From Wednesday, May 6, through Sunday, May 10, Circuit Arts will be presenting the first-ever “No Bones: A Comedy Festival of Humerus Proportions.” Martha’s Vineyard Playhouse in Vineyard Haven and the Strand Theatre in Oak Bluffs will be the venues.
The event is a co-production with Abby Bender Schmantze Theatre, and promises to be “a festival of the weird, the wired, and the wonderful.” The eclectic lineup of talent from Martha’s Vineyard, New York City, and beyond includes headliners the Grand Dame of Comedy, Susan Rice, and NPR personality and true comic’s comic Ophira Eisenberg.
“This festival is one of a kind with the variety of performances,” says Eisenberg. “Comedy expressed in so many different facets … and this collection of artists coming together on one of the most beautiful islands in the world is truly magical.”
“I’m so excited to be asked to participate in ‘No Bones,’” says Rice. “At my age, I’m more likely to be asked to perform at ‘The Full Body Scan by Aetna’ Comedy Fest. With ‘No Bones,’ I get to visit a place I probably would never get to go unless I won a bet, and I get to take a ferry.”
Abby Bender, “No Bones” curator and artist and co-founder of the riotously popular annual Built on Stilts, says, “This is something I’ve been scheming and thinking about for a few years. At first I thought, ‘Do I want to produce again?’ There are a lot of moving parts when you produce, and I couldn’t do it without Circuit Arts.”
Bender says that after years of exploring movement and humor through the Comedy in Dance Festival she ran in New York City, she’s very excited to bring that spirit here. “Comedy comes in countless forms, and this festival feels like a joyful collision of all those worlds. Laughter is the emotional override we all need right now, and I’m thrilled to be in such great company as we bring that to our Island audience.”
The festival performers include Island denizens and old friends of Bender’s from New York City: “When I moved to the Island, I wanted to bring together people from my past and new people from my present. So I approached Circuit Arts to see if they’d like to partner, and they did!”
“We deeply appreciate Abby Bender, and have loved working with her to put this amazing weekend of laughs together,” says Brian Ditchfield, executive director of Circuit Arts.
“We’re really excited to be co-producing this new festival,” agrees Kelly Kaye, Circuit Arts’ managing director. “I think there’s something for everyone over Mother’s Day weekend, but I’m especially looking forward to our headliners, Susan Rice and Ophira Eisenberg … They’re both just so charming and funny; audiences are really going to love them.”
Locals and visitors alike are excited to be a part of this inaugural event. “I need the ‘No Bones’ comedy festival, because with all the bullshit and violence going on in the world, I’ve been wanting to hide under my covers,” says Elissa Lash, a company member of TBD Improv. “We all need to laugh. And we need to do it as a community … Being part of ‘No Bones’ means connecting with other people in a meaningful way — whether they’re onstage with me, in the audience, or I’m watching somebody and laughing/crying about life.”
Travis Tack of the “Electric Kool-Aid Comedy Show” agrees: “Abby’s work is always exciting, and she has a talent for bringing eclectic groups of people together, so I’m really looking forward to seeing how this grows. Last year, we put on a sketch revue called ‘When All Is Said and Dumb’ at Circuit Arts. That was really well-received, so when Abby told me about ‘No Bones,’ I jumped at the opportunity.”
Cori Marquis and Deborah Lohse of Lohse x Marquis have a dance-based piece that Lohse describes as “girls’ camp meets military pomp meets slasher film.” She says, “We are thrilled to bring an excerpt of ‘Jubilee 250’ to ‘No Bones,’ because a huge part of our process is finally getting to play with an audience. We learn so much onstage in front of and alongside strangers. Slightly terrifying? Yes. Absolutely thrilling and necessary? Yes and yes.”
Bender says the show is a little New York weirdness meets Martha’s Vineyard heart. “This festival has a huge variety of comedy. We have clowning in the show, but not like the clowns you see in the Ringling Brothers Circus. There are plays that are quirky and beautiful and odd. It’s a beautiful diversity of comedy work, and it’s also very poignant.”
The festival also offers a clown workshop, which will take place on Saturday, May 9, at 1 pm. “Jeff and Buttons paired up with Tallie Medel, and they are incredible performers, and the clown class will take place at the playhouse,” Bender continues. “It’s for everyone, whether they are a beginner or have a lot of experience.
“People ask me which night to come, and I say, ‘Come to them all!’ You can buy a festival pass, which is a total deal — $150. We’ve already sold a few. Sketch comedy, clowning, standup, improv — such a great combo. I just want people to come out and distract ourselves from everything that’s going on.”
All performances are for ages 18+. Tickets are pay-what-you-can, unless listed otherwise. Tickets and full details can be found at circuitarts.com.