Vox Fabuli Puppets and Kendra & Michael Hayes Present STORIES FOR BAD CHILDREN, Now thru 11/17

Once upon a time there were two sisters. One day they went into the woods and encountered something weird like a talking wombat or an ancient cheese-scented crone. The good sister was perfectly polite and did whatever they asked. The bad sister was all “Piss off, freaks!” So the bad sister was cursed and the good sister got to marry a prince and ride a sapphire unicorn and lived happily ever after, blah blah blah.

Bored with the good children? So are we.

Vox Fabuli Puppets and Kendra & Michael Hayes team up to bring you STORIES FOR BAD CHILDREN, a cabaret-style show celebrating the naughty boys and girls of the fairy tale world. STORIES FOR BAD CHILDREN plays at West of Lenin, tonight, November 15, 16 & 17 at 8pm.

Dark days are upon us. Join us in the blankie fort for tales of gleeful wickedness told through puppets, dance, music, and improv (pajamas optional):

- twisted Hansel and Gretel variations from Vox Fabuli Puppets
- bellydance that goes bump in the night from Kendra Hayes
- musical lessons in immoral morality from Rick Miller
- the dark ritualistic grace of Mer Sedna
- we’ll be guided through the scary woods by our emcees, Super Mega Art Show

Rachel Jackson’s Vox Fabuli Puppets specializes in twisting the familiar into dark and humorous shapes. Rachel has been puppeteering on various Seattle stages since 2008, where her work has been called “mad and masterful” by The Seattle Times. The mind behind last year’s hit MANOS – The Hands of Felt, she more recently brought her talented hands to Team of Heroes: Behind Closed Doors and Whedonesque Burlesque.

Kendra Hayes has been carrying around the banner for dark, avant-garde bellydance since 2000, having shared stages with everyone from the Crystal Method to King Tut. She's founder of the infamous dance troupe Hands of Kali and author of the rock n roll bellydance guide "Stomping Ground" and the forthcoming novel "Shotgun Brides." Currently, Kendra owns and operates Tin Can Studio in Seattle's historic Old Rainier Brewery, where she commands a small army of ferocious bellydancers and grows organic vegetables.

Michael Hayes’ sound design and original musics have appeared on gobs of local stages, plenty of internet, and even the Discovery Channel (yay royalties!) In addition he's been known to dabble in lighting design, cinematography, and now producing. Michael's music project, the Fog People (with none other than Rachel Jackson as collaborator) is nearing completion on a new record. He recently and quietly turned down a touring gig to start Tin Can Studio with his lovely wife, and he spends a lot of time with his pug Brutus.

Perhaps best-known as one-third of the bluegrass group the Half Brothers, Seattle-area singer-songwriter Rick Miller's work has been heard in plays by Annex, Consolidated Works, Macha Monkey, Strawberry Theatre Workshop, and Printer's Devil. He likes stories with unreliable narrators and music that goes "twang." Look for the Half Brothers to be featured in an Annex Theatre show in Summer of 2013.

Katrina Ellison and Victoria Jacobs' Mer Sedna project fuses tribal bellydance, Butoh, and Modern elements into a ritualistic, serpentine language of movement. Formed by Katrina in 2009, and adding Victoria's flamenco element, Mer Sedna is a dynamic and unique study in precision. For more info, visit www.mersedna.com.

If there’s one criticism most people have of performance art it’s that it’s not pretentious enough. Hanz and Hiemen of Super Mega Art Show are here to solve that problem. These two fake foreign artists make more artistic art in a minute than most artists make in a lifetime. Art is Truth. Truth is Pain. Pain is Funny. Super Mega Art Show, created by Dartanion London and Graham Downing.

A Project of AJ Epstein and his Production Company The Ethereal Mutt, West of Lenin is an 88 seat black box theatre and studio space located literally a 5 minute walk west of the Lenin statue in Fremont. West of Lenin exists to offer a venue for Seattle's most interesting and adventurous artists, as well as the re-establishment of a permanent, live performance venue in Fremont. For more information, go to westoflenin.com.

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