Carnival of Feelings is a durational interactive performance installation.
It looks a bit like a traveling circus from an older time. The Carnival of Feelings is meant to provide a safe, playful container in which participants can feel, show, and process big emotions within the supportive company of others.
Each Booth is similar to something you played at a state fair: Balloon Darts, Ring Toss, that game where you toss ping pong balls into little rings floating in a Kiddie Pool. BUT each booth has a twist to the way the game is played, so that you delve deeper into a stage of grief as you play the game. What if Balloon Darts forced you to examine ANGER in a new way? What if the Ring Toss caused you to examine how you might be DENYING your own limits?
The Carnival of Feelings can be explored solo or as a small group. The booths are structured to allow a participant to have maximum agency over their own journey. For example, want to tap out of a challenging booth and sit in the Recovery Tent with tea and a book of Zen poems? GREAT! Want to keep playing the POP THAT!!! Game until your arm falls off? ALSO GREAT!
The main rule here is Take Care Of Yourself. Go at the pace that feels right for you, and give grace to the other people on the journey with you.
There’s also prizes, magic, snacks, music, and a fortune teller.
Carnival of Feelings asks “What if the most thrilling games are actually the emotional rollercoasters within ourselves? Can playfully exploring deep emotions as a team shift our relationships to those emotions?”
PERFORMANCES
Saturday, May 31, 1 PM
Sunday, June 1, 12 PM
Cherry Street Pier
121 N. Columbus Blvd,
Philadelphia, PA 19106
TICKETS
Limited tickets for this show are “Sliding Scale”, or Pay What You Can, which means you are able to pick your price. If you are able to pay the suggested price, that will help to subsidize somebody else’s ticket in need, but seating is General Admission and is not determined by the amount you choose to pay.
Recommended for ages 7+
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Anne Brashier is a film and theater director who is obsessed with the physicality of emotions and how we experience embodying emotional states as a group. Previous works include: M4M (a LARP adaptation of Measure For Measure @ Hollywood Fringe Fest + IndieCade); 30:30:60 (a competitive birthday party @ LA Comedy Fest + Hollywood Improv Fest), #Couplegoals (a couple’s workshop that is also a 20th Wedding Anniversary Party @ Philly Fringe), and The Most Fun Funeral (a game show hosted by Death @ New York, New Zealand, and Hollywood Fringe Fests).
Brian Grannan is a dancer, circus artist, producer, stage manager, and skiing mascot. They make art that is wild and fun, they find joy is organizational details, and they will always be first on the dance floor. (Robert Moses’ Kin, Janice Garret Dance, Celebration Barn Workshops, John Gilkey Clown workshops, Pasadena Dance Theater, Ballet Oregon.)
See More Circus!
The Philadelphia Contemporary Circus Festival (PCCF) runs May 23 - June 1, 2025, featuring artists from Philly's vibrant contemporary circus community as well as ground-breaking artists from across the nation and beyond. These contemporary circus artists defy limitations, reimagine what’s possible, and create breathtaking moments of connection for audiences of all ages. Don't miss thrilling shows that blend acrobatics, dance, theater, and storytelling to push the boundaries of performance.
SUPPORT
The Philadelphia Contemporary Circus Festival is supported in part by the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts.
