bitethehand.org

Insect Carnival 2008

Posted on August 21st, 2008 by The Captain.
Categories: The Boogie Room and Gardens, Immediate Theatre, Annie The Ghost's Art, The Crux, Music, Events, Films, Workshops.

Bite the Hand Productions and The Boogie Room and Gardens invite you to celebrate with us on August 29, 30, and 31 at the Second Annual Insect Carnival! Come camp out with us and share in a weekend of music, theater, workshops, gardening, games, and more!

This is a conscious event that is being held at a private residence. We appreciate your cooperation and your respect. Here are a few things to keep in mind as you attend the celebration:

• We encourage bike riding and camping at the Carnival. Our guided bike rides will be departing from Santa Rosa, Sebastopol, and Cotati. See the schedule for departure times.
• If you cannot bike to the Carnival, please carpool.
• Please show up before 6:30pm if you intend on camping at The Boogie Room.
• Gates close at 10:30pm each night.
• We are asking a $5 donation per day that you attend the Carnival.

We will be having amazing performances in the day and the night! The performances are listed in the order they will be appearing:

• Friday the 29th of August
  • 12:00 noon
    • Guided bike rides leave from Santa Rosa’s Community Market, Sebastopol’s Whole Foods, and Cotati’s Oliver’s Market
    • The Insect Carnival begins!
  • 3:00pm
    • Guided bike ride leaves from Santa Rosa’s Community Market, Sebastopol’s Whole Foods, and Cotati’s Oliver’s Market
  • 3:00-6:30
    • The Crooks, The Mighty Chiplings, Banjomama, Eucalypt, and The Highlands
    • Guided bike ride leaves from Santa Rosa’s Community Market
  • 6:30-7:30
    • “The World’s Biggest Comedy Duo” Improv Comedy Show
  • 7:30-8:30
    • Yarn Arms and Gitar
  • 8:30-9:00
    • “Fire and Ghosts” Storytelling by the Campfire
  • 9:00pm-1:00am
    • The Semi-Evolved Simians, Litany for the Whale, Not to Reason Why, and Goodriddler

• Saturday the 30th of August
  • 10:00am
    • Yoga
  • 12:00 Noon
    • Breakfast and goat-milking
    • Guided bike rides leave from Santa Rosa’s Community Market, Sebastopol’s Whole Foods, and Cotati’s Oliver’s Market
  • 1:00-3:00
    • Mud Wrestling with Laundry Detergent (Batman vs Predator)
  • 3:00pm
    • Guided bike ride leaves from Santa Rosa’s Community Market
  • 3:00-4:30
    • The Haxaw Ditch Dwellers, Travis Hendrix, and Andrew Maurer
    • …and The Free School with Richard Speaks!
  • 4:30-5:00
    • Boogie Room Public Meeting
  • 5:00-8:00
    • Banjomama, Low-Five, Ferocious Few, and Santiago
    • …and workshops on gardening, fermented foods, and cheese-making!
  • 8:00-8:30
    • The Crux Tent Revival, Chapter Two
  • 8:30pm-2:30am
    • Nikos Eliot, Fishbear, A Pack of Wolves, The Iditarod, and DJ Underwater

• Sunday the 31st of August
  • 12:00 Noon
    • Breakfast and Performances
    • Guided bike rides leave from Santa Rosa’s Community Market, Sebastopol’s Whole Foods, and Cotati’s Oliver’s Market
  • 1:00-3:00
    • Lemonade and Open Mic (come play!)
  • 3:00pm
    • Guided bike ride leaves from Santa Rosa’s Community Market
  • 3:00-9:00
    • uMana, Erstwhile Medicine Show, Leila-Anne, Ramon and Jessica, Mark Growden, and Kyle Martin
    • …and a workshops on cheese-making, event-organizing, and goat-milking!
  • 9:00-12:00 midnight
    • I Cut People, Shampoodle, Bill Wild, Brandon the Clown, and The Crux
  • 12:00 midnight
    • “The Pharmakon,” a documentary about Sonoma County

Call us at 707-326-5274 for…
… specific times of performances and workshops!
… directions to The Boogie Room and Gardens!
… help finding carpools and bike rides!
… opportunities to volunteer!

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Bite the Hand Inspirations: The Bread and Puppet Theater

Posted on March 24th, 2008 by The Captain.
Categories: Bite the Hand Inspirations, Immediate Theatre, Cheap Art.

Bite the Hand Productions is greatly inspired by The Bread and Puppet Theater.  Founded by Peter and Elka Schumann (see their pictures below) in the 1960’s, this artist and activist collective has been active in community and politics for quite some time.  They have touched and inspired many, many groups, and Bite the Hand Productions is proud to call them an influence and trailblazer.  We want to show our appreciation to this courageous group and encourage everyone to learn more about the work they do.

These are the folks who started the Cheap Art Movement.  They make enormous circuses on a shoestring budget out of paper mache.  They give away free homemade bread and regularly feed the hundreds of people who come to see their shows.  They have showed us at Bite the Hand that the best way to create art is to simply never stop.

More people from Sonoma County should travel to Vermont and check these people out.  Their summer internships are priceless.  If you are interested in meeting them, contact us or check their web site out.

Information, photos, and philosophy of Bread and Puppet can be found online here: The Bread and Puppet Web Page or on their Wikipedia entry here:  Bread and Puppet Wikipedia

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Improv Workshop #3!

Posted on January 19th, 2008 by The Captain.
Categories: Immediate Theatre, Films, Events, Workshops.

Tomorrow is Sunday, January 20th and it is our third improv and storytelling workshop!  Call us at 326-5274 and come on by Bite the Hand Studios (935 Spencer St) from 2-5pm and have some fun!

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New Life in a New Year

Posted on January 4th, 2008 by The Captain.
Categories: Soundings, Immediate Theatre, Operation:Venue, The Crux, Events, Philosophy, Cheap Art, Workshops, The Pharmakon.

We are entering a new life in a new year. Bite the Hand Productions has a couple things to say during this time of rain, reflection, and journeys.

This is January and it is a time of change. All of our dreams and experiences past, all of our surroundings and thoughts alike are mushing together and transforming. At this magical time, we have these wishes:

May our land’s lack of venues and the pestilent boredom of our streets ferment into ectstatic insurrection and joyful presence in our homes.

May all of our personal and professional miscalculations and miscommunications serve to pollinate parts of our self and social awareness that we may have ignored in the past.

May those we love know our love and return it.

May we come together and rejoice in the acts that feed ourselves.

Already, we at Bite the Hand Productions can see the heap of history creating new life. We see great things in store in the upcoming year. In 2008, we can look forward to:

More issues than ever of The Pharmakon periodical coming every month all over Sonoma County!

Monthly improv and storytelling workshops as well as our “Feed Yourself” workshops with special guests!

Cheap Art craft days at Free Mind Media, where our community can meet and create art together to sell to the public!

New Bite the Hand events that we call “Soundings.” These are innovative collaborations between local artists and non-profit organizations. Look for our first one in March!

The first full-length album by The Crux will be coming out in 2008!

We are already plotting the Second Annual Insect Carnival for this August!

And so much more…

So, peace be with you on this New Year. A peace that pushes its roots deep into the pavement and touches the burning core of the Earth. A peace that is open to the winds of change and as stubborn as a mighty boulder. We wish you a good season of change and a greater awareness as the rain falls in waves. Let us be like the Roman god Janus, and look to the past and the future at the same time.

-Bite the Hand

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Improv Workshop #2: Success!

Posted on December 3rd, 2007 by The Captain.
Categories: Immediate Theatre, Events, Workshops.

On Sunday, December 2nd, we had our second Improv and Storytelling workshop!  It was themed “Spontaneity and Story” and it went marvelously!  A mix of experienced anf inexperienced improvisers met at Bite the Hand Studios with our facilitator, Josh Stithem.  We were boring, we were interesting, we found stories without even thinking!  Everyone was really pleased with the experience and it got us to thinking…

Could this lead to more frequent Improv and Storytelling workshops?  We think so.  Joshua is looking at our Bite the Hand schedule to see if we can start doing these at least twice a month.

 Could this lead to a performance group for Bite the Hand Productions?  That is an interesting question.  We have a lot of ideas for plays and performances.  Does anyone want to help us put on some shows…?

Leave a comment if you are interested in making some theatre in Sonoma County.

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Our Second Improv Workshop!

Posted on November 19th, 2007 by The Captain.
Categories: Immediate Theatre, Events, Workshops.

Did you enjoy our last improv workshop?? Did you miss it and are kicking yourself in the pants?? Well kick no longer, because on Sunday, November 25th the crazy folks at Bite the Hand are doing it again!!

This month, our theme is “Spontaneity and Story.” We will be zooming in on methods that help us unlock our natural spontaneity and we’ll be learning how to enjoy following a story as we create it. It will be fun! We will work together! We will have snacks.

The workshop will be from 2pm-5pm on Sunday, November 25 at Bite the Hand Studios (935 Spencer St, Santa Rosa). Call 326-5274 for more details.

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Improv Workshop #1: SUCCESS!

Posted on October 15th, 2007 by The Captain.
Categories: Immediate Theatre, Events, Workshops.

Yesterday, on October 14th, Bite the Hand Productions put on our first-ever improv and storytelling workshop! Workshop leader Joshua Stithem (of The Crux) led a class of seven through simple exercises aimed at creating interesting and entertaining scenes.The participants were made up of a wide variety of ages, experienced actors as well as novices, and complete strangers and good friends alike! Three hours went by very quickly, and by the time we were done we were all quite comfortable on the stage.

In fact, many of the participants were mighty interested in getting together and doing it again…

Drop us a line at 326-5274 or thepharmakon@gmail.com if you are interested in attending any upcoming theater workshops!

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Improv Workshop!

Posted on October 6th, 2007 by The Captain.
Categories: Immediate Theatre, Events, Workshops.

On October 14th, Bite the Hand Productions is be presenting an…
IMPROV AND STORYTELLING WORKSHOP!!

Come and learn about the art of improvisational theater with Joshua Stithem (of The Crux)! We will be playing with themes of space and status and having a great time. Lunch will be prepared during the workshop.

The workshop will be from 2-5 at 935 Spencer Ave. in Santa Rosa

Call 707-326-5274 for details!

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