NOTE: the Monday, Sep 26 performance has been canceled.

BOWER BIRD is a multidisciplinary theater event featuring dance, film, and a design contest. If you’ve ever wondered what your favorite nature documentary might be like if David Attenborough was a drag queen, you should check this out.

The male satin bower bird is an unassuming little thing, with plain black plumage and a simple song. However, he is a masterful artist, collecting items from his surroundings – berries, flowers, bottle caps – to construct his bower: a colorful work of landscape architecture that will hopefully knock her bird socks right off!

Like the bower bird, us humans are physically rather boring. We don’t have impressive horns or brightly colored feathers to impress potential mates. Instead, we use elements of our environment to construct our own ornamentation.

Is a Lamborghini just a peacock tail?

Drawing from extreme examples in Western cultural history, two non-binary drag artists explore how we adorn our bodies and amass possessions to communicate our fecundity, social standing, and gender expression.

For ages 18+

Interested in a not-necessarily-romantic way to connect over art? Select the Blind Date ticket at checkout and Cannonball will pair you with another audience member for a pre- and post-show experience. Blind Date is only available for this show on Mon, Sep 26, 2022 6:00 PM. Check out https://www.cannonballfestival.org/blinddate for more information.

This show is presented as part of Cannonball Festival, Philly’s artist-centered performance hub, packing in 65+ full length shows and 300 performances in two nearby venues. Discover risk-taking theater, dance, circus, music, and comedy alongside a vibrant garden bar with a free nightly cabaret, pop-up events, workshops, artist talkbacks, and more. September 1–30 at the Maas Building (1320 N 5th St) and Icebox Project Space (1400 N American St). Learn more at cannonballfestival.org.

Content Considerations

This performance contains brief graphic language.

Health & Safety

Proof of vaccination is required to attend this event, and masks must be worn for the duration of the performance. Audience members will be asked to show proof of vaccination before entering the venue. Both digital and physical proof of vaccination are accepted. Please plan accordingly.

Credits

Lead Artist: Emily Mayer (Edith Poussard), Performer: Tyler Rivera (Oktober Third)

About the Artist

Emily Mayer is a multidisciplinary performance artist, an exceptionally wiggly noodle, and the genderfuck drag clown Edith Poussard. They received their degree in biology from Bard College in 2012 and went on to dance for the Boston-based contemporary dance company Urbanity Dance. Emily moved to Philadelphia to pursue a post-bac in performance studies at the Headlong Performance Institute in 2014.
Emily is obsessed with absurd humor and embraces being completely stupid, in the best way. They’re a stand-up comedian, a marathon runner, a proud Canadian, a costume designer, and your grandma’s best friend.