“Devilishly dangerous theatre.” -Huffington Post

Naked Empire Bouffon Company brings you The Most Important Place in the World!, a devilishly satirical bouffon show targeting colonization with a Diasporic Puerto Rican lens. Two fabulously windswept tricksters, who are equal parts hurricanes and prophets, take the audience on a dance-filled fiesta celebrating USA’s torrid love affair with Puerto Rico.

The show features our signature style of in-your-face physical comedy, lip sync, puppetry, outrageous costumes, and an anything-goes relationship with the audience to create an immersive, joyous, and sometimes disturbing rollercoaster ride of biting anti-colonial satire.

Founded in 2009 with an activist mission to devise hilarious, cutting, and visually-provocative satires to catalyze urgent discourse, Naked Empire has become North America’s premier bouffon company. We have had the privilege of touring North America with multiple award-winning productions winning Best of the Fringe twice in San Francisco, the Talk of the Fringe Award in Vancouver, the Artist’s Choice Award in Edmonton, as well as Official Selections from the Toronto Festival of Clowns, Vancouver’s Dancing on the Edge Festival, Victoria’s UNOFest, Berkeley’s Blast Festival, and Xfest in Edwardsville, Illinois.

Appropriate for ages 13+

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 Fri, Sep 30, 2022 5:30 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, brief suggested violence, and strobe lights.

This comedy is made by Puerto Ricans joyously resisting the ways colonialism shows up in our bodies, families, communities, histories, and futures. Please be advised that there are brief references to systems of oppression including racism, sexism, classism, homophobia, transphobia, as well as genocide and natural disasters.

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

Co-Creator/Director/Performer: Nathaniel Justiniano, Co-Creator/Performer: Marisol Rosa-Shapiro, Dramaturg: Jade Power-Sotomayor

About the Artist

Naked Empire Bouffon Company was founded in San Francisco in 2009 with an activist mission to devise hilarious, cutting, and visually-provocative satires to catalyze urgent discourse. Since then, Naked Empire has toured across the continent with award-winning new works and training intensives becoming North America’s premier bouffon company. Their productions have been awarded Best of the Fringe twice in San Francisco, the Talk of the Fringe Award in Vancouver, the Artist’s Choice Award in Edmonton, as well as Official Selections from the Toronto Festival of Clowns, Vancouver’s Dancing on the Edge Festival, Victoria’s UNOFest, Berkeley’s Blast Festival, and Xfest in Edwardsville, Illinois. The company uses bouffon, a rarely-seen form of highly physical and extremely irreverent comedic satire leading the Huffington Post to praise the work as “devilishly dangerous theatre.” Find us via insta/fb and read more at nakedempirebouffon.org.