Philadelphia Museum of Art - Information : Press Room : Press Releases : 2006

June 7th, 2006

Fleisher Art Memorial to Host Bindlestiff Family Cirkus and Magic Hat Brewing Company's Summer Variety Show

8:00 PM, Wednesday, June 14
The Sanctuary of the Samuel S. Fleisher Art Memorial, 719 Catharine Street, Philadelphia, PA

New York’s own critically acclaimed Bindlestiff Family Cirkus is teaming up with Vermont’s Magic Hat Brewing Company to satisfy your thirst for entertainment! As part of a 35-city tour up and down the East Coast celebrating the launch of the Magic Hat Summer Variety Show 12 Pack, the Cirkus will be rolling into Philadelphia for one stellar night with a classic variety show that promises something for everyone: circus, sideshow, vaudeville and burlesque presented in unique Bindlestiff style. The Samuel Fleisher Art Memorial in South Philadelphia will play host to this cavalcade of mirth and whimsy at 8:00 p.m. on Wednesday, June 14th.

Fantastic Feats! Amazing Acrobatics! Eye-popping Performances!

Appearing with Sword Swallower Mr. Pennygaff and Whipcracking Ringmistress Philomena Bindlestiff will be:

Scotty The Blue Bunny–Half Man, Half Wild Animal

David Didd–Slackrope Artist and Master of Manipulative Miscellanea

Australian darling Dizzy Lizzie–Hula Hooper and Trapeze Artiste Extraordinaire

Sxip Shirey–Balkanic Monster Organist and Mutant Harmonicizer

and Special Surprise Guests from the audience

Enjoy the show with some frosty suds served up by the good people at Magic Hat Brewing Company. Tickets are $20 at the door, or $15 for Fleisher members and those dressed in clown or circus gear. Doors open at 7:30 p.m.

Circus Skills Workshop June 15
Want to run away and join the circus for a day? Have you dreamed about the sawdust and the glitter and yearned to be in the spotlight? Now's your chance to take a step toward center ring! Members of the Bindlestiff Family Cirkus offer a one-day-only hands-on circus skills workshop at the Fleisher Art Memorial. Participants will learn juggling and acrobatic skills. Two sessions are available: afternoon for ages 8 to 15, or evening for ages 15 and up. Space is limited, register today through Fleisher’s secure website.

About the Bindlestiff Family Cirkus
Since 1995, the Bindlestiff Family Cirkus has traveled the world, bringing its unique hybrid of vaudeville, circus, burlesque, and sideshow to theaters, clubs, colleges, and festivals. The company has produced innumerable cabaret shows, customized performances for special audiences, all-ages and family productions, and sophisticated adult shows. Over the last five years, the company has begun developing more theatrical productions, including 2001's Buckaroo Bindlestiff’s Wild West Jamboree, 2003's High Heels & Red Noses, and 2005's From the Gutter to the Glitter: A Night Out with the Bindlestiffs. In 2004, Bindlestiff instituted its annual children's performance program, the Cavalcade of Youth, in which young performers and technical staff (ages 8–20) have the opportunity to hone their skills with variety arts professionals.

The Ma and Pa of the Bindlestiff Family are co-founders Stephanie Monseu and Keith Nelson, who over the last decade have hosted a variety of outrageous talent under the Bindlestiff banner. Individually, both Keith and Stephanie provide a vast array of talents from public relations to booking to performing. Their personal dedication to the variety arts, circus, vaudeville, sideshow, and burlesque has made the Bindlestiff Family Cirkus famous among audiences and within the variety performance community. For more information about these events, please visit www.fleisher.org/calendar/bindlestiff.php.

The Philadelphia Museum of Art is among the largest museums in the United States, with a collection of more than 227,000 works of art and more than 200 galleries presenting painting, sculpture, works on paper, photography, decorative arts, textiles, and architectural settings from Asia, Europe, Latin America, and the United States. Its facilities include its landmark Main Building on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, the Perelman Building, located nearby on Pennsylvania Avenue, the Rodin Museum on the 2200 block of the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, and two 18th-century houses in Fairmount Park, Mount Pleasant and Cedar Grove. The Museum offers a wide variety of activities for public audiences, including special exhibitions, programs for children and families, lectures, concerts and films.

For additional information, contact the Marketing and Communications Department of the Philadelphia Museum of Art at (215) 684-7860. The Philadelphia Museum of Art is located on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway at 26th Street. For general information, call (215) 763-8100, or visit the Museum's website at www.philamuseum.org.