Waco Cultural Arts Fest marks 20th year with a ‘squonk’
The Waco Cultural Arts Fest plans to celebrate its 20th anniversary this weekend with a big, people-powered squonk.
Actually, that's Squonk, as in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania-based performing group that creates an eye-catching, ear-catching spectacle to make and share music.
The 10-person group brings its current "Brouhaha" show, complete with the Squonkcordian and its oversized, bellows-powered tuba bells, for its Waco debut.
In addition to the one-of-a-kind Sqonkcordian, Squonk includes an electric guitarist, bassist, drummer, keyboardist, woodwind player and, on occasion, a bagpiper.
Expect loud, whimsical, big, surprising, participatory and fun. Or, as Squonk's mission statement puts it, "art that will include the cheap thrills of a monster truck show."
Co-founders Jackie Dempsey and Steve O'Hearn started Squonk about 30 years ago as a way to explore creativity, design and audience involvement outside of the confines of traditional theater. Their first show was held in a Pittsburgh junkyard and included cranes, machine shears and earthmovers.
Their troupe eventually morphed into a band of sorts, one always looking for ways to engage and pull in an audience. In the course of its 16 shows, Squonk has performed in 35 states plus Europe and Asia, played before 1 million people and another 14 million via television, and had a two-month run on Broadway.
The visuals in "Brouhaha" are largely human-powered — no robotics and energy supplied by jumping on bellows and pulling ropes — with audience participation providing a group energy for the experience.
What's it about? Maybe "chaos and failure and ultimate success," O'Hearn ventured in a phone interview, adding, "it's sensual and not intellectual," in the vein of work by Blue Man Group and Cirque du Soleil.
Squonk is scheduled to perform at 4:30 p.m. Friday; 12:30, 2:30 and 4:30 p.m. Saturday; and 1 and 3 p.m. Sunday. The company also will hold backstage tours and workshops during the festival.
Squonk's mix of performance art, mechanical design and audience involvement made it ideal to kick off the Waco Cultural Arts Fest's 20th anniversary, said founder and director Doreen Ravenscroft. "It kind of fits everything we talk about in the festival," she said.
In its two decades downtown, the festival has moved from Heritage Square to Indian Spring Park, expanded into multiple sub-festivals, shifted from an early fall weekend to mid-November and survived post-hurricane rains, tornado warnings and pandemic lockdowns.
Its multi-arts emphasis, focus on community involvement and free admission have continued, thanks in large part to dedicated volunteers and sponsors, Ravenscroft said. "We've experienced a little bit of everything and we still make it happen. Our volunteers and sponsors deserve our biggest thank-you. It's so special to bring communities together."
This year's festival brings back the long-standing ArtsFest, ScienceFest, music and dance and the WordFest, the latter also celebrating its 20th year with its annual poetry anthology and prize-winning poet Anne McCrady as this year's featured poet.
The African Film Fest of past festivals is missing and the {254} DanceFest has moved to an independent event in the spring.
New this year is participation by the Waco Independent Film Festival, which will sponsor movie and video screenings on Friday and Saturday in the Waco Convention Center. The Waco-made mockumentary "Believers" screens at 7 p.m. Friday while Saturday's offerings, part of the ScienceFest, will be shown from noon to 4 p.m.
Included in the half-hour STEM Shorts showing at 1 and 3 p.m. are Robinson student filmmaker Mathew Ruggieri's award-winning "Gravitational Lensing" and "The Urban Rescue Ranch."
Local bands and dance groups drive much of the live performances in the festival's music and dance offerings Friday through Sunday. Waco band Suede is Friday's headlining act at 8 p.m. with Waco country performer Gordon Collier closing the festival at 2:30 p.m. Sunday.
Austin Latin funk band Grupo Fantasma returns to the festival to cap Saturday's music at 8 p.m. Music and dance performances will take place from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday and 12:45 to 4 p.m. Sunday.
ArtsFest brings back hands-on art making for kids (mostly) with wood block sculpture, easel painting and mask making among the weekend's activities. The artist market will feature the works of 12 artists with Lisa Chase doing live portraiture demonstrations during the weekend.
Last year's festival drew some 3,000 participants and organizers hope that fair weather this weekend might help attendance approach 5,000.
Waco Cultural Arts Fest
When, where: 4:30-9 p.m. Friday, 10:30 a.m.-9 p.m. Saturday and noon-4 p.m. Sunday at Indian Spring Park, with WordFest and ScienceFest held at the Waco Convention Center, 100 Washington Ave.
WordFest hours: 6-9 p.m. Friday, 10:30 a.m.-9 p.m. Saturday and 10:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday. ScienceFest hours:
: Free.
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