by Kirby Lindsay, posted 12 March 2012
A more accurate, but deemed entirely too wordy, title of this column would be, ‘Ten Reasons You Really Must Buy Tickets For Several 2012 Moisture Festival Shows Right This Minute.’
As for the list – here it goes:
10. Hale’s Palladium
Mike and Kathleen Hale loaned the keg warehouse, located behind Hale’s Ales Brewery, to Moisture Festival for its second year – and the hardworking, ingenious organizers have bit-by-bit (and donation-by-donation) transformed it into a theatrical and cabaret venue. Also, it has beer (from Hale’s,) snacks (ditto,) and location, location, location. Hale’s has that great restaurant out front for before and after the shows, the Fred Meyer next door is cool about overflow parking, and its located right on the Burke-Gilman Trail and the #28 METRO bus line.
The Georgetown Ballroom offers a charming, eclectic venue, located in a neighborhood full of amazing restaurants, from which to experience the Moisture Festival. For Fremonsters looking for a road trip, or Seattleites that want to experience Moisture Festival without [gasp!] traveling to the Center of the Universe, Georgetown Ballroom will host MF shows on the weekends of March 30th and April 6th.
A much more traditional theater space, located inside the Central Seattle Community College, the Broadway Performance hall will give Capitol Hill a chance to experience Moisture Festival on their home turf. This site also offers some great dining options – after all Capitol Hill has a Dick’s Drive-In – and is this year’s venue for Libertease Burlesque…
7. Burlesque
‘Burlesque’ performances currently enjoy a surge of interest among audiences, but some producers have, unfortunately, re-defined this art for our much more permissive times. Moisture Festival organizers – particularly the Libertease Burlesque organizers – stick with the old-time definition and provide performances by world-renown strip tease artists mingled among comedy, aerial, live music and a large dollop of general outrageousness. The shows titillate, but won’t leave audience members feeling dirty. MF offers a perfect balance of burlesque excitement and entertainment, but only eight opportunities to see it – on March 23rd, 24th, 30th & 31st at 7:30p and 10:30p each day.
6. SIFF
Each year the Seattle International Film Festival Cinema teams up with Moisture Festival for screenings of rarely seen films that highlight the history of vaudeville and burlesque. This year ‘The Sound of Silents with a Side of Schtick’ features a selection of short silent films, accompanied by live music, with MF performers also entertaining between films with magic and physical comedy – all emceed by Kevin Joyce (reason #6b to go see Moisture Festival.) This show will be a true one-time-only opportunity – on April 5th.
5. It’s Here.
Fremont (and Seattle) have struck it rich. The über-creative minds at Moisture Festival could stage this unique vaudevillian production anywhere in the world – and they do it here. As Cathy Sutherland, an MF organizer, observed, “Thirty minutes in any direction, and you are out of the pocket of happiness.” Las Vegas, Berlin or Oregon Country Fair occasionally offer something comparable, but we don’t even have to travel…although some audience members do! This is a singular experience, here.
4. The Performers
Moisture Festival attracts performers from all over the world! Every year more performers want a chance to put their act on an MF stage and, as a result, every year the caliber of the shows goes up, dramatically. Every year audiences will flock to see their ‘favorites’ – and get a healthy dose of ‘new-to-MF’ performers on the side…to create new ‘favorites!’
The Moisture Festival website lists the performers scheduled to appear, and the shows they are booked to play. This way it is possible to buy tickets to see a favorite – or scan the list to find someone (or something) entirely new to experience.
3. Godfrey Daniels
‘nuff said.
2. Limited Opportunity.
Moisture Festival happens once a year. Three weeks of performances – March 15th – April 8th – lulls audiences into a false sense of boundless opportunity. Don’t let this happen to you. Pick a night(s) to attend, and order tickets now – before you become another sad sack left with only dreams of 2013.
(BTW – 2013 marks the 10th Anniversary of Moisture Festival, and past performers – and audience members – will flock here from every corner of the globe. Tickets will be even more scarce then – so go now!)
1. It’s Fun. And hey, isn’t that reason enough…
Order tickets today, through Brown Paper Tickets. Tickets range from $10 – 25, depending on the venue and the show – and once the tickets are purchase, it takes the pressure off of wondering when you will make time for a show.
Also, consider a donation, if you can. Donations keep ticket prices down, and will help Moisture Festival keep going strong!
Finally, feel free to forward you favorite reasons for your Moisture Festival faithfulness. E-mail instigator@box2219.temp.domains, or go on the Facebook page, and share reasons why no one dare miss out on Moisture Festival this year!
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©2016 Kirby Lindsay Laney. This column is protected by intellectual property laws, including U.S. copyright laws. Reproduction, adaptation or distribution without permission is prohibited.