Once a month during the fall, winter, and spring months,
Asheville Vaudeville stages a variety show it bills as “a night of laughter, excitement, and awe as many of Asheville’s finest…performers show off their amazing skills and creativity while celebrating the spirit of historic vaudeville shows.”
The next installment of Asheville Vaudeville is
Saturday, April 18, with shows at 7:30 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. at
Toy Boat Community Arts Space. I enjoyed an engaging chat with the dynamic
Jim Julien, producer of and frequent contributor to Asheville Vaudeville, ahead of Saturday's show.
What was the genesis of Asheville Vaudeville?
Back in 2009,
Brian Sneeden and
Thomas Butler started Asheville Vaudeville with a series of shows at the
BeBe Theatre that spotlighted some of the incredibly talented performing artists that had been part of various groups and companies -- musicians, jugglers, acrobats, magicians, puppeteers, comedians, aerialists, actors, dancers, and a few artists whose work can just not be so easily categorized. The idea was to put them all together in a show that was entertaining, provocative, and wild as only an Asheville variety show could be. The shows were received with great enthusiasm and the artists really enjoyed hanging with other artists. It was also a great opportunity for folks to collaborate on pieces that blended different genres of performance. A network of performers was strengthened and expanded. Of course, having beer available did not hurt the case either.
How has the organization evolved?
We had a big fun show at
Asheville Community Theatre, but then Brian got married and headed off to new adventures in academia and Thomas was drawn to NYC to explore the theatre scene there. Several of the folks from
Forty Fingers & a Missing Tooth, a high beloved local juggling troupe, and
The Runaway Circus, a highly beloved circus arts group, were involved in starting
Toy Boat Community Art Space. Toy Boat has been focused on teaching and presenting a variety of performing arts, so it seemed like a natural way of showcasing some of that talent and work that was been developed within the Asheville Vaudeville community of artists. We periodically put on Vaudeville shows that feature new work by our collective of artists. It is about development as well as unique, locally-sourced entertainment for audiences that are looking for originality and a great night out.
How would you characterize Asheville Vaudeville?
Asheville Vaudeville is grown up entertainment for somewhat grown up children, very much in the spirit of vaudeville shows of the past. There is daring and spicy material that may feature some adult perspectives, but silly and goofy are part of the experience as well. You’ll laugh, you’ll be surprised, you may sing along, and you may even get called up onto the stage to be part of the show.
What should audiences expect from the April show?
Our master of ceremonies for the April show is
Onkel Woland (pictured below), a storyteller from
The Black Forest Menagerie. We always have a guest master of ceremonies for the shows as a gracious host and guide for the audience to enrich the experience of the performances. This great lineup of artists that will feature live music by
Plankeye Peggy. There will be dance, puppetry, flow arts song, a dash of daring burlesque, comedy, aerial artistry, and who knows what else.
Onkel Woland, courtesey of Jim Julien
As Asheville becomes more gentrified, do outlets such as Asheville Vaudeville have a more important role in the arts community?
I truly believe Asheville Vaudeville has been one of the key ingredients in keeping Asheville weird, unique, and refreshingly different from other towns. This is not homogenized pap; it is hand-crafted entertainment from folks with distinct styles of performance, up close and personal.
What are some of your personal favorite Asheville Vaudeville memories?
There are so many, but I am always delighted by the sound of surprise from the audience when an artist has turned an old cliche genre into something new – when it registers that the audience has no idea where this piece is going and they lean forward in their seats to catch every moment. I have had so many folks coming up to me after shows and saying, “That piece by (so and so)... blew me away!”
But I will say, I loved throwing clubs offstage at onstage Walter and Keith of Forty Fingers & a Missing Tooth. It was very satisfying to chuck those at them. They usually caught them, too. Bonus!
Asheville Vaudeville plays Toy Boat Community Art Space (101 Fairview Road, Suite B) on Saturday, April 18 at 7:30 p.m. ($15) and 10:00 p.m. ($12). Tickets are available at the door.
All photos featured here are by
Indulge Images, except for photo of Onkel Woland, provided by Jim Julien
