The 40th Annual Bumbershoot: Seattle’s Music & Arts Festival, taking place September 4-6 at Seattle Center, announces the Words & Ideas, Performing Arts, Spectacle, and Theatre program lineups. The creativity that defines Bumbershoot as one of the most culturally relevant festivals is founded on its 40-year history of programming not only top-notch music, but presenting arts of all disciplines, throughout Seattle Center’s theaters, exhibition halls, lawns, and other unique gathering places. This year, the Festival continues this tradition by offering a roster of arts programming that gives viewers opportunities to laugh, think, discuss, and experience Bumbershoot in new and exciting ways.

WORDS & IDEAS
Words & Ideas is an expansion of the popular Literary Arts program and renamed this year to better encapsulate the breadth of programming presented. The Words & Ideas program features a series of panel discussions and talks that focus on examining the point where pop culture, new media, literature, theories, and trends intersect and, from there, often explode into new cultural phenomena.

The Words & Ideas Stage will feature the following programs:

The McSweeney’s Program
McSweeney’s, the publishing house founded by Dave Eggers, presents a program featuring Adam Levin, author of The Instructions; Eli Horowitz and Mac Barnett, authors of Clock Without a Face; and Hilton Als, theatre critic for The New Yorker and contributor of a genre-shattering novella for Timothy McSweeney’s Quarterly Concern #35.

McSweeney’s began in 1998 as a literary journal that published only works rejected by other magazines. After the first issue, however, the journal began to publish pieces written specifically for McSweeney’s. Since then, it has attracted works from some of the finest writers and grown to be one of the country’s best read and widely circulated literary journals.

The Four Fingers of Death with Rick Moody
Winner of the PEN Prize, Rick Moody is the author of five novels, a collection of short fiction, a book of novellas, and a memoir. His novel The Ice Stormwas made into a film in 1997. His most recent novel, The Four Fingers of Death, is an unusual and inventive comic opus. Successful local author, screenwriter, literary reviewer, and Pierce County Prosecutor Mark Lindquist will moderate this program.

Tony Millionaire
Tony Millionaire is the multiple award-winning creator of the self-syndicated comic strip, Maakies, which appears in weekly newspapers across the country. Maakies has been adapted to the small screen in 1998 for Saturday Night Live and in 2008 as The Drinky Crow Show for Cartoon Network’sAdult Swim.

Page & Screen: TV Writers and the Comic Novel
A showcase of authors who straddle the line between television and literature, Page & Screen features writers who make you laugh in both mediums. The program will consist of short readings by the writers, followed by a moderated conversation and Q&A with the audience.

Page & Screen features Simon Rich, the author of two humor collections, Free-Range Chickens and Ant Farm and the novel Elliot Allagash; he has also written for The New Yorker and Saturday Night Live. Steve Hely, author of How I Became a Famous Novelist, is also a contributing writer for The Office, 30 Rock, American Dad, and The Late Show with David Letterman. Seth Greenland, novelist, playwright and screenwriter is the author of Shining City: A Novel, and writer for HBO series Big Love and Arli$$. Maria Semple, author of This One Is Mine has also written for Arrested Development, Beverly Hills 90210, Ellen, Mad About You and Saturday Night Live.

Please Take Me Off the Guest List with Nick Zinner, Zachary Lipiz, and Stacy Wakefield
Please Take Me Off the Guest List is a collaborative book produced by Nick Zinner of Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Zachary Lipez of the Freshkills, and Stacy Wakefield, former design director for Index magazine, Artforum, and Bookforum. Zinner is a prolific photographer, and his work has been exhibited all over the world. For Please Take Me Off the Guest List, Wakefield paired some of Zinner’s photographs, taken while touring with his band, with Lipez’s darkly humorous essays about his misadventures as a bartender and drug abuser. The three New York-based artists will appear for a brief music set and reading, followed by a Q&A with the audience moderated by Executive editor of City Arts magazine, Mark Baumgarten.

Sound Opinions with Jim DeRogatis and Greg Kot
The brainchild of Jim DeRogatis and Greg Kot, Chicago titans of music criticism, Sound Opinions is the world’s only rock & roll talk show. Every week,Sound Opinions fires up smart and spirited discussions about a wide range of popular music, from cutting-edge underground rock and hip-hop to classic rock, R&B, worldbeat, electronica and almost every other genre under the sun. DeRogatis and Kot will be discussing the future of music in the same info and opinion packed format that has made their radio show a compulsively listenable hit.

Listen Whitey: A History of Black Power Recordings with Pat Thomas & The Watts Prophets
In 2004, Pat Thomas began work on a research project that focused on the Black Panther Party recordings inspired by the Black Power movement of the ‘60s and ‘70s. Over a five-year period, Pat uncovered dozens of rare and out-of-print Black Power poetry, speeches, interviews, jazz, soul, rock, and pop recordings. He eventually amassed one of the largest collections of its kind. Thomas will discuss his latest book, due out this fall from Fantagraphic Books, Listen Whitey: The Sounds of the Black Power 1965-1975 that chronicles this exhaustive collection of material and provides unique historical insight into this movement.

The Watts Prophets are a group of African American social-political poets and musicians who combine elements of jazz and spoken word performance and are often viewed as forerunners of contemporary hip-hop. Jim Dedeaux, a prominent figure from the Black Power movement of the ’60s and ’70s will perform a spoken word piece and discuss the history and significance of The Watts Prophets and this era of Black history.

Kurt B. Reighley’s United States of Americana Road Show
Kurt B. Reighley’s latest book, United States of Americana, is a vivid look at why young urban Americans are finding inspiration in traditions of a bygone era. A direct reaction to the hectic pace of modern life, young urbanites are carving out a new identity that goes beyond mere nostalgia and celebrates community and sustainability. United States of Americana is a guide to the sights, sounds, tastes, and colorful characters that populate this new, old-fashioned world. It highlights everything from how to use a straight razor to urban backyard chicken coops to the resurgence of the vinyl LP. Reighley will bring some of these Americana elements to life onstage as he discusses the impact of this significant societal shift.

MeTube
This program invites three notable and intriguing individuals to select and present a set of videos found on the Internet that express aspects of their identity. Pulling from the enormous “open-source” media resource of the web, speakers have a unique opportunity to reflect and share about three phases of their life. Each will curate a 20-minute set of videos that embody their perceived past, present, and future, while demonstrating how we are increasingly connected through social media. This event is presented by the Kirkland Arts Center Gallery.

Pecha-Kucha
Pecha-Kucha began in 2003 in Tokyo as a way for young designers to network and showcase their work. Drawing its name from the Japanese term for the sound of “chit chat,” it consists of a simple presentation structure: 20 images x 20 seconds each. Six artists from different disciplines will follow this format centered on the theme “Evil Schemes/Evil Deeds,” with the artists talking about each slide as it is displayed. Presenters include painter and independent curator Chris Crites, photographic-based artist and curator Nichole DeMent, figurative oil painter Chris Sheridan, performance artist Ilvs Strauss, multimedia artist and poet Nico Vassilakis, and painter John Osgood.

Drawing Rock & Roll: Jay Ryan and Brad Klausen
Moderated by designer, artist, and curator Daniel R. Smith, this panel will feature poster artists Jay Ryan and Brad Klausen discussing their creative process with musicians they have worked closely with throughout their careers. Ryan is known for his hand-drawn type, humorous animal subjects, and muted color selection and will be joined by The Jesus Lizard’s David Yow. Brad Klausen worked for nine years as the in-house graphic designer for the Pearl Jam and launched Artillery Design in 2007 where he continues to make posters for Pearl Jam, Built to Spill, Widespread Panic, and many other bands.

I’ll Show You a Story!
A reading with a twist, I’ll Show You A Story! blends visual imagery with literary arts to create something completely new. Featuring Cienna Madrid, Brian McGuigan and Elissa Washuta, it’s an impressive look at what’s happening in the local literary scene. Madrid is a local writer and humorist whose articles have appeared in The Stranger and SubTerrain Magazine and is a current writer-in-residence at Richard Hugo House. McGuigan is the curator of the Hugo House’s “Cheap Wine and Poetry” series and has curated readings for the Seattle City Council and SAM. Washuta recently completed a memoir calledThe Kindling Effect.

Why This? Why That? Why Now?
Dedicated to poetic analysis of the everyday, the Why This? Why That? Why Now? series, hosted by the Vis-à-Vis Society, are lectures by expert panelists that explore trends in Internet culture, media, pop culture and the culinary world. A different panel presentation will take place each day of Bumbershoot on the Words & Ideas Stage, exploring overarching trends.

Why Failure? Why Cuteness? Why Now?
This panel discussion focuses on the rise in prominence of “failure” and “cuteness” on the Internet, as seen on sites like FailBlog and LolCats. The discussion will feature Cheezburger Network CTO Scott Porad and filmmaker Britta Johnson.

Why Vampires? Why Abraham Lincoln? Why Now?
If you ever wonder why vampires currently rule the pop culture landscape and are a national teenage obsession, or why Abraham Lincoln is a hot-topic for museums, literature, visual art, movies and theatre, you are in the right place. The Great Emancipator and heartthrob vampires will share the spotlight for perhaps the first time in this fun and informative discussion.

Why Bacon? Why Cupcakes? Why Now?
Featuring Dave Lefkow, “Bacontrepeneur” at J&D Foods, makers of Bacon Salt, Baconnaise, BaconPOP microwave popcorn, Bacon Lip Balm, and Bacon Flavored Mmmvelopes, this program will include live, audience-interactive research that examines the rise of bacon and cupcakes to dominate some of today’s most delicious and innovative culinary trends.

PERFORMING ARTS
Bumbershoot’s 2010 Performing Arts lineup features the best in contemporary, urban and experimental dance; exciting performances weaving together elements of juggling, acrobatics, and circus theatricality; and experiments in movement and sound that test the limits of the human body and yield engaging and sometimes unusual visual results.

This year’s Performing Arts Program features:

AXIS Dance Company
AXIS Dance Company is one of the world’s most acclaimed and innovative ensembles of performers with and without disabilities. Founded in 1987, AXIS has become a jewel of contemporary dance and disability culture. Their performances will forever change the way you think about dance and the possibilities of the human body.

Squonk Opera
Squonk Opera’s sonic hooligans explore the poetry of music making and the power of sound with camera jibs, projection puppets, and kinetic machines. Hailed as “ingenious, hallucinatory, hypnotic” by the New York Times, the Squonkers journey from the depths of moody minimalism to the heights of gypsy rock raucous delight.

NANDA
A tidal wave of dance, juggling, and crazy kung-fu acrobatics, Nanda fills the house with unrelenting skill and comedy woven into a sonic soundscape. It looks like kung fu movies came alive, but without the special effects and wirework. The Nandinian philosophy is simple and visually stunning – Acrobaticalism.

Can Can Castaways
Performing an original and unusual mixture of cabaret, burlesque and modern dance they call “Cabaresque,” Can Can Castaways will delight and amaze you. Described by Stephen Fry in BBC Magazine as “European-style cabaret of the highest standard…witty, decadent…a world more sophisticated, smart and intelligent than anything available in London,” Can Can Castaways brings to mind the debauched days and nights of the Weimar era, brought back to life with a modern spin.

Arts Corps Presents
Arts Corps Presents showcases talents affiliated with the largest arts education non-profit in King County. The show is a synthesis of hip-hop, singer/songwriters, break dancers, and live percussion, highlighting professional teaching artists, their collaborators, and standout students. Artists will include Air to a Bird, Vicious Puppies Crew, Aaron Walker-Loud and Big World Breaks, and youth from Youngstown Records.

The 605 Collective
The 605 Collective’s meld of urban and contemporary dance has created an exciting, highly athletic new art form that captivates audiences. 605 has been recognized for its innovative movement, physically demanding works, and utilization of collaboration as an essential tool for exploring new directions in dance.

RICOCHET
Weaving delicate metaphor with jaw dropping spectacle, RICOCHET is known for their distinct combination of poetic acrobatics and compelling characters. RICOCHET draws from its dancers’ rigorous backgrounds in classical and contemporary dance, aerial acrobatics, and the commitment to experimentation and improvisation to explore the internal landscapes of the human experience.

Dark Divas
Nu Black Arts West’s Dark Divas is an energetic and moving tribute to the works of Pearl Bailey, Moms Mabley, Bessie Smith, Billie Holiday, and many more great entertainers who began their careers at the legendary Apollo Theater in Harlem. The sounds of a bygone era and spots like The Cotton Club ring out in this two-act performance that portrays the soulful and sublime song stylings of African-American women who changed music forever.

SPECTACLE Presented by Groupon
The Bumbershoot grounds offer countless opportunities to extend the arts beyond the boundaries of the venue stages to interact and engage Festival attendees on a more personal level. The expanded presence of the arts throughout the grounds is evident with the unique Spectacle programming and random acts of artistic performance.

In 2010, these site-specific, outdoor attractions will feature everything from thrilling acts of daring acrobatics to a unique pedal-powered explosion of carnival roadhouse. In addition, NANDA and Can Can Castaways take their Performing Arts show outdoors to entertain the Bumbershoot masses.

The 2010 Spectacle performances include:

Circus Una Motorcycle Thrill Show
An all female high-wire act of awe-inspiring skill and guts, Circus Una roars through the air with the greatest of ease. Featuring a motorcycle and rider precariously balanced upon a thin wire 30 feet in the air, with an aerialist suspended below, Circus Una performs daring acts that seem almost impossible with stunning beauty and grace. The finale features the motorcycle, rider, and aerialist performing a complete 360 revolution around the high-wire that will take your breath away. One of the most electrifying high-wire acts around, Circus Una is a thrilling and beautiful spectacle.

Cyclecide Heavy Pedal Bike Rodeo
Cyclecide operates the country’s one and only pedal-powered carnival. They search for thrown away bikes and transform them into all kinds of pedal-powered monstrosities, including the Ferris Wheel, Dizzy Toy, Whirl & Hurl, and Kiddie Carousel. Their alter-bike rodeo, mariachi-punk musicians, and thrilling rides are crazy fun for kids of all ages.

The Museum of Glass Mobile Hot Shop
This fully equipped glass blowing studio takes the Museum of Glass Hot Shop experience outside and directly to individuals. Offering both education and entertainment, the Mobile Hot Shop attracts and intrigues audiences of every age and social group. The experience includes a complete glassblowing demonstration with highly skilled artists working with molten glass while a trained commentator explains the art and science of glass, interacts with the audience, and answers questions. Exciting demonstrations offer the opportunity for the audience to feel the heat of the furnaces and catch a glimpse of the science and art of glassmaking. The Museum of Glass Mobile Hot Shop is sponsored by City of Tacoma, M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust and Cascadia International.

THEATRE
Bumbershoot’s 2010 Regional Theatre Program is curated by Theatre Puget Sound, a consortium of theatres and individual artists in the Puget Sound region dedicated to nurturing a healthy and vibrant theatre and arts community. Since 2003, TPS has worked with Bumbershoot to curate an exceptional program that highlights local theatre performers and exceptional productions.

This year’s Theatre program features enchanting and thought-provoking works that will take you on a wild journey through laughter, introspection, frivolity, heartbreak and triumph. Featuring improvisation by Improvolution and Theatresports with performances of the fast-paced sports thrill The Jammer; a risqué and romantic sex comedy BJ: A Musical Romp; the heart-warming musical comedy The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee; A Cabaret… Sondheim, Newman, and Weill featuring the music of some of the master songwriters of Stage and Screen; and The Tastiest Bites of Eat My Shorts a presentation of the best 10-minute plays from the Eat My Shorts series.

TICKETS:
Bumbershoot has historically offered a substantial weekend roster of world-class entertainment, arts and culture for an exceptionally low-ticket price. This year, Bumbershoot unveiled an even greater bargain with the introduction of the Economy Ticket. The Bumbershoot Economy Ticket ($22 advance/$30 gate) gives ticketholders first-come, first-served access to everything at Bumbershoot except the Mainstage performances in Memorial Stadium.

The Bumbershoot Standard Ticket ($40 advance/$50 gate), one of the best festival bargains around, now includes guaranteed Mainstage admission, as well as first-come, first-served access to all other Festival venues.

Single day-specific advance ticket prices are good through Friday, September 3. Gate prices go into effect at the start of the Festival on Saturday, September 4.

Tickets are currently available to purchase at bumbershoot.org, Ticketmaster outlets, or by calling Ticketmaster at 1-800-745-3000.

For more ticket information visit bumbershoot.org/tickets.htm.