Squonk Premieres New Show BROUHAHA in September

Following a 30th anniversary tour, Squonk premieres its newest show: Brouhaha, an immersive outdoor spectacle bursting with rollicking music, dazzling imagery, and the thrill of audience participation. Led by Co-Artistic Directors Jackie Dempsey and Steve O’Hearn, Squonk is a group of musicians and artists producing boisterous outdoor spectacles that fuse fantastical visual design, playful staging, and high-energy original music. 

Brouhaha will preview at The Kickoff and Rib Festival at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh on September 3-4. The show will have its premiere performances at ArtPrize in Grand Rapids, MI. Brouhaha will be part of Artprize’s official opening on September 14 and will also play September 15-17. Additional performances will take place September 27-28 in Colorado Springs at Colorado Springs Community Cultural Collective at City Auditorium.

Squonk has launched a Kickstarter project to support building Brouhaha. The project closes August 25. Visit https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/squonkopera/brouhaha  for more information.

About Brouhaha

At the center of the riotous Brouhaha is the Squonkcordian, an enormous musical instrument powered by behemoth bellows topped with towering tuba bells. At the peak of the performance, Squonk invites the audience to play this foghorn organ, welcoming them to experience the joy of a brass band and the fireworks of community. The show ends with a 30-foot head made of brilliantly colored banners, comically blinking its eyes and shooting smoke out of its ears. 

Throughout this visual extravaganza, Squonk’s musicians add driving rhythms, vibrant keyboards, wild winds, and hypnotic guitar riffs to the Squonkcordian’s rich and brassy sound. A raucous fusion of styles, Squonk’s music ranges from propulsive and exhilarating to celebratory and majestic.

“Brouhaha builds on our history of making big flamboyant things and animating public spaces,” says Steve O’Hearn, Co-Artistic Director of Squonk. “We aim to dazzle and delight—and have a rowdy good time together.”

“Squonk shows are radically inclusive and accessible, inviting everyone to create joy together,” says Jackie Dempsey, Co-Artistic Director of Squonk. “When the audience joins the show, they become part of a community, imagining and exploring together.”

Brouhaha follows the success of Squonk’s critically acclaimed Hand to Hand, which continued Squonk’s tradition of inspiring communities of the imagination in public spaces. Propelled by Squonk’s signature music, the show featured two 25-foot purple puppet hands, designed so the audience could grab the rigging and be part of the show. The show traveled to Lincoln Center and the Kennedy Center, toured to 26 cities in the United States and Canada, and garnered Squonk its 10th National Endowment for the Arts award.

Performance Dates

Brouhaha Preview: The Kickoff and Rib Festival at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh on September 3 at 4 and 7 p.m. and September 4 at 1:30 and 5:15 p.m. 

Brouhaha Premiere: ArtPrize in Grand Rapids, MI, on September 14-17

Additional Performances: Colorado Springs Community Cultural Collective at City Auditorium in Colorado Springs, CO, on September 27-28

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