

works by Kate Gerwig and Jill DaltonKate Gerwig and Jill Dalton are two artists living in East Bayside, one of Portland’s most littered neighborhoods. Responding to the refuse in their immediate environment, they find treasures in others’ trash. While their work looks very different, they both use discarded materials to ask questions about our consume-and-dispose culture and its impact on our surroundings. They are both making things that are literally “products of our environment.”

Created and performed by Antonio Rocha

with cello accompaniment by Eve Sawyer

Antonio Rocha – one of Maine’s most unique and award-winning storytellers, brings two tales remarkable resilience and creativity to Mayo Street Arts.  Stories that trace lines from Africa to Maine by way of Brazil will be sung, narrated, and performed in Antonio’s one of kind voice with cello accompaniment by Eve Sawyer.  

The Malaga Ship: A Story of Maine and the Middle Passage

The Malaga was a 183 ton brig built in 1832, in Brunswick Maine, in a shipyard owned by Joseph Badger. The ship eventually found herself as part of the already Illegal transatlantic trade of African captives to the Americas, especially Brazil.

The Malaga Ship Story is a tour de force performance. Using his entire body and voice, Antonio sings, narrates, and mimes his way through this poetically toned historical tale told mostly from the perspective of the ship. The story vividly explores the reality and impact of the slave industry, which was the largest industry in the world in the 1800s. The story also has a deep connection to the performer, for Malaga goes to Rio de Janeiro – Brazil in 1845, where Antonio was raised in a biracial household over a century later.

Once Upon a Hill in Maine: The Pedro Tovookan Parris Story

Pedro Tovookan Parris was born around 1833 on the eastern coast of Africa, in what is now Tanzania or Mozambique. At about ten years old, he was enslaved and transported to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, aboard the Porpoise—a U.S. brig built in Brunswick, Maine, and captained by Cyrus Libby of Scarborough. The voyage, which violated federal laws prohibiting the trans-Atlantic slave trade, became the center of a landmark legal case. After arriving in Brazil, Libby was arrested, and young Pedro was taken to Boston, where he bravely testified against his enslaver in 1845. He later found a home in the family of Virgil D. Parris in Paris Hill, Maine, where he thrived as a student, artist, and active member of his community.

From eastern Africa to western Maine—from bondage to the full exercise of his intellectual, artistic, and civic freedom—Pedro’s story is one of remarkable resilience and creativity. In Once Upon a Hill in Maine, Antonio Rocha brings this history to life through powerful storytelling, song, and mime, embodying the courage and imagination that shaped Pedro’s extraordinary journey

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Antonio Rocha (pronounced haw-sha), originally from Brazil, began his career in the performing arts in 1985. In 1988 he received a Partners of the Americas grant to come to the USA to perform and deepen his mime skills with Mime Master Tony Montanaro. Since then he has earned a Summa Cum Laude Theater BA from USM (University of Southern Maine) and studied with Master Marcel Marceau. Mr. Rocha’s unique and award winning solo fusion of mime and storytelling with mesmerizing voices and sound effects has been performed from Singapore to South Africa and many places in between, including 20 countries on 6 continents as well as in 44 US states. Some of the venues include The Singapore Festival of the Arts, Wolf Trap, The National Storytelling Festival, The Kennedy Center, The Smithsonian Institution, The National Geographic, The Tales of Graz in Austria, Dunya Festival, The Timpanogos Storytelling Festival, Cave Run Storytelling Festival as well as thousands of school performances. Antonio Rocha also loves to teach his craft and often facilitates workshops, not only for performers, but for those who want to incorporate storytelling into their business presentations and classroom.

A two time TEDx speaker, Mr. Rocha is a proud recipient of the coveted Circle of Excellence Award by the National Storytelling Network, and most recently the 2024 Maine Arts Commission Fellowship for the Performing Arts.

Eve Sawyer began her cello studies with Katherine Graffam, then continued to expand her musical horizons in Rome Italy. She’s raised a family here in Portland, and makes her living as a musician, teaching and performing.

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Testimonials:

” I could not believe the coincidences between the ship and myself. She was built in Maine and went to Brazil to bring to my home country part of my ancestry. I was born in Brazil and came to Maine where I learned to be a storyteller. The more I read about Malaga, the more I realized I was born to tell her story.” – Antonio Rocha

“Antonio Rocha’s performance of Malaga was riveting! Antonio masterfully activates the imagination of the audience using history, mime, and spellbinding characters to tell this tale in a unique and fascinating way. He navigates us through a litany of emotions, and in conclusion we discover that we learn a great deal about history and ourselves.”

-Betsy Heid-Puelle Drama Teacher at Yarmouth HS, Maine.

“To paraphrase Maya Angelou, “it may be enough to have it said that we [as a people] survive in exact relationship to the dedication” of our artists. So often, understanding and informing history is most effectively achieved through the many forms of artistic expression. In his extraordinary performance of the The Malaga Ship: A Story of Maine and the Middle Passage,” Antonio Rocha exemplifies the way in which the difficult history of the trans-Atlantic human trade is infused with “shades of deeper meaning,” brought to life, and shared.

– Ann Cobb Executive Director and Ann Chin, Program Director.- Middle Passage Ceremonies and Port Markers Project

“Antonio delivers one of the most breathtaking and poignant performances I have ever seen. [..] We were honored to have his work showcased for members and friends of the JFK Hyannis Museum.

-Wendy Northcross, co-founder and executive director, John F. Kennedy Hyannis Museum

“I saw the performance of the Malaga Ship: A Story of Maine and The Middle Passage by Antonio Rocha at the National Storytelling Network Conference in Seattle, WA in 2024. It took my breath away, left me in tears, and with a sense that I had traveled through time to witness the lifecycle of a slave ship.

This story teaches people about the Middle Passage in a unique and unforgettable way. Antonio brought the ship to life and showed the audience, through the ship’s experience of transporting “cargo,” how incredibly cruel and pervasive the slave industry was. Antonio also drew a line from what happened in the 1800s with his own life and with America today, connecting the dots from the sugar industry, the slave industry, and racial inequity in America in 2024. By connecting these various points through history with his own personal experience, he painted a vivid picture for anyone who might not understand how tragedies of the past influence the present.”

– Jessica Piscitelli Robinson, Executive Director of Better Said Than Done

Created and performed by Antonio Rocha

with cello accompaniment by Eve Sawyer

Antonio Rocha – one of Maine’s most unique and award-winning storytellers, brings two tales remarkable resilience and creativity to Mayo Street Arts.  Stories that trace lines from Africa to Maine by way of Brazil will be sung, narrated, and performed in Antonio’s one of kind voice with cello accompaniment by Eve Sawyer.  

The Malaga Ship: A Story of Maine and the Middle Passage

The Malaga was a 183 ton brig built in 1832, in Brunswick Maine, in a shipyard owned by Joseph Badger. The ship eventually found herself as part of the already Illegal transatlantic trade of African captives to the Americas, especially Brazil.

The Malaga Ship Story is a tour de force performance. Using his entire body and voice, Antonio sings, narrates, and mimes his way through this poetically toned historical tale told mostly from the perspective of the ship. The story vividly explores the reality and impact of the slave industry, which was the largest industry in the world in the 1800s. The story also has a deep connection to the performer, for Malaga goes to Rio de Janeiro – Brazil in 1845, where Antonio was raised in a biracial household over a century later.

Once Upon a Hill in Maine: The Pedro Tovookan Parris Story

Pedro Tovookan Parris was born around 1833 on the eastern coast of Africa, in what is now Tanzania or Mozambique. At about ten years old, he was enslaved and transported to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, aboard the Porpoise—a U.S. brig built in Brunswick, Maine, and captained by Cyrus Libby of Scarborough. The voyage, which violated federal laws prohibiting the trans-Atlantic slave trade, became the center of a landmark legal case. After arriving in Brazil, Libby was arrested, and young Pedro was taken to Boston, where he bravely testified against his enslaver in 1845. He later found a home in the family of Virgil D. Parris in Paris Hill, Maine, where he thrived as a student, artist, and active member of his community.

From eastern Africa to western Maine—from bondage to the full exercise of his intellectual, artistic, and civic freedom—Pedro’s story is one of remarkable resilience and creativity. In Once Upon a Hill in Maine, Antonio Rocha brings this history to life through powerful storytelling, song, and mime, embodying the courage and imagination that shaped Pedro’s extraordinary journey

—-

Antonio Rocha (pronounced haw-sha), originally from Brazil, began his career in the performing arts in 1985. In 1988 he received a Partners of the Americas grant to come to the USA to perform and deepen his mime skills with Mime Master Tony Montanaro. Since then he has earned a Summa Cum Laude Theater BA from USM (University of Southern Maine) and studied with Master Marcel Marceau. Mr. Rocha’s unique and award winning solo fusion of mime and storytelling with mesmerizing voices and sound effects has been performed from Singapore to South Africa and many places in between, including 20 countries on 6 continents as well as in 44 US states. Some of the venues include The Singapore Festival of the Arts, Wolf Trap, The National Storytelling Festival, The Kennedy Center, The Smithsonian Institution, The National Geographic, The Tales of Graz in Austria, Dunya Festival, The Timpanogos Storytelling Festival, Cave Run Storytelling Festival as well as thousands of school performances. Antonio Rocha also loves to teach his craft and often facilitates workshops, not only for performers, but for those who want to incorporate storytelling into their business presentations and classroom.

A two time TEDx speaker, Mr. Rocha is a proud recipient of the coveted Circle of Excellence Award by the National Storytelling Network, and most recently the 2024 Maine Arts Commission Fellowship for the Performing Arts.

Eve Sawyer began her cello studies with Katherine Graffam, then continued to expand her musical horizons in Rome Italy. She’s raised a family here in Portland, and makes her living as a musician, teaching and performing.

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Testimonials:

” I could not believe the coincidences between the ship and myself. She was built in Maine and went to Brazil to bring to my home country part of my ancestry. I was born in Brazil and came to Maine where I learned to be a storyteller. The more I read about Malaga, the more I realized I was born to tell her story.” – Antonio Rocha

“Antonio Rocha’s performance of Malaga was riveting! Antonio masterfully activates the imagination of the audience using history, mime, and spellbinding characters to tell this tale in a unique and fascinating way. He navigates us through a litany of emotions, and in conclusion we discover that we learn a great deal about history and ourselves.”

-Betsy Heid-Puelle Drama Teacher at Yarmouth HS, Maine.

“To paraphrase Maya Angelou, “it may be enough to have it said that we [as a people] survive in exact relationship to the dedication” of our artists. So often, understanding and informing history is most effectively achieved through the many forms of artistic expression. In his extraordinary performance of the The Malaga Ship: A Story of Maine and the Middle Passage,” Antonio Rocha exemplifies the way in which the difficult history of the trans-Atlantic human trade is infused with “shades of deeper meaning,” brought to life, and shared.

– Ann Cobb Executive Director and Ann Chin, Program Director.- Middle Passage Ceremonies and Port Markers Project

“Antonio delivers one of the most breathtaking and poignant performances I have ever seen. [..] We were honored to have his work showcased for members and friends of the JFK Hyannis Museum.

-Wendy Northcross, co-founder and executive director, John F. Kennedy Hyannis Museum

“I saw the performance of the Malaga Ship: A Story of Maine and The Middle Passage by Antonio Rocha at the National Storytelling Network Conference in Seattle, WA in 2024. It took my breath away, left me in tears, and with a sense that I had traveled through time to witness the lifecycle of a slave ship.

This story teaches people about the Middle Passage in a unique and unforgettable way. Antonio brought the ship to life and showed the audience, through the ship’s experience of transporting “cargo,” how incredibly cruel and pervasive the slave industry was. Antonio also drew a line from what happened in the 1800s with his own life and with America today, connecting the dots from the sugar industry, the slave industry, and racial inequity in America in 2024. By connecting these various points through history with his own personal experience, he painted a vivid picture for anyone who might not understand how tragedies of the past influence the present.”

– Jessica Piscitelli Robinson, Executive Director of Better Said Than Done

Heavy beats, dusty vinyl, dirty synthesizers, and vivid lyricism are his specialties. Graphic Melee is an emcee, producer, and DJ dedicated to his craft. He makes Hip-Hop for hungry minds.  For this performance at Mayo Street Arts, Graphic Melee will be performing music from several of his albums including cuts from STEREO (his 25th album release), Organic (recorded utilizing only live instrumentation), Synthetic (recorded using only synthesizer based instrumentation), and a new album that drops this spring.  Come see the range and breath that he brings to his work.  

An emerging act at world music festivals across the U.S., Tuvergen Band (“galloping” in Mongolian) is a Chicago-based folk-fusion trio founded by Tamir Hargana (lead vocals, folk lutes, morin khuur), Naizal Hargana (morin khuur, vocals), and Brent Roman (percussion, didgeridoo, vocals) in 2020. Hailing from Hulunbuir, Inner Mongolia, Tamir and Naizal bring some of the country’s most distinctive sounds to Tuvergen Band, including the cello-like horsehead fiddle (morin khuur), various folk lutes (the Tuvan doshpuluur and West Mongolian tovshuur), and khoomii throat singing. An ethnomusicologist and Asian percussion specialist, Roman augments these sounds with a custom hybrid drum kit of twenty global percussion instruments and didgeridoo. The trio use this rich instrumental palette to perform what they call “modern nomadic music,” incorporating bluegrass, blues, rock, and more into its repertoire of
Mongolian and Tuvan folk songs and originals.

Portland String Quartet: Point of Departure

This program explores moments when composers stepped beyond the familiar to chart new artistic territory. Anton Webern’s Langsamer Satz reveals a lyrical, late-Romantic voice rarely associated with his later atonal work. Ken Benshoof’s Sweeter Than Wine blends classical form with American folk and jazz, creating music that feels both intimate and fresh. Eleanor Alberga’s String Quartet No. 2 bursts with rhythmic drive and bold contrasts, drawing on African-Caribbean roots. Prokofiev’s String Quartet No. 2, written during wartime exile, transforms folk melodies into something strikingly original.

Each piece reflects a turning point – a departure from the expected – inviting listeners to experience the spirit of creative risk and reinvention.

Aquarius Funkk & Prismatic Productions Presents: The Lovers’ Ball

Closing out February, we are paying our respects to St. Valentine with a mini ball for the lovers! Featuring 5 categories, with a titillating special performance that will surely leave you gagged and begging for more!

Hosted by Aquarius Funkk
DJ Ben Spalding
With a secret special performance – stay tuned!

Skye Consort & Emma Björling perform trans-Atlantic arrangements of songs and tunes from Sweden, Norway, Ireland, Scotland, England, Québec, Acadia, the USA, as well as original compositions. Each musician brings their own individual interpretation to these traditions to create this extraordinary collaboration, consisting of voices, fiddle, nyckelharpa, cello, bouzouki, banjo, and percussion. Collectively, the band presents an assortment of whirling polskas, groovy reels, passionate love songs, breathtaking hymns, and original compositions.

Skye Consort was formed in 1999, has performed and toured extensively, and has 8 full-length albums. In late 2018, Skye Consort, in collaboration with Emma Björling, created a new repertoire grown from Scandinavian, Québecois and Celtic roots. The recording was released on LEAF Music in May 2019 and is distributed worldwide on Naxos. Their self-titled debut album, Skye Consort & Emma Björling, won the OPUS (QC, Canada) award for best world music album 2020.

Rooted in Eastern-European and Klezmer string-band folk traditions, Rebecca Mac String Band performs original compositions which blend old world sounds with modern sensibilities. The Rebecca Mac Trio is joined by Akiva Jacobs on bass, and Giulia Haible on cello.

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Rebecca Mac is Boston-based violinist and violist, regularly performing in various ensembles including Mamaliga, a contemporary quartet performing original Klezmer and Eastern-European folk inspired compositions and Zunroyz, a trio un-earthing string repertoire from the Jewish music archives. Mac has performed nationally and internationally at renowned music festivals including KlezKanada, Yiddish Summer Weimar and Yiddish New York. Mac is a 2022-24 grant recipient of the Massachusetts Cultural Council’s Traditional Arts Apprenticeship program, through which she is exploring the connections between Greek, Turkish and Jewish music with Beth Bahia Cohen. In addition to performing regularly in the Jewish music scene, Mac runs a regular, and inclusive Klezmer jam in downtown Boston. Mac has a degree in violin performance from Berklee College of Music.

John Toot and The Great Metastization, the puppet show, is upon us in blood and fire. It is a live documentary composed of collected images, footage, and text regarding a real super city on another planet called New Puppet City, New Puppet. The city spans the entire world’s surface, and eventually is born in an event called the Great Metastization, wherein urban development mimics embryonic growth, and urban life mimics cellular activity. During the Metastization famous New Puppet resident John Toot is killed while celebrating his 38th.

Stop Puppeting Yourself Puppet Co.’s full length debut is a cyborg tabletop puppet show with live camera generated stop-motion video projection. It featured direct-operated/bunraku-style puppetry, toy theater, string, and shadow, augmented by text and technical elements. It is a remix of surreal and science fiction, experimental film, anime, alternative-pop music, and modernist literature. It is also a puppet show.

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Stop Puppeting Yourself Puppet Company is a Portland based Puppetry collective born out of the puppetry practice of Elliot Nye alongside too many friends to name. This iteration features Caroline James, Simi Kunin, Asa Shadis, and Phoebe Kolbert with contributions from Maggie Muth, Shane Cynewski, Carver Arena, and Michela Micalizio. We typically work with direct operated puppetry and object theater met with experimentation, onstage sound and lighting design, embodied performance, and camera/video technology.

John Toot and The Great Metastization, the puppet show, is upon us in blood and fire. It is a live documentary composed of collected images, footage, and text regarding a real super city on another planet called New Puppet City, New Puppet. The city spans the entire world’s surface, and eventually is born in an event called the Great Metastization, wherein urban development mimics embryonic growth, and urban life mimics cellular activity. During the Metastization famous New Puppet resident John Toot is killed while celebrating his 38th.

Stop Puppeting Yourself Puppet Co.’s full length debut is a cyborg tabletop puppet show with live camera generated stop-motion video projection. It featured direct-operated/bunraku-style puppetry, toy theater, string, and shadow, augmented by text and technical elements. It is a remix of surreal and science fiction, experimental film, anime, alternative-pop music, and modernist literature. It is also a puppet show.

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Stop Puppeting Yourself Puppet Company is a Portland based Puppetry collective born out of the puppetry practice of Elliot Nye alongside too many friends to name. This iteration features Caroline James, Simi Kunin, Asa Shadis, and Phoebe Kolbert with contributions from Maggie Muth, Shane Cynewski, Carver Arena, and Michela Micalizio. We typically work with direct operated puppetry and object theater met with experimentation, onstage sound and lighting design, embodied performance, and camera/video technology.

Dirty Gerts is a delightful story of growing up in Vermont during the mid-1960s rendered in a groovy blend of historical fiction, 60s pop culture, and colorful confetti. Using paper pop-ups and old style paper dolls, PuppetKabob shows the challenges a young middle schooler, Carol Lee Bell, confronts about fitting in, creativity and acceptance.

Have you ever heard the phrase: “She thinks she’s Queen Elizabeth, but she’s Dirty Gerts to me!” No? Well now that you have, come and explore the story behind the saying in PuppetKabob’s latest pop-up creation “Dirty Gerts” – a show about growing pains. Made entirely out of re-purposed paper products!

PuppetKabob’s latest creation “Dirty Gerts” is a paper pop-up extravaganza! A groovy blend of historical fiction, 60s pop culture and colorful confetti! Come on get happy with middle schooler Carol Lee Bell – as she finds the fold to fitting in – and discovers the best way is to not actually fit at all!

In this full-day workshop, participants will learn how to incorporate various mechanisms and rigging points into paper pop-ups to turn them into animatable or puppeteer-able, hand-held (also known as: direct contact), and/or table-top puppets.

Sarah will also demonstrate how to direct intention, concentration, and energy from within oneself, down the arms, into the hands, and through a paper puppet to give it its own independent focus and breath – the two elements that give any object life.

Participants will experiment with one of the following: immersive experience, forced perspective, or symbolism—to recreate a moment in the form of a short story, knowing that each of these provides different information that shapes and directly influences how their story or memory unfolds.

Finally, participants will present their projects to each other. For some, this will be a new challenge and like stepping outside their comfort zone; however, everyone should feel supported during this brave step so it feels both personally and creatively fulfilling, as well as productive. Each artist needs to gather information individually to continue developing their puppet pieces and to feel empowered outside the classroom.

Ages 15+

$80 (Price includes materials and one ticket to Sarah Frechette’s performance of Dirty Gerts at Mayo Street Arts on Fri 3/27.)

Dirty Gerts is a delightful story of growing up in Vermont during the mid-1960s rendered in a groovy blend of historical fiction, 60s pop culture, and colorful confetti. Using paper pop-ups and old style paper dolls, PuppetKabob shows the challenges a young middle schooler, Carol Lee Bell, confronts about fitting in, creativity and acceptance.

Have you ever heard the phrase: “She thinks she’s Queen Elizabeth, but she’s Dirty Gerts to me!” No? Well now that you have, come and explore the story behind the saying in PuppetKabob’s latest pop-up creation “Dirty Gerts” – a show about growing pains. Made entirely out of re-purposed paper products!

PuppetKabob’s latest creation “Dirty Gerts” is a paper pop-up extravaganza! A groovy blend of historical fiction, 60s pop culture and colorful confetti! Come on get happy with middle schooler Carol Lee Bell – as she finds the fold to fitting in – and discovers the best way is to not actually fit at all!

Just in time for Good Friday, Tophat Productions is bringing back its one-man miniature stage production of the powerful rock opera, Jesus Christ Superstar. Experience this epic score that really put Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice on top of the pop charts. In this secular retelling, Jesus Christ Superstar tells the story of the last week in the life of Jesus, as seen through the eyes of the one who betrayed him, Judas Iscariot. This show includes such classic hits as “Heaven On Their Minds”, “Everything’s Alright”, “I Don’t Know How To Love Him”, “Gethsemane” and of course, “Superstar”. The live vocals of David Worobec, with his action figure cast, will bring this rock opera masterpiece to you, as you have never seen it before!

The inspiration for Jesus Christ Superstar came about from a Bob Dylan lyric, “Did Judas Iscariot have God on his side?”, which fascinated the amazing lyricist, Tim Rice. Jesus Christ Superstar is not without its fair share of controversies. It challenged traditional religious narratives by not including the resurrection. The portrayal of Jesus was more humanized, making him capable of feeling all human emotions. The show makes Judas more sympathetic while making him the central narrator. And simply that it was a biblical story set to a rock score. Despite all of this, it became a worldwide success and popularized the rock opera genre.

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Tophat’s founder and principal artist, David Worobec, is a classically-trained Opera singer and a talented pianist. A graduate of the Boston Conservatory, David has performed in a wide range of settings and ensembles. He has an exceptional vocal range, and has trained across a broad spectrum of musical genres. His repertoire includes opera, showtunes, standards, and more. He is also Maine’s premier expert in miniature theater productions, and has staged hundreds of full stage shows in miniature form, complete with advanced lighting, stage sets, a miniature cast and props, and recorded orchestral accompaniment. David’s work with miniature theater has been widely featured in print publications and video documentaries alike.

A resplendent evening of music, puppets, and dancing! Come listen and celebrate as Windier presents their new album, “Let the Blue Air In,” with the help the Broken Telescope Choir, Mudmist Puppets, and DJ DURT. 

Performances will feature live projections, funny hats, local celebs, and a foreboding tower. “Let the Blue Air In” is a collection of lyric-forward songs about home, dreams, mystery, jelly, and the churning at the base of the mountain.This album and event are made possible by the Sonic Visions Grant.

Note: Simple, hearty dinner offered at no charge. Cake, too!

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Windier is an electric folk band from Portland. They’ve toured the US extensively over the past five years and have found a home in the backyards, basements, and living rooms of the New England music world. Windier is Asa Shadis, Emma Page, Annie Dodson, and Simi Kunin. The band is joined by the Broken Telescope Choir, a scrappy bunch of singers who’ve come together from the far corners of the Peninsula to learn the music of “Let the Blue Air In.”

Caroline James of Mudmist lives in Portland and likes to paint and play with puppets.

DJ DURT was born in the subterranean muck with the dragons and ants and such. She says everything will be okay.

Tinariwen are the grandfathers of what we know today as Taureg guitar music. Started in refugee camps in Algeria and Libya in 1979, Tinariwen created a new sound of Taureg music that pushed the tradition into a new direction. Ahmoudou Madassane, Souleymane Ibrahim, and Mikey Coltun all came to Tinariwen in different ways throughout our life and there is no doubt the importance the music has on all three of them. Just as much as Tinariwen pushed what Tuareg music is, that was the idea with TAKAAT – to push the tradition even further, create something new, create something fresh that blends our love for bands like Tinariwen but also their love of heavier more chaotic bands.

Is Noise Vol. 2 includes the TAKAAT versions of a couple of our favorite Tinariwen tunes. Unlike the original Tinariwen versions, these songs are unedited shredding jams recorded live to tape in Washington D.C. This is raw, this is noisy, this is TAKAAT.

For this performance, TAKAAT will be in a two-piece formation of Ahmoudou Madassane and Mikey Coltun, featuring blown out drum machines to create a sound that blends the Tinariwen sound with the drone metal stylings of bands such as Sunn O))).

Opening performances by MSHR and NOISE CIRCLE

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TAKAAT (pronounced tuh-cot), meaning “noise” in the Tuareg language Tamashek, is the trio of Ahmoudou Madassane, Mikey Coltun, and Souleymane Ibrahim, also known as the rhythm section of Mdou Moctar. TAKAAT is sonic chaos, improvisation, freedom of exploration, and the punk styles of bands such as Fugazi and Unwound, all mixed together with the guitar music from the Sahel.

TAKAAT started during soundchecks while on the road with Mdou Moctar when the trio indulged their shared love for amps cranked to 11 and the sound of blown out speakers. Towards the end of 2023, the three started writing music together, inspired by their shared experiences with the sounds and energy of Hausa bar bands, gritty soukous, and 2000s post-punk. The music of TAKAAT is intense, dark, and energetic. Deeply inspired by the DIY ethos of punk, Ahmoudou, Mikey, and Souleymane capture that thrill of the new and the ecstasy of togetherness in these heavy rockers. TAKAAT follows in the spirit of the independent music culture that birthed hardcore basement shows, bedroom tape labels, and generator-powered pick-up wedding bands.

MSHR is an art collective that collaboratively builds and explores sculptural electronic systems. Their performances and installations integrate electrical signals and human presence, weaving dense networks of causality to form audiovisual environments that babble with life-like current. They explore intuitive and technical gradients between sonic and sculptural forms, using analog circuitry and open-source software to sculpt mutually resonant hyperobjects. MSHR was founded by Brenna Murphy and Birch Cooper in 2011 in Portland, Oregon. The name MSHR is a modular acronym designed to hold varied ideas over time. It can be pronounced as an acronym or like one who meshes.

NOISE CIRCLE is an improvisational collaboration of local noise producers that surround the audience in a malformed circle.

CO-PRESENTED WITH FLOR

ALBA MUSIK is flamenco mixed with a rich variety of musical influences like pop, jazz, funk, Latin and world music. The dynamic duo is based in NYC and is led by powerhouse vocalist Bárbara Martínez and virtuoso guitarist Albert Alabedra. They compose their songs together and tour nationally and internationally, joined by a team of world-class musicians and dancers that include the saxophonist from The Rolling Stones Tim Ries, three-time-Grammy-nominated multi-instrumentalist Gonzalo Grau, Sony producer Arturo Soriano, to name a few. They have made it to the first round for a GRAMMY nomination in Latin Pop and Global Music three years in a row for “Dawn” (2023), “Alma” (2024) and “‘ALMA’ Live at Drom” (2025). They have performed at The United Nations, Berklee College of Music, the World Economic Forum, The US Conference of Mayors and for the President of Spain! ALBA songs are poems and stories crafted in Spanish woven into a rich landscape of emotions whose expressiveness captivates audiences of all cultures. ALBA makes you want to listen all day and clap and move and shout OLE!

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Bárbara Martínez (Vocals/dance/compositions)

Bárbara Martínez grew up performing in New York City. Originally from Venezuela, she is the grand-niece of famed Argentine tango singer Libertad Lamarque. For more than 20 years she has worked as a dancer and singer with numerous flamenco dance companies and world music ensembles, and danced with the Metropolitan Opera, where she also sang as a child. In 2010, Bárbara performed at Carnegie Hall/Weill in a solo concert to a sold out house.

She appears in the documentary “Sobre Las Olas – A Story of Flamenco in the U.S.” by Carolina Loyola-Garcia and the photography exhibit entitled “100 Years of Flamenco in New York” at the NY Performing Arts Library. She is an honors graduate of Brown University and just completed a Masters program in Songwriting at Berklee College of Music. Bárbara teaches music at the Ethical Culture Fieldston School. One of the biggest joys of her career has been launching the ALBA Musik project with guitarist Albert Alabedra, co-composing songs that pull from a lifetime of work in flamenco and a rich variety of other musical styles. (www.BarbaraMartinez.com)

Albert Alabedra (flamenco guitar/compositions)

A native of Barcelona, Spain, Albert Alabedra has self-taught guitar since the age of 14. Albert was exposed to flamenco at an early age, with a mother from Córdoba and grandparents from Sevilla, the southern Spanish province of Andalucía where flamenco originated. In addition to the traditional flamenco, popular throughout Spain, Albert grew up with the global influences characteristic of cosmopolitan Barcelona, especially the rumba Catalana.

Later formally trained in classical and electric guitar and then in jazz and flamenco, Albert has used his versatile repertoire to create his own unique “fusion” style. His musical career consists of performances with various pop, rock, jazz, funk, acoustic, and flamenco bands throughout Spain and New York. Everything changed when we had the idea to write music with Bárbara Martínez, resulting in the birth of ALBA Musik! (www.albertalabedra.com)

The Low Budge, No Budge Film Fest was created to discover and showcase the power of creativity in film making, regardless of budget. Focusing on celebrating short films made with limited or no financial resources.

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Bret Woodard is a photographer & artist based out of Portland, ME.

Graduated from the Massachusetts College of Art & Design in 2010 with degrees in Photography & Sculpture.

His artwork is most often displayed in bathrooms and bathroom adjacent hallways.

High flying trapeze artists, friendly creatures, and colorful clowns all come to life before your very eyes to perform tricks and charm you in this marionette show led by Puppet Pants. This children’s show is filled with jokes, stories, and audience interaction. A blend of humor and skillful marionette movement, all performed to an original instrumental soundtrack, make this a one of a kind show for all that should not be missed!

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Founded in Atlanta in 2024, Puppet Pants is committed to providing top quality marionette entertainment for audiences of all ages, and has performed at the New Orleans Giant Puppet Festival, Puppeteers of America 2024 South East Festival, DragonCON, Asheville and Atlanta Fringe, as well as music festivals, private events and independent tours of the United States.

Recommended ages 16+, mature themes, shadow puppet representation of violence and blood in one segment

Shadow Cult Girls – “UNRAVELING”

Henson Grant-awarded duo Shadow Girls Cult presents their newest series of shadow vignettes, “UNRAVELING.” Using a mind-bending blend of light techniques, old-school overhead projectors, shadow masks and hundreds of intricate and layered shadow puppets, SGC creates short animated films (live!) for audiences around the U.S.

Infused with elements of sci-fi, film noir, classic horror, and surrealism, “UNRAVELING” explores the inexplicable moments in time when we, or the world around us, seem to come apart. The show begins with themes of yearning, curiosity and wonder, moves through fractured identity and grief, and ends with a dream sequence. Seamlessly blended, “UNRAVELING” touches on the echo of a question: is the world (and by extension, are we) destined to always, always come apart at the seams?

Director’s Note:

“UNRAVELING” explores themes of isolation, longing, and fractured identity through a surreal lens. These vignettes were created to be genre-bending: sci-fi, film noir, horror, poetry, shadow puppetry, animation. Every story is connected by a thread, and the thread is unraveling.

As queer creators, we see ourselves in these characters: tragic, powerful, full of potential. UNRAVELING is a reminder that even the most broken parts of ourselves are stories unfolding, and they deserve to be told.

Opening performance by Puppet Pants:

A wordless marionette variety show with a slightly odd feel featuring clowns, monsters, and other mysterious creatures that perform tricks and interact with the audience to an all original soundtrack. The Atlanta Fringe Festival called it “weird, whimsical, and oddly moving.”

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Shadow Girls Cult is an award-winning queer shadow puppetry and projections duo based out of Seattle, WA. Using overhead projectors, adapted camera irises, 2-D shadow puppets, human silhouettes, and other analog technology, they create puppet magic for audiences all over the U.S. Their full-length shadow show “UNRAVELING” was awarded the 2025 Henson Foundation Workshop Grant & 4Culture’s 2025 Project Grant, and was recently voted “Most Surprising Performance” & “Fan Favorite” at the 2025 Asheville Fringe Festival. In 2025, SGC also made their debut at The Center for Puppetry Arts, and were teaching artists in residency at Kennesaw State University in Atlanta, and the Bright Ideas Project in Vermont.

Founded in Atlanta in 2024, Puppet Pants is committed to providing top quality marionette entertainment for audiences of all ages, and has performed at the New Orleans Giant Puppet Festival, Puppeteers of America 2024 South East Festival, DragonCON, Asheville and Atlanta Fringe, as well as music festivals, private events and independent tours of the United States.

The Bread and Puppet Theater was founded in 1963 by Peter Schumann on New York City’s Lower East Side. Besides rod-puppet and hand puppet shows for children, the concerns of the first productions were rents, rats, police, and other problems of the neighborhood. More complex theater pieces followed, in which sculpture, music, dance and language were equal partners. The puppets grew bigger and bigger. Annual presentations for Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving and Memorial Day often included children and adults from the community as participants. Many performances were done in the street. During the Vietnam War, Bread and puppet staged block-long processions and pageants involving hundreds of people.

In 1974 Bread and Puppet moved to a farm in Glover in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont. The 140-year old hay barn was transformed into a museum for veteran puppets. Our Domestic Resurrection Circus, a two day outdoor festival of puppetry shows, was presented annually through 1998.

The company makes its income from touring new and old productions both on the American continent and abroad, and from sales of Bread and Puppet Press’ posters and publications. The traveling puppet shows range from tightly composed theater pieces presented by members of the company to extensive outdoor pageants which require the participation of many volunteers.

Today, Bread and Puppet continues to be one of the oldest, nonprofit, political theatre companies in the country.

The Bread and Puppet Theater was founded in 1963 by Peter Schumann on New York City’s Lower East Side. Besides rod-puppet and hand puppet shows for children, the concerns of the first productions were rents, rats, police, and other problems of the neighborhood. More complex theater pieces followed, in which sculpture, music, dance and language were equal partners. The puppets grew bigger and bigger. Annual presentations for Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving and Memorial Day often included children and adults from the community as participants. Many performances were done in the street. During the Vietnam War, Bread and puppet staged block-long processions and pageants involving hundreds of people.

In 1974 Bread and Puppet moved to a farm in Glover in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont. The 140-year old hay barn was transformed into a museum for veteran puppets. Our Domestic Resurrection Circus, a two day outdoor festival of puppetry shows, was presented annually through 1998.

The company makes its income from touring new and old productions both on the American continent and abroad, and from sales of Bread and Puppet Press’ posters and publications. The traveling puppet shows range from tightly composed theater pieces presented by members of the company to extensive outdoor pageants which require the participation of many volunteers.

Today, Bread and Puppet continues to be one of the oldest, nonprofit, political theatre companies in the country.

The Bread and Puppet Theater was founded in 1963 by Peter Schumann on New York City’s Lower East Side. Besides rod-puppet and hand puppet shows for children, the concerns of the first productions were rents, rats, police, and other problems of the neighborhood. More complex theater pieces followed, in which sculpture, music, dance and language were equal partners. The puppets grew bigger and bigger. Annual presentations for Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving and Memorial Day often included children and adults from the community as participants. Many performances were done in the street. During the Vietnam War, Bread and puppet staged block-long processions and pageants involving hundreds of people.

In 1974 Bread and Puppet moved to a farm in Glover in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont. The 140-year old hay barn was transformed into a museum for veteran puppets. Our Domestic Resurrection Circus, a two day outdoor festival of puppetry shows, was presented annually through 1998.

The company makes its income from touring new and old productions both on the American continent and abroad, and from sales of Bread and Puppet Press’ posters and publications. The traveling puppet shows range from tightly composed theater pieces presented by members of the company to extensive outdoor pageants which require the participation of many volunteers.

Today, Bread and Puppet continues to be one of the oldest, nonprofit, political theatre companies in the country.

The Bread and Puppet Theater was founded in 1963 by Peter Schumann on New York City’s Lower East Side. Besides rod-puppet and hand puppet shows for children, the concerns of the first productions were rents, rats, police, and other problems of the neighborhood. More complex theater pieces followed, in which sculpture, music, dance and language were equal partners. The puppets grew bigger and bigger. Annual presentations for Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving and Memorial Day often included children and adults from the community as participants. Many performances were done in the street. During the Vietnam War, Bread and puppet staged block-long processions and pageants involving hundreds of people.

In 1974 Bread and Puppet moved to a farm in Glover in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont. The 140-year old hay barn was transformed into a museum for veteran puppets. Our Domestic Resurrection Circus, a two day outdoor festival of puppetry shows, was presented annually through 1998.

The company makes its income from touring new and old productions both on the American continent and abroad, and from sales of Bread and Puppet Press’ posters and publications. The traveling puppet shows range from tightly composed theater pieces presented by members of the company to extensive outdoor pageants which require the participation of many volunteers.

Today, Bread and Puppet continues to be one of the oldest, nonprofit, political theatre companies in the country.